"你们看过那本书吗？"
Translation:Have you read that book?
19 Comments
I got it right but wondered:
What’s the difference between “have you read that book?” And “have you seen that book?”
1856
那本书 can also be "that book" (which I put and had counted as wrong; already reported it)
I believe that 了 shows simple past/finished time, while 过 shows unfinished/perfect tense
- 1450
Huh. Big if true. Now it'd be nice to be taught that in the lesson notes.
To avoid confusion, I'd like to point out that "perfect tense" when speaking of anyone's Grammer refers to completion, while "imperfect" is the term we would use in this situation.
Do not worry my friend. Life is too short to worry about spelling on mobile devices.
"You guys" is poor english. "You" in English can be both singular or plural. They are teaching Chinglish.
- 1450
Whether it's good English or not, it is widespread -- at least in the United States.
- 736
I despise the habit of translating 你们 as "you guys." It is non-standard, colloquial American English. It makes Duo look half-assed.
As a native U.S. English speaker, I can say it is not standard here either. It has been spreading, unfortunately.
I was marked wrong for using "seen" rather than "read". 看 can mean "see", no? Did I miss something in the context that clues me into what the speaker is conveying?
I would say 'Has everyone read that book', if it was that important to emphasize that 'you' is plural. Basically 'Have you read that book' would be understood as plural base on the situation.
'You guys' is more of a regional usage.
