Breakdown of zhè gè yǔfǎ lǎoshī yǐjīng gěi wǒ jiěshì le liǎng cì, wǒ juéde zìjǐ yīnggāi gèng zhùyì.
Used when counting nouns or when specifying a specific instance of a noun.
There are also classifiers for people, for bound items such as books and magazines, for cups/glasses, etc.
The classifier 个 is a general one that can be used for any of these.
Used after a verb. Marks that an action is completed.
Questions & Answers about zhè gè yǔfǎ lǎoshī yǐjīng gěi wǒ jiěshì le liǎng cì, wǒ juéde zìjǐ yīnggāi gèng zhùyì.
Chinese doesn’t really have “tenses” like English; it uses aspect instead.
- 已经 means “already” and emphasizes that something has happened before now or earlier than expected.
- 了 after the verb (解释了) marks the action as completed (perfective aspect).
So:
- 已经给我解释了两次 ≈ “has already explained (to) me twice.”
- If you drop 已经: 给我解释了两次 – just a completed action in the past.
- If you drop 了 but keep 已经: 已经给我解释两次 – this is possible in spoken Chinese, but feels less complete or less standard; 已经 + 了 together is very natural.
They are not redundant:
- 已经 = focus on “already”
- 了 = focus on “completion of the action”
个 here is a measure word / classifier. In Chinese, when you point to or count nouns, you usually need:
这 + [measure word] + noun
So:
- 这 + 个 + 语法老师 = “this grammar teacher”
You normally can’t just say 这语法老师 in standard Mandarin; it sounds incomplete.
You can sometimes replace 个 with a more specific measure word:
- 这位语法老师 – “this (respected) grammar teacher” (位 is a polite measure word for people)
But you almost always need some measure word between 这 and the noun.
In Chinese, modifiers usually come before the noun they describe.
- 语法 (grammar)
- 老师 (teacher) → 语法老师 = “grammar teacher”
- Literally “grammar teacher” in the same order as English, but the idea is: [type of] teacher → grammar.
You don’t say 老师语法 for “grammar teacher”; that would sound like “teacher grammar” with the wrong structure.
More examples of this pattern:
- 中文书 – Chinese book (book about/in Chinese)
- 历史老师 – history teacher
- 高中学生 – high school student
Here 给 is not “give” in the literal sense; it acts like a preposition / coverb meaning “to / for (someone)”.
Structure:
- 给 + sb + V = do something for / to someone
So:
- 给我解释 = to explain to me
- 已经给我解释了两次 = “has already explained (it) to me twice”
You could also say:
- 已经向我解释了两次 – using 向 (xiàng) instead of 给, a bit more formal.
But 给我解释 is very common and natural in spoken Chinese.
The object (what was explained – probably a grammar point) is simply omitted because it is obvious from context.
Chinese often drops:
- subjects
- objects
when they are clear from the situation or from previous sentences.
So you can imagine the full version:
- 这个语法老师已经给我解释了两次这个语法点。
“This grammar teacher has already explained this grammar point to me twice.”
But since “this grammar point” is already known, the sentence naturally shortens to:
- 已经给我解释了两次。
Before a measure word, Chinese almost always uses 两 instead of 二:
- 两 + 个 / 次 / 本 / 块 / …
So:
- 两个老师 – two teachers
- 两次 – two times
- 两本书 – two books
二 is used more in:
- counting numbers: 一二三四…
- ordinals: 第二 (second)
- set phrases (e.g. 二手 “second-hand”)
- things like phone numbers, room numbers, etc.
So 两次 is the normal, correct choice here.
次 is a measure word for frequency / occurrences of an action. It roughly means “time(s)” as in “how many times”.
- 一次 – once, one time
- 两次 – twice, two times
- 三次 – three times
So 解释了两次 = “explained (it) two times / twice.”
Here 了 is a verb‑attached aspect particle showing that 解释 is completed:
- 解释了两次 = (has) explained twice (completed action)
You can also say:
- 解释了两次
- 解释两次了
Both are possible, with slightly different feel:
- 解释了两次 – focuses on the completed action + its frequency.
- 解释两次了 – often feels like you’re stressing “it’s already two times now!”, more like an exclamation or complaint.
In this sentence, 解释了两次 is a very neutral, straightforward way to say it.
The second 我 is there because this is a new clause:
- Clause 1: 这个语法老师已经给我解释了两次，
- Clause 2: 我觉得自己应该更注意。
In Chinese, each new sentence or clause typically has its own subject.
- 我觉得… = “I feel / I think that…”
In the second clause, you:
- must keep at least 我 or 自己; you can’t start with only 应该更注意 here.
- Current version 我觉得自己应该更注意 is natural and clear.
You could also say:
- 我觉得我应该更注意。 – also correct; slightly less reflexive/emphatic than 自己.
自己 is a reflexive pronoun meaning “self / oneself”.
In 我觉得自己应该更注意:
- 自己 refers back to 我 → “I feel that I myself should pay more attention.”
Nuance:
- 我应该更注意。 – “I should pay more attention.” (plain statement)
- 我觉得我应该更注意。 – “I feel (that) I should pay more attention.”
- 我觉得自己应该更注意。 – adds a self‑reflective, introspective feeling: “I feel that I myself ought to pay more attention,” often with a hint of self‑criticism.
自己 is often used when:
- emphasizing responsibility on oneself
- expressing reflection, blame, or modesty.
- 觉得 is very common and usually means “to feel / to think” (subjective opinion or feeling).
- 认为 is more formal and logical, like “to consider / to hold the opinion that”.
- 想 can mean “to think, to want, to miss,” depending on context. As “to think,” it’s often about considering or intending something.
In this sentence:
- 我觉得自己应该更注意。
→ “I feel / I think that I should pay more attention.”
If you said:
- 我认为自己应该更注意。
→ sounds more formal / reasoned, like a considered opinion.
觉得 is the most natural choice for everyday speech about your own feelings or impressions.
应该 expresses “should / ought to”, often a mix of:
- moral obligation (“it’s the right thing to do”)
- reasonable expectation (“it would be reasonable if…”)
In 我觉得自己应该更注意:
- It’s mainly self‑imposed obligation or responsibility:
“I feel I ought to / should pay more attention (it’s my own responsibility).”
Compare:
- 要更注意 – more like “must be more careful,” stronger, more like a requirement.
- 得更注意 – colloquial “gotta be more careful.”
- 需要更注意 – “need to pay more attention” (more neutral/necessity).
应该 keeps it a bit softer and self‑reflective.
更 means “more / even more” and indicates comparison with a previous level.
- 注意 – pay attention / be careful
- 更注意 – pay more attention / be even more careful
It implies: “I already pay some attention, but it’s not enough; I should increase it.”
If you drop 更:
- 我觉得自己应该注意。 – “I feel I should pay attention.” (no explicit comparison)
Both are grammatically correct. 更 just emphasizes the increase / higher degree.
In this sentence, 注意 is a verb meaning “to pay attention (to) / to be careful”.
Chinese often uses adverbs like 更, 很, 非常 directly before verbs or adjectives:
- 更 注意 – pay more attention
- 很 注意 – pay a lot of attention / be very careful
So the structure 应该更注意 is:
- 应该 – should
- 更 – more
- 注意 – pay attention
→ “should pay more attention.”
When 注意 is used as a noun, it is usually in set expressions or with different structure (e.g. 注意力 – “attention” as a noun). Here it’s purely verbal.
Yes, several simplifications are possible, depending on what you want to keep:
Drop 自己 (less self‑reflective):
- 这个语法老师已经给我解释了两次，我觉得我应该更注意。
Drop 更 (no explicit comparison):
- 这个语法老师已经给我解释了两次，我觉得自己应该注意。
Drop 已经 (no emphasis on “already”):
- 这个语法老师给我解释了两次，我觉得自己应该更注意。
All of these are grammatical; each small change slightly adjusts the nuance (emphasis on “already,” “more,” and self‑reflection).