主题
IntermediatePredication
How Spanish, English and Chinese structure predicates around verbs, adjectives, and nouns.
对比语言
The predicate is what is said about the subject. Spanish and English require a copula for adjectival and nominal predicates. Chinese requires 是 for nominal predicates but allows bare adjectival predicates.
Overview
The predicate expresses what is said about the subject.
- Spanish: Verbal predicates are bare. Adjectival and nominal predicates require ser or estar. Distinguishes inherent (ser) vs state (estar).
- English: Verbal predicates are bare. All non-verbal predicates require be. Uses become, seem, get as pseudo-copular verbs.
- Chinese: Adjectival predicates are bare (no copula). Nominal predicates require 是. Progressive uses 在. Resultative change uses 了.
Spanish
Verbal predicates
- Juan lee. (intransitive)
- Juan lee un libro. (transitive)
Adjectival predicates
Ser (inherent, permanent):
- Juan es alto. (John is tall.)
- María es inteligente.
Estar (state, location, progressive):
- Juan está cansado. (tired — state)
- El libro está en la mesa. (location)
- El perro está ladrando. (progressive)
Ser vs estar:
| Ser | Estar | |
|---|---|---|
| aburrido | Él es aburrido. (boring) | Está aburrido. (bored) |
| verde | Es verde. (green) | Está verde. (unripe) |
| vivo | Es vivo. (lively) | Está vivo. (alive) |
| listo | Es listo. (clever) | Está listo. (ready) |
Nominal predicates
Always ser:
- Juan es profesor.
- Esto es un problema.
Progressive
- Juan está leyendo.
- Estábamos comiendo.
Resultative
- Se puso furioso. (got furious)
- Se volvió loco. (went crazy)
- Llegó a ser famoso. (became famous)
Pseudo-copular
- Parece feliz. (seems happy)
- Sigue siendo importante. (remains important)
English
Verbal predicates
- John reads. (intransitive)
- John reads a book. (transitive)
Adjectival predicates
Always with be:
- John is tall.
- The soup is hot.
Get / become / turn / go + adjective:
- He got angry.
- She became famous.
- The milk turned sour.
- He went crazy.
- The leaves turned red.
Nominal predicates
Always with be:
- John is a teacher.
- This is a problem.
Progressive
- John is reading.
- They were eating.
Passive
- The book was written by John.
Resultative
- The situation became serious.
- He grew old.
- She fell ill.
Pseudo-copular verbs
| Verb | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| seem | He seems happy. | apparent state |
| appear | He appears tired. | apparent state |
| become | He became angry. | change of state |
| get | He got angry. | change of state |
| turn | The milk turned sour. | change of state |
| go | He went crazy. | negative change |
| grow | He grew old. | gradual change |
| remain | He remained silent. | continuation |
| stay | She stayed calm. | continuation |
| look | You look great. | appearance |
| sound | That sounds good. | auditory impression |
| feel | I feel sick. | tactile/emotional impression |
Object complements
- He made her happy. (adjectival)
- They elected him president. (nominal)
- I found the book interesting. (adjectival)
Chinese
Verbal predicates
Bare verbs:
- 他读书。(He reads.)
- 他吃饭。(He eats.)
Adjectival predicates (no copula)
Chinese adjectives function as predicates without a copula:
- 约翰很高。(John is tall.)
- 这个很好。(This is good.)
- 天气很冷。(The weather is cold.)
Note: A degree adverb (很, 太, 非常) is typically required. Without it, the adjective has a comparative/exclamatory sense:
- 他高！(He’s tall! — exclamatory/comparative)
Nominal predicates (copula required)
- 他是老师。(He is a teacher.)
- 这是书。(This is a book.)
Progressive
- 他在读书。(He is reading.)
- 狗在叫。(The dog is barking.)
Locative predicate
- 书在桌子上。(The book is on the table.)
Resultative change
- 他生气了。(He got angry. — 了 marks change)
- 她累了。(She got tired.)
Causative resultative
- 他让我很高兴。(He made me happy.)
- 这个消息让他很难过。(This news made him sad.)
Comparison at a glance
| Predicate type | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal | Bare verb | Bare verb | Bare verb |
| Adjectival | ser/estar + adjective | be + adjective | Adjective directly ( + degree adv) |
| Nominal | ser + noun | be + noun | 是 + noun |
| Progressive | estar + -ndo | be + -ing | 在 + verb |
| Locative | estar + PP | be + PP | 在 + location |
| Resultative | ponerse/volverse | become/get/turn | Verb + 了 |
| Passive | ser + participle | be + participle | 被 + verb |
Examples in context
John is tall
- ES: Juan es alto.
- EN: John is tall.
- ZH: 约翰很高。
The dog is barking
- ES: El perro está ladrando.
- EN: The dog is barking.
- ZH: 狗在叫。
He became angry
- ES: Se puso furioso.
- EN: He became angry.
- ZH: 他生气了。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 他是高 → 他很高 (no 是 with adjectives)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: He teacher → He is a teacher (copula required)
-
English speakers learning Spanish: El perro es ladrando → El perro está ladrando (progressive uses estar)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: He became to be angry → He became angry (no to-infinitive)
Related topics
- Copula: How linking verbs work
- Existence: How existential predicates work
- Aspect: How aspectual distinctions are marked
- Causatives: How causative predicates work
例句
John is tall (adjectival)
Juan es alto (copula required)
John is a teacher (nominal)
Juan es profesor (copula required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
Llueve (impersonal)
The dog is barking (progressive)
El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund)
The book is on the table (locative)
El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP)
He became angry (resultative)
Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse)
He seems happy (raising)
Parece feliz (copula not required)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement)
例句
John is tall (adjectival)
John is tall (copula required)
John is a teacher (nominal)
John is a teacher (copula required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
It rains (expletive subject)
The dog is barking (progressive)
The dog is barking (be + -ing)
The book is on the table (locative)
The book is on the table (be + PP)
He became angry (resultative)
He became angry (become + adjective)
He seems happy (raising)
He seems happy (seems = raising verb)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
He made him happy (object + object complement)
例句
John is tall (adjectival)
约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree)
John is a teacher (nominal)
约翰是老师 (copula 是 required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
下雨 (verb-object)
The dog is barking (progressive)
狗在叫 (在 + verb)
The book is on the table (locative)
书在桌子上 (在 + location)
He became angry (resultative)
他生气了 (verb + 了)
He seems happy (raising)
他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective)
快速对比
| 语法概念 | 西班牙语 | 英语 | 中文 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John is tall (adjectival) | Juan es alto (copula required) | John is tall (copula required) | 约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree) |
| John is a teacher (nominal) | Juan es profesor (copula required) | John is a teacher (copula required) | 约翰是老师 (copula 是 required) |
| It rains (verbal, no argument) | Llueve (impersonal) | It rains (expletive subject) | 下雨 (verb-object) |
| The dog is barking (progressive) | El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund) | The dog is barking (be + -ing) | 狗在叫 (在 + verb) |
| The book is on the table (locative) | El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP) | The book is on the table (be + PP) | 书在桌子上 (在 + location) |
| He became angry (resultative) | Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse) | He became angry (become + adjective) | 他生气了 (verb + 了) |
| He seems happy (raising) | Parece feliz (copula not required) | He seems happy (seems = raising verb) | 他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective) |
| He made him happy (causative resultative) | Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement) | He made him happy (object + object complement) | 他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective) |
请至少选择一种语言以查看对比内容
并列对比
| 语法概念 | 西班牙语 | 英语 | 中文 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John is tall (adjectival) | Juan es alto (copula required) | John is tall (copula required) | 约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree) |
| John is a teacher (nominal) | Juan es profesor (copula required) | John is a teacher (copula required) | 约翰是老师 (copula 是 required) |
| It rains (verbal, no argument) | Llueve (impersonal) | It rains (expletive subject) | 下雨 (verb-object) |
| The dog is barking (progressive) | El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund) | The dog is barking (be + -ing) | 狗在叫 (在 + verb) |
| The book is on the table (locative) | El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP) | The book is on the table (be + PP) | 书在桌子上 (在 + location) |
| He became angry (resultative) | Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse) | He became angry (become + adjective) | 他生气了 (verb + 了) |
| He seems happy (raising) | Parece feliz (copula not required) | He seems happy (seems = raising verb) | 他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective) |
| He made him happy (causative resultative) | Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement) | He made him happy (object + object complement) | 他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective) |
请至少选择一种语言以查看对比内容
语境例句
John is tall (adjectival)
西班牙语
Juan es alto (copula required)
英语
John is tall (copula required)
中文
约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree)
John is a teacher (nominal)
西班牙语
Juan es profesor (copula required)
英语
John is a teacher (copula required)
中文
约翰是老师 (copula 是 required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
西班牙语
Llueve (impersonal)
英语
It rains (expletive subject)
中文
下雨 (verb-object)
The dog is barking (progressive)
西班牙语
El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund)
英语
The dog is barking (be + -ing)
中文
狗在叫 (在 + verb)
The book is on the table (locative)
西班牙语
El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP)
英语
The book is on the table (be + PP)
中文
书在桌子上 (在 + location)
He became angry (resultative)
西班牙语
Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse)
英语
He became angry (become + adjective)
中文
他生气了 (verb + 了)
He seems happy (raising)
西班牙语
Parece feliz (copula not required)
英语
He seems happy (seems = raising verb)
中文
他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
西班牙语
Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement)
英语
He made him happy (object + object complement)
中文
他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective)
请至少选择一种语言以查看对比内容
要点总结
Spanish: Verbal predicates are bare. Adjectival and nominal predicates require ser or estar. Distinguishes inherent (ser) vs state (estar).
English: Verbal predicates are bare. All non-verbal predicates require be. Uses become, seem, get as pseudo-copular verbs.
Chinese: Adjectival predicates are bare (no copula). Nominal predicates require 是shì. Progressive uses 在zài. Resultative change uses 了le.
Key concepts compared: John is tall (adjectival), John is a teacher (nominal), It rains (verbal, no argument).
先读这个
最后更新: 2026年6月4日