Lessons 5, 9, 12: Facts and assumptions: 其实, 原来, 以为

Explanation

Structure

1. 1
   (……)，其实+Ssubject+Vverb

   Goes before a verb or the subject; corrects, explains, or supplements the previous clause.

   • 他普通话说得很好，大家都以为他是北京人，其实他是上海人。

     Tā pǔtōnghuà shuō de hěn hǎo, dàjiā dōu yǐwéi tā shì Běijīng rén, qíshí tā shì Shànghǎi rén.

     He speaks Mandarin very well, and everyone thought he was from Beijing, but actually he's from Shanghai.

   • 看她的样子只有三十多岁，其实她都四十多了。

     Kàn tā de yàngzi zhǐyǒu sānshí duō suì, qíshí tā dōu sìshí duō le.

     From her looks she seems to be only about thirty, but actually she's over forty.

   • 其实早上你不用叫他，他自己能醒。

     Qíshí zǎoshang nǐ bú yòng jiào tā, tā zìjǐ néng xǐng.

     Actually, you don't need to wake him up in the morning; he can get up by himself.

2. 2
   原来+…+A: trước đây, nay đã khácoptional

   Refers to the original time, earlier; no longer the case now.

   • 原来她一句汉语都不会说，现在已经能翻译一些简单的文章了。

     Yuánlái tā yí jù Hànyǔ dōu bú huì shuō, xiànzài yǐjīng néng fānyì yìxiē jiǎndān de wénzhāng le.

     She used to be unable to say a single sentence of Chinese, but now she can translate some simple articles.

   • 原来我们家乡连汽车都不通，现在交通可方便了。

     Yuánlái wǒmen jiāxiāng lián qìchē dōu bù tōng, xiànzài jiāotōng kě fāngbiàn le.

     Our hometown used to be inaccessible even by car, but now transportation is very convenient.

3. 3
   (S) 原来 (S)+…+B: phát hiện sự thật, vỡ lẽoptional

   Discovering a previously unknown situation, with a sense of sudden realization; goes before or after the subject.

   • 这几天他都没来上课，原来他病了。

     Zhè jǐ tiān tā dōu méi lái shàngkè, yuánlái tā bìng le.

     He hasn't come to class these past few days; it turns out he's sick.

   • 我想是玛丽，原来是你啊。

     Wǒ xiǎng shì Mǎlì, yuánlái shì nǐ a.

     I thought it was Mary, but it turns out it's you.

   • 一个亿万富翁，却对一块糖充满感情。原来，他小时候家里很穷，从没有吃过糖。

     Yí ge yìwàn fùwēng, què duì yí kuài táng chōngmǎn gǎnqíng. Yuánlái, tā xiǎoshíhou jiā li hěn qióng, cóng méiyǒu chī guo táng.

     A billionaire who is so emotionally attached to a piece of candy. It turns out his family was very poor when he was a child, and he never got to eat candy.

4. 4

   我以为……，原来 / 其实……

   Used after the speaker realizes their own judgment did not match reality.

   • 我以为是小林呢，原来是你啊。

     Wǒ yǐwéi shì Xiǎo Lín ne, yuánlái shì nǐ a.

     I thought it was Xiao Lin, but it turns out it's you.

   • 你没有回国呀，我以为你回国了呢。

     Nǐ méiyǒu huíguó ya, wǒ yǐwéi nǐ huíguó le ne.

     You haven't gone back to your country? I thought you had.

   • 都十二点了，我以为还不到十点呢。

     Dōu shí'èr diǎn le, wǒ yǐwéi hái bú dào shí diǎn ne.

     It's already twelve o'clock; I thought it wasn't even ten yet.