我那天不是在家吃饭吗
“I was at home having dinner that day.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
警察查过了
“The police already checked.”
我那天 不是在家吃饭吗
“I was at home having dinner that day.”
那天到案发现场的时候
“When I arrived at the crime scene that day,”
“You know I was at home, so stop questioning me about the crime scene.”
When pressured or accused, Chinese speakers frequently use negative rhetorical questions to anchor themselves to previously accepted facts.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
that day
Common temporal locator used to anchor a past event being discussed.
isn't it the case that...; didn't...
A rhetorical confirmation pattern used to remind the listener of a shared fact or defense.
Forms a rhetorical question seeking immediate agreement or validation from the listener.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“That night, weren't we at that banquet dinner?”
“I know it's not about food.”
“Didn't you eat at her place? Weren't you happy eating there?”
“Do I look like I'm starving?”
“Are you eating here for lunch today?”
“Have you had lunch? I came here after lunch.”