wǒmen shì qí zìxíngchē qù de, bú shì zuò dìtiě qù de.

to be

Breakdown of wǒmen shì qí zìxíngchē qù de, bú shì zuò dìtiě qù de.

• 不bù: not
• 我们wǒmen: we
• 去qù: to go

Questions & Answers about wǒmen shì qí zìxíngchē qù de, bú shì zuò dìtiě qù de.

What does the 是…的 structure do in this sentence?

It’s a focus/cleft construction that highlights specific details of a completed or known action. Here it emphasizes the manner/means: It was by bike that we went (and not by subway). It presupposes that the trip happened and focuses on how it happened, not on whether it happened.

Why are there two instances of 是?

They mark two parallel cleft clauses for contrast: 我们是骑自行车去的 (affirming the actual means) and 不是坐地铁去的 (denying the alternative). The second one uses 不是 to negate the clefted element.

What is the final 的 doing? Is it the possessive 的?

This 的 is the sentence-final particle of the 是…的 construction, not the possessive 的. It “closes” the clefted focus and signals that we’re specifying details about an already-occurred event. Without this 的, the cleft feels incomplete.

Why use 不 (bú) and not 没 (méi) here?

Because we’re not denying that the trip happened; we’re denying the manner. 不是坐地铁去的 says “it’s not by subway that we went.” If you want to deny the action itself, you use 没, e.g., 我们没去 “we didn’t go,” or 我们没坐地铁去，是骑自行车去的.

Can I say this without the 是…的 structure?

Yes: 我们骑自行车去，不坐地铁 is fine and natural. It’s less emphatic and not explicitly framed as referring to a specific completed event; it reads more like a plain statement or plan depending on context.