是…的: emphasize past circumstances
The 是…的 construction highlights when, where, how or by whom an action already happened. 我是坐地铁来的 puts the stress on the way I came, taking for granted that I did come, and 是 comes before the highlighted part.
Structure: Subject + 是 + [emphasized element] + Verb + 的
- Emphasize time: 他是去年来的。 (He came LAST YEAR.)
- Emphasize place: 我是在美国出生的。 (I was born IN AMERICA.)
- Emphasize manner: 我们是坐飞机来的。 (We came BY PLANE.)
With object: the object usually goes between 的 and the end:
✅ 我是在北京买的这本书。(or: 我是在北京买这本书的。)
Key rule: This 是…的 needs a completed past action and spotlights one detail of it.
✅ 他是在这里学的汉语。(past action: where he learned)
他是很聪明的。 is a different 是…的: it gives the speaker's opinion and says nothing about a past event.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我是坐地铁来的，不是开车来的。 | Wǒ shì zuò dì tiě lái de, bù shì kāi chē lái de. | I came by subway, not by car. | 是…的 emphasizes MANNER of travel; 不是…的 negates the alternative |
| 这件衣服是在网上买的，不是在商店里买的。 | Zhè jiàn yī fu shì zài wǎng shàng mǎi de, bù shì zài shāng diàn lǐ mǎi de. | This piece of clothing was bought online, not in a store. | 是…的 emphasizes PLACE of purchase |
| 他们是在同一所大学认识的，已经是老朋友了。 | Tā men shì zài tóng yī suǒ dà xué rèn shi de, yǐ jīng shì lǎo péng you le. | They met at the same university; they are already old friends. | 是…的 emphasizes the PLACE where they met (past completed action) |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
是…的 (shì … de)
Highlights when, where, how or by whom a past action happened.
Structure: subject + 是 + detail + verb + 的
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你是怎么来学校的？ | Nǐ shì zěn me lái xué xiào de? | How did you get to school? |
| 这张照片是我爸爸拍的。 | Zhè zhāng zhào piàn shì wǒ bà ba pāi de. | My father took this photo. |
| 我们是在朋友的婚礼上认识的。 | Wǒ men shì zài péng you de hūn lǐ shàng rèn shi de. | We met at a friend's wedding. |
Not: 我是昨天来了的。 Do not use 了 inside 是…的; say 我是昨天来的。
是…的 is also explained in: 是…的 Construction: Emphasizing Time, Place, Manner (HSK 2) · Emphasis: 是…的, 难道…吗, 一…也不 (HSK 3).
不是…的 (bú shì … de)
Denies one detail of a past action and corrects it.
Structure: subject + 不是 + detail + verb + 的
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他不是自己去的，是朋友陪他去的。 | Tā bú shì zì jǐ qù de, shì péng you péi tā qù de. | He did not go alone; a friend went with him. |
| 我不是坐飞机来的。 | Wǒ bú shì zuò fēi jī lái de. | I did not come by plane. |
| 这个蛋糕不是我做的。 | Zhè ge dàn gāo bú shì wǒ zuò de. | I did not make this cake. |
Not: 我没是坐飞机来的。 Use 不是 in this pattern; 没是 does not exist.
不是…的 is also explained in: 是…的 Construction: Emphasizing Time, Place, Manner (HSK 2).
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.
What this opens up
These patterns list 是…的 among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
The same pattern at other levels
- 是…的 Construction — HSK 2
Questions about 是…的
What does 是…的强调句 (是…的) mean in Chinese?
The 是…的 construction highlights when, where, how or by whom an action already happened. 我是坐地铁来的 puts the stress on the way I came, taking for granted that I did come, and 是 comes before the highlighted part. It is an HSK 4 grammar point.
How do you use 是…的强调句 (是…的) in a sentence?
我是坐地铁来的，不是开车来的。 — Wǒ shì zuò dì tiě lái de, bù shì kāi chē lái de. — I came by subway, not by car. 是…的 emphasizes MANNER of travel; 不是…的 negates the alternative.
What do you need to know before 是…的强调句 (是…的)?
了 (HSK 4), 是…的 Construction (HSK 2). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 是…的强调句 (是…的) lead to?
Key HSK-4 patterns (HSK 4). Each of them names 是…的强调句 (是…的) among its own prerequisites.
Can I leave out 是?
In an affirmative spoken sentence, yes: 你怎么来的？ means the same as 你是怎么来的？ Keep 是 in the negative form.
Does 是…的 mean the action is in the past?
It needs the action to have already happened, and you are asking or telling a detail of it. Compare 他是昨天来的 (a detail) with 他昨天来了 (just the news).
是…的 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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