"那个人是谁？"
Translation:Who is that person?
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Couldn't this be both "Who is that person?" and "Who are those people?" If not, what is the plural for "Those people" in Chinese?
I think you are correct: 那个人是谁？could mean either "Who is that person?" or "Who are those people?" However, you could use 人们 to specify "people" (plural): 那个人们是谁？
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That is not correct, when in plural form, you should only say 那些人是谁? "人们 as a plural form can only work as subject.
I believe you are ight but as TelltheSeal explains below you could use 个们 for plural and 个人is for individuals.
Hm... I just translated it with " who is this person " and it's indicated wrong - strange, I think. Or is it because I used "this" instead of "that" ??
does "this" and "that" have to do with physical position? Thus "this person is" closer position wise to " that person" being further away? I'm thnking of Spanish with three words for distances. I don't think i understand this and that in English (my first language).:o(
Yes in English it is mostly about physical position. "This" thing is closer to you or the one you just picked up to show someone, and "that" thing is something you have to point to because it's over there. However, "that" can also be the implied distance of disliking something. If the thing is right next to you but you don't like it or didn't choose it you would say I don't like "that." And if two men are standing right in front of you, you would say I like "this" guy and not "that" guy. Therefore, that can mean physically further away or something you wish was physically further away because you don't like it.
个 is a measure word used for people (as well as certain other nouns). This means that if you want to specify a number or use this or that to talk about a person, you must put the measure word inbetween them.
You should not say 这人，you should say 这个人. You should not say 三姐姐，you should say 三个姐姐。
What about when you want to mention more than one person. Will it remain same or something else?
I think this is because in Chinese you generally just put question word/word that is making an inquiry about something unknown in the same place where the noun would be in a statement sentence. An example sentence in reply would be "That person is my dad" (那个人是我的爸爸). It's like asking "That person is who?" and then replying by saying “That person is ____.” This seems most correct from what I've observed but I am not sure (though dought) that Chinese changes word order like we do in English.
yes, because the key word here is 那 (na), which means THAT, not THIS, which is 这 (zhe)
your audio is not working properly. i cant hear the sentences requiring interpretation just sound effects when im right or wrong.
I answered in past tense and that was incorrect - I assumed that they didnt use time tenses as it would have come up already. What differences are there if you're writing it is a nonpresent tense?
It counted it wring when I said "Who is this person?" Because it wanted "Who is that person?" How would what I said be different?
The answer is "Who is that person ?" and they refuse "Who is this person ?" Is it not supposed to be exactly the same thing ? So weird
Im trying so hard but i just dont hear the difference between "ná and nă "....
Straight from Wikipedia butbit helped me so here it goes:
Measure words denote a unit or measurement and are used with mass nouns (uncountable nouns), and in some cases also with count nouns. For instance, in English, mud is a mass noun and thus one cannot say "three muds", but one can say "three drops of mud", "three pails of mud", etc.
However, in English no extra word is needed when saying "three people", but in many East Asian languages a numeral classifier is added, just as a measure word is added for uncountable nouns in English. For example, to say one dog and three dogs in Chinese, one would need to say yīzhīgǒu (simplified 一只狗, traditional 一隻狗) and sānzhīgǒu (simplified 三只狗, traditional 三隻狗) respectively, which could be transliterated as 'one animal dog and three animal dog respectively. There are numerous Chinese measure words, and nouns differ in what measure words they can use.
An example with a demonstrative is the phrase for "this person" — 这个 人 zhè ge rén, where the character 个 is the classifier that literally meaning "individual" or "single entity", so the entire phrase means "this individual person" or "this single person". A similar example is the phrase for "these people" — 这群人 zhè qún rén, where the classifier 群 means "group" or "herd", so the phrase literally means "this group [of] people" or "this crowd".
You are assuming that the person is a man. 人 can be a man or a woman. 男人is more specific for man 女人 is woman
However, if you want that answer to be accepted, I suggest that you report it to Duolingo, or the contributors, and suggest your idea.
