▎是, shì, (Ptc), it is indeed true that

 

Function

是 in this instance is not a full verb. Rather, it’s an agreement marker. What follows 是 is old information. The speaker uses this pattern to indicate that his view is the same as that of the previous speaker.

1 A：買鞋子是不是先試穿，才知道合適不合適？

Mǎi xiézi shìbúshì xiān shìchuān, cái zhīdào héshì bù héshì?

Shall I try the shoes on before I buy them to know if they fit or not?

B：是應該先試穿，而且還要穿著走一走。

Shì yīnggāi xiān shìchuān, érqiě hái yào chuānzhe zǒu yì zǒu.

You should indeed try them on first and even walk around in them.

2 A：這位老師把語法解釋得很清楚，大家都很快地就了解了。

Zhè wèi lǎoshī bǎ yǔfǎ jiěshì de hěn qīngchǔ, dàjiā dōu hěn kuài de jiù liǎojiě le.

This teacher explains grammar very clearly. Everybody catches on quite quickly.

B：她解釋得是很清楚，而且她說話很有趣。

Tā jiěshì de shì hěn qīngchǔ, érqiě tā shuōhuà hěn yǒuqù.

She does explain very clearly and she’s an interesting speaker too.

3 A：你有居留證，可以打工了吧？

Nǐ yǒu jūliúzhèng, kěyǐ dǎgōng le ba?

You have an ARC, so you can work, right?

B：我是有居留證了，可是還不能打工，得再等八個月。

Wǒ shì yǒu jūliúzhèng le, kěshì hái bù néng dǎgōng, děi zài děng bā ge yuè.

I do have an ARC, but I can’t work. I have to wait another eight months.

4 A：你說話的聲音不對。你感冒了嗎？

Nǐ shuōhuà de shēngyīn bú duì. Nǐ gǎnmào le ma?

Your voice sounds a bit off. Do you have a cold?

B：我是感冒了，今天喉嚨好痛。

Wǒ shì gǎnmào le, jīntiān hóulóng hǎo tòng.

Yes, I do have a cold. My throat is really sore today.

5 A：這個牌子的衣服品質很好。

Zhè ge páizi de yīfú pǐnzhí hěn hǎo.

The quality of this brand of clothing is good.

B：他們的品質是很好，可是打八折以後還很貴。

Tāmen de pǐnzhí shì hěn hǎo, kěshì dǎ bā zhé yǐhòu hái hěn guì.

The quality is indeed good, but even with 20% off, it’s still expensive.

 

Usage As an agreement marker, 是 is stressed slightly, e.g., 百貨公司的東西是比其他的商店貴，可是都是有名的牌子，品質跟樣子都比較好。Bǎihuò gōngsī de dōngxi shì bǐ qítā de shāngdiàn guì, kěshì dōu shì yǒumíng de páizi, pǐnzhí gēn yàngzi dōu bǐjiào hǎo. ‘Things sold in department stores ARE more expensive than things in other stores, but it’s all famous brand names, so the quality and styles are better.’