Breakdown of Lǎoshī shuō zhèxiē zuòyè suīrán bù duō, dànshì hěn zhòngyào, bìxū zuòwán.
Questions & Answers about Lǎoshī shuō zhèxiē zuòyè suīrán bù duō, dànshì hěn zhòngyào, bìxū zuòwán.
In Chinese, verbs like 说 (shuō, say) usually do not need a word like English “that” to introduce a clause.
So in English we say:
- The teacher said *that these assignments…*
In Chinese, you just put the clause directly after 说:
- 老师说 这些作业虽然不多，但是很重要，必须做完。
The teacher said (that) although there isn’t much homework, it’s very important and must be finished.
There is a word “说的是” or “就是说”, but those are used differently (to emphasize or clarify), not as a mandatory “that.”
- 作业 (zuòyè) by itself means “homework / assignments” in a general sense.
- 这些作业 (zhèxiē zuòyè) means “these assignments / this homework”, referring to a specific set, usually just mentioned or visible from context (e.g. on the board, in a handout).
So:
- 老师说作业很重要。
– The teacher said (the) homework is important. (general) - 老师说这些作业很重要。
– The teacher said these assignments are important. (specific ones we're talking about now)
Using 这些 makes it clear you are talking about a particular batch of homework, not homework in general.
虽然…但是… is a very common Chinese structure meaning “although… (yet) …” / “even though… (still) …”.
In this sentence:
- 虽然不多 – although (they are) not many
- 但是很重要 – but (they are) very important
So the pattern is:
- 虽然 A，(但是) B。 – Although A, (but) B.
Points to know:
- In speaking, you can often drop 但是 if the contrast is clear:
- 这些作业虽然不多，很重要，必须做完。
- Sometimes 虽然 is also dropped and the contrast is just implied with 但是:
- 这些作业不多，但是很重要。
Using the full 虽然…但是… pair is very clear and natural, especially in careful speech or writing.
Both 不多 and 少 talk about small quantity, but the nuance is different:
不多 (bù duō) literally “not many”
- Neutral: just says the quantity isn’t large.
- Roughly like English “not much / not many.”
少 (shǎo) often feels a bit stronger or more evaluative as “few / too little”.
- It can sound more like a judgment that the amount is insufficient.
Here, the teacher wants to say:
- The homework isn’t a lot, but it is important.
So 不多 gives a neutral “it’s not a big amount” feeling, which fits well with the concessive pattern 虽然不多，但是很重要 (“although it’s not much, it’s important”).
Literally, 很 (hěn) means “very”, but in front of adjectives it often functions more like a linker than a strong intensifier.
In simple Subject + Adjective sentences, Chinese usually needs something before the adjective:
- 作业很重要。 – natural
- 作业重要。 – can sound like a contrast (“The homework is important (as opposed to something else that isn’t)”) or like formal written style.
So 很重要 here can mean:
- “very important”
- or just “(is) important” in a neutral, descriptive way, depending on context and intonation.
In everyday speech, 很 is often not as strong as English “very.” If the teacher wanted to be really strong, they might say something like 非常重要 (“extremely / very important”) or 特别重要 (“especially important”).
In Chinese, when you describe a noun with an adjective as a predicate, you usually don’t use 是:
- 这些作业很重要。 – These assignments are important.
- 这本书很有意思。 – This book is interesting.
是 is typically used:
- Between two nouns / noun phrases:
- 他是老师。 – He is a teacher.
- 今天是星期五。 – Today is Friday.
- Or in certain emphatic or contrastive structures, or before a clause.
这些作业是很重要 is possible, but it sounds like you are emphasizing or contrasting (e.g. “These assignments are very important (you know), but…”). In normal neutral description, just use 很重要 without 是.
必须 expresses strong necessity / obligation, like “must” / “have to” in English.
Comparison:
必须 – you must, no choice
- 你今天必须交作业。 – You must hand in your homework today.
要 / 得 – also “have to,” but often more context-dependent or slightly softer
- 我明天要/得早起。 – I have to get up early tomorrow.
应该 – “should” (a recommendation, weaker than “must”)
- 你应该做作业。 – You should do your homework.
In 必须做完, the teacher is stressing a non‑negotiable requirement: they must be finished.
Chinese frequently drops the subject when it is clear from context. This is called pro‑drop.
Here, everyone understands the sentence is about the students (or “you all”):
- Full “English-like” version would be:
- 老师说，(你们) 虽然作业不多，但是很重要，(你们) 必须做完。
But because it’s obvious the teacher is talking to the students about their homework, the 你们 is omitted. This kind of omission is extremely common and natural in Chinese.
- 做 (zuò) – to do / work on
- 做完 (zuòwán) – do + finish = finish doing, complete
完 (wán) is a result complement indicating that the action reaches a finished state.
Compare:
- 你要做作业。 – You need to do your homework. (start / work on it)
- 你要做完作业。 – You need to finish your homework. (reach completion)
In 必须做完, the teacher isn’t just telling students to start; they must complete all of it.
Chinese modals like 必须 go before the main verb phrase:
[Subject] + 必须 + [Verb (+ complement)]
- 你必须做完作业。 – You must finish the homework.
- 我们必须准备好。 – We must be prepared.
You cannot split 做 and 完 like 做必须完 because:
- 做完 is one verb‑plus‑result‑complement unit.
- 必须 modifies the whole action (finish doing), not just a part of it.
So the pattern here is:
- 必须 + 做完 (“must + finish doing”), not 做 + 必须 + 完.
Yes, you can say:
- 这些作业不多，但是很重要。
This is still correct and natural. Differences:
- 虽然…但是… explicitly marks concession (“although…yet…”).
- Using only 但是 still shows a contrast, but the “although” side is a bit less highlighted.
All of these are possible, with slightly different feel:
- 这些作业虽然不多，但是很重要。 – very clear “although… but…”
- 这些作业不多，但是很重要。 – “they’re not a lot, but they’re important.”
- 这些作业虽然不多，很重要。 – keeps 虽然, drops 但是, common in speech.
Your original sentence uses the full pair for extra clarity and a slightly more formal / careful tone.
In Chinese, many nouns need a measure word when counted (one, two, three, etc.), but here we are not giving a number, just saying “these assignments” as a group.
Patterns:
With number:
- 三份作业 – three pieces of homework
- 几项作业 – several assignments
With 这些 (“these”) referring to a group, you can say either:
- 这些作业 – these assignments (general)
- 这些份作业 / 这些项作业 – these pieces/items of homework (more specific, rarer in everyday speech)
When you use 这些 + a noun that is naturally countable in context, adding a separate measure word is often optional in practice. 这些作业 is completely natural here.
Yes. Native speakers might say either:
Single sentence (as given):
- 老师说这些作业虽然不多，但是很重要，必须做完。
Two sentences:
- 老师说，这些作业虽然不多，但是很重要。必须做完。
or - 老师说，这些作业虽然不多，但是很重要。你们必须做完。
- 老师说，这些作业虽然不多，但是很重要。必须做完。
The single‑sentence version feels more flowing, with everything under “the teacher said…”.
The two‑sentence version can sound a bit more emphatic, especially if you pause before 必须做完 (“They must be finished!”).