"我想请你们来我的家吃午饭。"
Translation:I'd like to invite you to come to my place to eat lunch.
44 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
You is both singular and plural. And let's remember we're here to study Chinese not waste time on splitting hairs on English usage!
B o u l d 1, you make a very good point. This isn't a grammar class. The problem is almost always with the simple lack of flexibility in the English for Duolingo. There are probably five ways to express this idea even using the same verbs and nouns. But Duolingo is a program not an AI programmed to be a native speaker. But it's free!
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In American English, "you" is mostly used to address a single person in conversation. When speaking directly to more than one person, we typically say, "you two", "you all", "both of you", "all of you", "everyone", "everybody", etc.
That is wrong! you is plural too. All the other constructions you mention sound crude and unnatural. You forgot y'all.. youse, youse guys etc
"Crude and unnatural" is a little strong. All those constructions are definitely used, in some places more than in others, and depending on the required degree of specificity. But yes, "you" can definitely be plural...
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You didn't translate 请 ("to invite").
Without "to invite", your sentence expresses a wish or a desire instead of actually inviting someone over.
I was wondering about this. I thought you don't use 的 for some things, like your home.
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Please change the standard translation to simply "you" (from "you all"). "You all" is not universally used by native English speakers. "You" is the correct second person plural, all other variations are just that - variations.
"I would like to invite you all to my place to come eat lunch" should be accepted.
我的家... 我家. In this lesson they used both!. but then marked me wrong when I used 我家. I hate such blatant inconsistency! I can also say for sure many chinese will say 我家.
I think that this has a different meaning than an invitation. Not sure.
Report it. Select:"My answer should be accepted." This is why I usually use the Word Bank. Because not all correct answers are necessarily "programmed in". But, sometimes they are added in, if they are reported.
We're saying, "my place (我家)" now? But it wouldn't accept 'home' one time?
Had the same problem. Thought home would be a more literal translation and thus acceptable
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how come sometimes it is "wo jia" vs. "wo de jia" for "my home"? I've noticed this in other lessons as well with "wo ma ma" vs. "wo de ma ma" for example. When do you need the 'de' and when is it not needed? when is it interchangeable?? Cheers!
You don't need to use 的 especially when referring to relatives or other people. Most native chinese speakers wouldn't anyways. I think that's true when referring to your house as well.
"you guys" is acceptable in colloquial American English, but not the best formal translation.
I'd like to invite you all to come to my place to eat lunch. Very funny sentence,
The word bank can give you a right answer, it was just not the right answer you wanted. It can give you: " I'd like to invite you to come to my place to eat lunch." - not the answer I wanted to give: " I'd like to invite you to come to my place for lunch." - which I did enter without the word bank. It was accepted as well.
Bruh this is really wordy and unnatural. They should do a natural translation of, " I'd like to invite you to come eat lunch at my place."
They're using 'you guys' as the colloquial plural you form in English, there is no implied real gender specificity. Another version would be 'I'd like to invite you all to come to my place for lunch.'
Always "you guys".... really colloquial and not standard English... should be.removed from the 我们translation across the board.
Again, the word bank did not give words that could construct the correct sentence. If only I could report that...
Is there a "command" tone or tense in Mandarin?
Can you use "吧" at the end to say "come over to my place" ? Ex: 你来我的家吧
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The Chinese sentence here is not a command but an invitation (hence, the use of 请).
吧 is more of offering a suggestion of what to do together ("let's ...").
The command "Come (over) to my place" is probably simply 来我家 (similar to other varieties of Chinese).
"I want to treat you all to my house to eat lunch" not accepted, this course is honestly terrible
How many Chinese does it take to make an enjoyable and effective Duolingo language tree? DON'T ask the Owl; it's still trying to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.