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!

Question

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!

Answer

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.