是…的 Construction: Emphasizing Time, Place, Manner

Chinese grammar · HSK 2 · 是⋯⋯的句 · By Carson 木林森

Use 是…的 to emphasize WHEN, WHERE, or HOW a past action happened — used when both speakers already know the action happened, and you want to highlight the details.

强调时间 qiáng tiáo shí jiān 地点 dì diǎn place 方式 fāng shì way; manner; style; mode; pattern

Pattern: Subject + 是 + [Time/Place/Manner] + Verb(+Obj) + 的

我是昨天来的。(I came yesterday — emphasizes WHEN.)
他是坐飞机来的。(He came by plane — emphasizes HOW.)
我们是在北京认识的。(We met in Beijing — emphasizes WHERE.)

Don't confuse with 了: 我昨天来了 just reports the event happened; 我是昨天来的 emphasizes it was specifically YESTERDAY (as opposed to some other day).

Worked examples

Chinese	Pinyin	English	What it shows
我是昨天来的。	Wǒ shì zuótiān lái de.	I came yesterday (emphasis: it was yesterday).	Minimal frame emphasizing TIME.
他是坐飞机来的。	Tā shì zuò fēijī lái de.	He came by plane (emphasis: by plane).	Emphasizes MANNER/means, same frame, different focus element.
我们是在图书馆认识的，那是去年的事了。	Wǒmen shì zài túshūguǎn rènshi de, nà shì qùnián de shì le.	We met at the library — that was last year.	Emphasizes PLACE, adds a follow-up clause with the time word 去年.

Produce this pattern without stopping to think about it. GraphChinese drills 是…的 Construction across 13 exercises and schedules the review that keeps it.

What you need first

Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.

The 是-Sentence

What this opens up

These patterns list 是…的 Construction among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.

Emphasis

The same pattern at other levels

是…的 — HSK 4

是…的 Construction is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.

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