Questions & Answers about wǒ jīntiān qù tǐjiǎn, shìlì hěn hǎo.
Why is 今天 placed before 去体检?
In Mandarin, time words usually come before the verb phrase. So 我今天去体检 follows a very common pattern:
subject + time + verb + object
Here:
- 我 = subject
- 今天 = time
- 去体检 = verb phrase
You can also say 今天我去体检, which is also natural. The difference is mainly emphasis:
- 我今天去体检 = more neutral
- 今天我去体检 = puts a little more focus on today
How do we know whether 去体检 means went for a physical or am going for a physical?
Chinese verbs do not automatically show tense the way English verbs do. Very often, you understand the time from context.
So 我今天去体检 could mean:
- I’m going for a physical today
- I went for a physical today
In this full sentence, the second clause 视力很好 suggests the exam has already happened, because the speaker already knows the result. So the most natural interpretation is something like I went for a physical today, and my eyesight is good.
If you want to make completion clearer, you could say:
- 我今天去体检了，视力很好。
Is 体检 a noun or a verb here?