<p>晚 in "我晚了一个半小时" is an adjective. </p>

<p>"我(是)晚了一个半小时" = "I (am) late for one and half hour"</p>

<p>The verb 'be' (是) is omitted in Chinese</p>

<p>The verb 'be' cannot be omitted in English. "I was late for one and half hour" cannot be reduced to "I late for one and half hour". </p>

<p>In "我去晚了一个半小时", '去' is a verb and '晚' is an adverb</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T09:41:02.470Z
Since when does 是 connect adjectives?
MrVocabulary
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T09:57:25.610Z
晚 = 遲 (late; delayed; belated ) is an adjective; 我晚 /遲了一小时 = I late for one hour; 我(是)晚/遲了一小时 = I (am) late for one hour. 是 (be) does act on adjectives, like "我是蠢" , where "是" can be omitted  and the sentence becomes "我蠢". but  the "am" in "I am foolish" cannot be omitted
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T10:11:20.823Z
Isn't this just a topic marker: 是…（的）? All sources I have ever read say that 是 only acts on nouns, and 很 etc. connect adjectives. They also say that 你很漂亮 = 你漂亮…
MrVocabulary
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T10:13:01.353Z
It seems to me that describing this as stative verbs might be a better idea: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_adjectives
MrVocabulary
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T10:25:42.150Z
Now I think more of it,  "是" does only acts on nouns, but it is often placed before [adjective + noun] for example:  我是人--> 我是蠢人 (蠢 is an adjective for 人)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T10:30:33.553Z
Meanwhile, "我是蠢" is not necessary a shortened form of  我是蠢人, but the counterpart of "I am foolish" in English. Your suggestion is  "是" in "是蠢" is not a verb but a topic marker. I don't  see why we can't still call it a  verb
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T10:46:48.797Z
If course there can be a verb with topic marker, but my point is that topic marker is not an equivalent of 'to be' in English, and us foreigners tend to forget that, as 是 translates into 'to be' in other contexts :-)
MrVocabulary
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-08T12:21:32.543Z
2019-07-08T12:21:32.543Z
Tang Ho
<p>It is an adjective. A standard Chinese sentence does <strong>not</strong> require a verb. Don't regard the Chinese grammar as the English grammar.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他很高。</p>
  
  <p>He is very tall.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The sentence is just 他 (he) 很 (very) 高 (tall) . There is no verb here.</p>

<p>Look up a Chinese grammar book. It always tells you that a predicate can be either a verb or an adjective, or even a noun.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/R1IqW.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/R1IqW.png" alt="Chinese grammar book"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:53:36.450Z
2020-06-09T16:58:48.253Z
2020-06-09T16:58:48.253Z
Victor
<p>¿Perhaps your preconceptions preclude your perspicacity?</p>

<p>Assume Western Grammar is always correct and may be applied to Chinese without exception. </p>

<p>Then you have a problem.</p>

<p>Assume Chinese cares nothing about Western Grammar and does what it wants:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>but I have not seen an adjective with 了</p>
</blockquote>

<p>你能和我们一起去真是太好了。<br>
要是你们都坐好了，那么我就开始。<br>
她习惯了寒冷以后身体立即就好了。 </p>

<p>六瓶应该够了。<br>
这讨厌的差事，我真受够了！<br>
大家稍稍挤一挤，地方就够了。 </p>

<p>她叫我 十一 以前 到家， 但是我 晚了一个半小时?  (notice that Chinese doesn't change I and me? That is very naughty, according to Western Grammar!)<br>
She told I 11 before to home, but I late 1 and 1/2 hour。<br>
Ella dijo a me, que yo antes de las once debo estar en casa, pero llegaba una hora y media más tarde.</p>

<p>How you translate it, and what it says are 2 different things!</p>

<p>Chinese is a beautiful old language and culture. Don't try to make it fit into a Western mold, you will just become confused.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T07:39:51.590Z
2020-06-09T07:39:51.590Z
Pedroski
<p>(1) I think 晚 is used as a verb here, meaning "to be late". In Chinese an adjective is often used as a verb, for example, 你瘦了 (You have become thinner).</p>

<p><em>Remark.</em> In this case we often say the adjective is used as a verb or as the predicate.</p>

<p>(2) 了 doesn't go tegother with 一. Here 晚了 is the past form, meaning "was late"</p>

<p>(3) If you add 来 to this sentence: 我晚来了一个半小时, then 来 becomes the verb and 晚 becomes an adverb to describe 来. But I wouldn't recommend to use 来 here because</p>

<pre><code>She told me to get home by 11, but I came home late by an hour and a half
</code></pre>

<p>sounds a little weird with "came". So we better change it to "got", which corresponds to 到 in Chinese, that is, 我晚到了一个半小时</p>

<p>(4) 迟到 also means "to be late", but usually for something formal, like a meeting, a lecture or a movie, or for work. One wouldn't use 迟到 for going home, even if it is grammatically correct. However, 晚到 can be used for this situation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:48:31.370Z
晚 is an adjective here. Chinese language allows an adjective as the predicate, without a verb.  e.g. 他很高 - he is very tall.   高 is the adjective, as the predicate. There is no verb here.
Victor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-08T11:09:37.543Z
2019-07-09T02:10:24.283Z
2019-07-09T02:10:24.283Z
trisct
<p>In the sentence below the is word 晚 a verb or an adjective? In the Pleco and other dictionaries says that it is an adjective but I have not seen an adjective with 了 and a duration in any grammar book. Is there a 莱 before understood but not written? Is this a frequently used sentence or better 迟到一个半小时. Here there is no problem since 到 is a verb.</p>

<p>她叫我 十一 以前 到家， 但是我 晚了一个半小?</p>

<grammar>
Is 晚 a verb or an adjective in the sentence 我 晚了一 个半小?
# Is 晚 a verb or an adjective in the sentence 我 晚了一 个半小?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-08)

In the sentence below the is word 晚 a verb or an adjective? In the Pleco and other dictionaries says that it is an adjective but I have not seen an adjective with 了 and a duration in any grammar book. Is there a 莱 before understood but not written? Is this a frequently used sentence or better 迟到一个半小时. Here there is no problem since 到 is a verb.

她叫我 十一 以前 到家， 但是我 晚了一个半小?

**Tags:** grammar


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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-07-08. Score: 1

晚 in "我晚了一个半小时" is an adjective.

"我(是)晚了一个半小时" = "I (am) late for one and half hour"

The verb 'be' (是) is omitted in Chinese

The verb 'be' cannot be omitted in English. "I was late for one and half hour" cannot be reduced to "I late for one and half hour".

In "我去晚了一个半小时", '去' is a verb and '晚' is an adverb

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Since when does 是 connect adjectives?  
> **username_1**: 晚 = 遲 (late; delayed; belated ) is an adjective; 我晚 /遲了一小时 = I late for one hour; 我(是)晚/遲了一小时 = I (am) late for one hour. 是 (be) does act on adjectives, like "我是蠢" , where "是" can be omitted  and the sentence becomes "我蠢". but  the "am" in "I am foolish" cannot be omitted  
> **username_2**: Isn't this just a topic marker: 是…（的）? All sources I have ever read say that 是 only acts on nouns, and 很 etc. connect adjectives. They also say that 你很漂亮 = 你漂亮…  
> **username_2**: It seems to me that describing this as stative verbs might be a better idea: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_adjectives  
> **username_1**: Now I think more of it,  "是" does only acts on nouns, but it is often placed before [adjective + noun] for example:  我是人--> 我是蠢人 (蠢 is an adjective for 人)  
> **username_1**: Meanwhile, "我是蠢" is not necessary a shortened form of  我是蠢人, but the counterpart of "I am foolish" in English. Your suggestion is  "是" in "是蠢" is not a verb but a topic marker. I don't  see why we can't still call it a  verb  
> **username_2**: If course there can be a verb with topic marker, but my point is that topic marker is not an equivalent of 'to be' in English, and us foreigners tend to forget that, as 是 translates into 'to be' in other contexts :-)  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-06-09. Score: 1

It is an adjective. A standard Chinese sentence does **not** require a verb. Don't regard the Chinese grammar as the English grammar.

> 他很高。
>
> He is very tall.

The sentence is just 他 (he) 很 (very) 高 (tall) . There is no verb here.

Look up a Chinese grammar book. It always tells you that a predicate can be either a verb or an adjective, or even a noun.

[![Chinese grammar book](https://i.sstatic.net/R1IqW.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/R1IqW.png)


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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-06-09. Score: 0

¿Perhaps your preconceptions preclude your perspicacity?

Assume Western Grammar is always correct and may be applied to Chinese without exception.

Then you have a problem.

Assume Chinese cares nothing about Western Grammar and does what it wants:

> but I have not seen an adjective with 了

你能和我们一起去真是太好了。  
要是你们都坐好了，那么我就开始。  
她习惯了寒冷以后身体立即就好了。

六瓶应该够了。  
这讨厌的差事，我真受够了！  
大家稍稍挤一挤，地方就够了。

她叫我 十一 以前 到家， 但是我 晚了一个半小时? (notice that Chinese doesn't change I and me? That is very naughty, according to Western Grammar!)  
She told I 11 before to home, but I late 1 and 1/2 hour。  
Ella dijo a me, que yo antes de las once debo estar en casa, pero llegaba una hora y media más tarde.

How you translate it, and what it says are 2 different things!

Chinese is a beautiful old language and culture. Don't try to make it fit into a Western mold, you will just become confused.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2019-07-08. Score: 0

(1) I think 晚 is used as a verb here, meaning "to be late". In Chinese an adjective is often used as a verb, for example, 你瘦了 (You have become thinner).

*Remark.* In this case we often say the adjective is used as a verb or as the predicate.

(2) 了 doesn't go tegother with 一. Here 晚了 is the past form, meaning "was late"

(3) If you add 来 to this sentence: 我晚来了一个半小时, then 来 becomes the verb and 晚 becomes an adverb to describe 来. But I wouldn't recommend to use 来 here because

```
She told me to get home by 11, but I came home late by an hour and a half

```

sounds a little weird with "came". So we better change it to "got", which corresponds to 到 in Chinese, that is, 我晚到了一个半小时

(4) 迟到 also means "to be late", but usually for something formal, like a meeting, a lecture or a movie, or for work. One wouldn't use 迟到 for going home, even if it is grammatically correct. However, 晚到 can be used for this situation.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: 晚 is an adjective here. Chinese language allows an adjective as the predicate, without a verb.  e.g. 他很高 - he is very tall.   高 is the adjective, as the predicate. There is no verb here.  

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