Irene Arnanz
Can "是" be omitted in this kind of sentence? Can "是" be omitted in this kind of sentence? 我 在 工作 , 我 不是 在看 电视 。 Would this be correct? : 我 在 工作 , 我 不在看 电视 。 If yes, then why do we put 是 in the first case? Thanks!
Dec 13, 2016 4:20 PM
Answers · 2
1
Hi Irene, Yes, 是 can be omitted in this sentence. However, the absence of the 是 means the tone of the sentence does not come across as insistent. What I mean by that is it sounds rather matter-of-fact and not so much like you're emphasizing that you really aren't watching TV. In other words: 我在工作,我不在看电视。 = Yeah, I'm working. I'm not watching TV *shrug shoulders* Whereas 我在工作,我不是在看电视。 = I am definitely working and definitely not watching TV.
December 13, 2016
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