有个事我一直想问你
“I've been meaning to ask.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
你陪我买点东西
“Let's buy something.”
有个事 我 一直想问你
“I've been meaning to ask.”
“Why is Feng Lin so afraid of you?”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
In Chinese communication, introducing a direct or potentially uncomfortable inquiry with a softening buffer like '有个事想问你' allows the listener to mentally prepare and prevents immediate awkwardness.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
there is a matter; there is something
A standard colloquial conversation opener used before asking a question or sharing news.
have always wanted to; have been wanting to
Indicates a persistent desire or recurring thought that has been kept inside for a while.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“there's a question I've been wanting to ask you.”
“there is something I've been wanting to ask you.”
“And I've been wondering...”
“I came today to ask you something.”