zhèngfǔ zhèngzài diàochá zhège wèntí.

progressive marker

Breakdown of zhèngfǔ zhèngzài diàochá zhège wèntí.

• 这个zhège: this
• 问题wèntí: problem

Questions & Answers about zhèngfǔ zhèngzài diàochá zhège wèntí.

Why is 正在 used here? What does it add to the sentence?

正在 shows that an action is in progress right now. In this sentence, it means the government is currently investigating the issue.

So:

• 调查这个问题 = investigate this issue / investigate this problem
• 正在调查这个问题 = be investigating this issue right now

It is similar to the English progressive idea in is investigating.

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Can I say 政府调查这个问题 without 正在?

Yes. 政府调查这个问题 is grammatically fine, but it is more neutral and less specifically focused on the action being in progress at this moment.

Compare:

• 政府调查这个问题。 = The government investigates / is investigating this issue.
• 政府正在调查这个问题。 = The government is investigating this issue right now.

So 正在 makes the ongoing nature of the action clearer.

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What part of speech is 调查 here? Is it a noun or a verb?

Here, 调查 is a verb, meaning to investigate.

In Chinese, many words can function as more than one part of speech depending on context. 调查 can also be a noun, meaning an investigation or a survey.

In this sentence:

• 政府 = subject
• 正在调查 = verb phrase
• 这个问题 = object

So here 调查 is definitely being used as a verb.

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