The Mandarin 是…的 (shì...de) Construction: When, Where, How
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
… (shì…de) puts the spotlight on one detail of something that has already happened: when, where, how or who. Everyone knows you came; the news is how. (shì) goes right before the detail and (de) at the very end.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Tap the natural Mandarin.
(Your friend has just walked in.) How did you get here?
(Big news) I've bought a car!
(They admire your car.) I bought it in Beijing.
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ shì zuótiān lái de. | When: I came yesterday |
。 | Wǒ shì zài Běijīng mǎi de. | Where: I bought it in Beijing |
。 | Tā shì zuò huǒchē lái de. | How: he came by train |
。 | Zhège cài shì wǒ māma zuò de. | Who: my mum made this dish |
。 | Wǒ shì gēn tā yìqǐ qù de. | With whom: I went with him |
The verb sits inside the frame, between the detail and (de). The going, buying or taking is old news; the coloured detail is what the sentence is for.
It describes something that has already happened. For a plan, use a plain sentence: 。 (Wǒ míngtiān zuò huǒchē qù.) - I'm going by train tomorrow. (A different … (shì…de), with a modal verb inside, states a firm view and can look ahead: (wǒ shì bú huì qù de), I'm certainly not going. That one is not about details.)
我是昨天踢的球 (wǒ shì zuótiān tī de qiú): it was yesterday that I played football. 我明天骑车 (wǒ míngtiān qíchē): I'm cycling tomorrow, a plan, so no 是…的.
What goes in the spotlight
Any circumstance of the action can stand after (shì): the time, the place, the means of transport, the person who did it, the person you did it with.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Tā shì qùnián bìyè de. | He graduated last year (a time) |
。 | Wǒmen shì zài xuéxiào rènshi de. | We met at school (a place) |
。 | Wǒ shì zuò dìtiě lái de. | I came by underground (transport) |
。 | Wǒ shì zǒulù lái de. | I walked here (on foot) |
。 | Zhè zhāng zhàopiàn shì wǒ bàba pāi de. | My dad took this photo (who did it) |
With "who did it", the thing done comes first and (shì) points at the doer: (zhè zhāng zhàopiàn), this photo, then (shì wǒ bàba pāi de), it was my dad who took it.
Questions: asking when, where and how
This is where you hear … (shì…de) most: someone has arrived, bought something or met someone, and you ask about it. The question word takes the detail's seat:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
？ | Nǐ shì shénme shíhou dào de? | When did you arrive? |
？ | Nǐ shì zěnme lái de? | How did you get here? |
？ | Nǐ shì zài nǎr mǎi de? | Where did you buy it? |
？ | Nǐ shì gēn shéi yìqǐ qù de? | Who did you go with? |
The answer mirrors the question, often without the subject: 。 (Shì zuò huǒchē lái de.) - By train.
是…的 (shì…de) or 了 (le)?
Both talk about the past, but they do different jobs. (le) reports that something happened. … (shì…de) takes that as known and fills in a detail:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
？ | Nǐ zhōumò zuò shénme le? | A: What did you do at the weekend? |
。 | Wǒ qù Běijīng le. | B: I went to Beijing |
？ | Nǐ shì zěnme qù de? | A: How did you get there? |
。 | Wǒ shì zuò huǒchē qù de. | B: I went by train |
Lines 1 and 2 bring in the news, so they take (le). Once the trip is on the table, lines 3 and 4 switch to … (shì…de).
The test: does the listener already know it happened? If not, (le). If they do and you are asking or telling about a detail, … (shì…de).
Negation: 不是…的 (bú shì…de)
To deny the detail, put (bù) in front of (shì). The event still happened; only the detail was wrong:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ bú shì zuótiān lái de. | I didn't come yesterday |
。 | Tā bú shì zuò fēijī lái de. | He didn't come by plane |
。 | Zhè běn shū bú shì zài Běijīng mǎi de. | This book wasn't bought in Beijing |
。 | Wǒ bú shì gùyì de. | I didn't do it on purpose |
(méi) denies the whole event: (wǒ méi lái), I didn't come at all. (wǒ bú shì zuótiān lái de) says you came, just not yesterday. The last row, (wǒ bú shì gùyì de), is the everyday "I didn't mean to".
Dropping 是 (shì), and where the object goes
In a positive statement (shì) is often left out in speech, and the (de) alone carries the pattern: 。 (Wǒ zuótiān dào de.) - I got here yesterday. In the negative it must stay.
When the verb has an object, (de) can go after it or before it:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Note |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ shì zài Běijīng mǎi zhè běn shū de. | at the end |
。 | Wǒ shì zài Běijīng mǎi de zhè běn shū. | before the object |
。 | Wǒ shì zuótiān kànjiàn tā de. | pronoun: usually last |
Both of the first two mean "I bought this book in Beijing", and the second is very common in speech. A pronoun such as (tā) usually goes before (de). You will hear in casual speech, but textbooks and exams keep the pronoun before .
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | deny the detail with (bú shì) |
。 | 。 | (shì) must stay in the negative |
？ | ？ | the frame closes with (de) |
。 | 。 | a plan has not happened yet |
What to do next
- Do the drill below.
- Ask a friend three
…(shì…de) questions about their last trip:？(nǐ shì shénme shíhou qù de?) - Then read the two 了 (le), the reporting half of the contrast.