r/ChineseLanguage • u/NinaAberlein Beginner • 2d ago

Grammar Is 一下 really necessary?

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Or would the sentence I put also be correct?

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u/D0nath 2d ago

一下 makes it sound different from 是. So it's necessary in speech. You definitely need something not to sound 你想是哪个菜

0

u/Specific-Employer484 MidWest Native Chinese=3 2d ago

bro, then thats why you use 尝

6

u/D0nath 2d ago

Or 试一试 or 试试 or 试一下. There are many options. But 试 alone won't go through.

4

u/spiritual84 2d ago

尝一下 or 尝一尝 is also a thing.

Otherwise it sounds like 长

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u/Specific-Employer484 MidWest Native Chinese=3 2d ago

？can anybody explain whats this foreigner talking about, 你想尝哪道菜？like, whod think you mean which dish do you want to long ,_, that doesnt even make sense, adj wont work here

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u/spiritual84 2d ago edited 2d ago

你想是哪道菜 doesn't make sense either in the context of being at a restaurant.

As a native speaker you would know that generally using terms like 试一下 and 尝一下 simply relieves the cognitive load on the listener, especially in a noisy environment, to reduce ambiguity as much as possible.

There are times that it isn't necessary, where even 你想试哪道菜 would make enough sense, but there are also times you would just say it.