看不了 不是跟你说过吗
“You can't. Didn't I tell you?”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
爸 我求你带我去看看小满吧
“Dad, please take me to see Xiaoman.”
看 不了 不是跟你说过吗
“You can't. Didn't I tell you?”
“The juvenile detention center only allows visits Monday through Thursday.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
Chinese parents often use blunt rhetorical prompts like 'didn't I tell you' to assert authority and shut down futile requests.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
cannot visit / cannot see
A potential complement structure indicating that external circumstances prevent the action from happening.
didn't I already tell you
A rhetorical question used to express mild exasperation when repeating information the listener should know.
Marks a rhetorical question to prompt the listener to recall prior warnings.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“I can't really tell though.”
“couldn't see clearly.”
“If we can't watch it today, we'll watch it tomorrow. No rush.”
“No. No way.”
“Surely you can see that too.”
“I made a wrong choice.”