<p>I understand what you mean, but this might be a better way of saying it:</p>

<pre><code>中国人喜欢打乒乓球，而美国人更喜欢踢足球。
</code></pre>

<p>Or, if you really meant <code>people living in China/USA</code> (and not Chinese people), then you can say:</p>

<pre><code>在中国，人们喜欢打乒乓球。而在美国，人们更喜欢踢足球。
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-29T22:36:28.623Z
2017-04-29T22:44:11.927Z
2017-04-29T22:44:11.927Z
hello_harry
<blockquote>
  <p>人在中国喜欢乒乓球比踢足球, 但是人在美国喜欢踢足球比乒乓球.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Do you mean this?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>People in China like Ping Pong more than soccer, but People in the US like soccer more than Ping Pong.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Well, unless you strand them, modifiers in Mandarin basically all come before the "substance word". So instead of saying <code>人 (people) 在 (in) 中国 (China)</code>, people say something like <code>在 (in) 中国 (China) 的 人 (people)</code>, except if you don't really mean "people who are physically residing in China" but more of "Chinese people", you'd say, like in English, <code>中国人</code>.</p>

<p>Another problem is, while English says <code>(someone) A than B</code>, Mandarin says <code>(someone) than B A</code>. The last half of each part of your sentence should read as something like</p>

<p><code>相比/比起踢足球更喜欢乒乓球</code></p>

<p><code>相比/比起乒乓球更喜欢踢足球</code></p>

<p>Also if this helps: the verb for Ping Pong is 打, and if you are going for parallelism it is okay to leave out the verbs and just compare <code>足球</code> with <code>乒乓球</code>.</p>

<p>In general @hello_harry has put it very well.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-30T21:09:40.093Z
2017-04-30T21:09:40.093Z
Rethliopuks
<p>"人在中国" and "人在美国" are already complete sentences. So it's kind of weird to use them as subjects.
You may wanna use "在中国的人" and "在美国的人" to describe "people in China" and "people in US". The “的” in "在中国的人" makes "在中国的" a description of "人".
Or you can just use "中国人" and “美国人”， which means Chinese and American.</p>

<p>Besides, it's better to say "和足球相比， 在中国的人更喜欢乒乓球， 但是在美国的人更喜欢足球". You could think in as: compared with football, people in China prefer pingpang. However, people in US prefer football.</p>

<p>Hope my answer helps you.
Good luck for your oral assessment!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-30T00:47:11.330Z
2017-04-30T00:47:11.330Z
Yunyi Guo
<p>There are many differences between the Chinese and the Americans.<br>
中国人和美国人有许多不同之处。<br>
If we look at ball sports, the Chinese prefer to play ping pong, whereas Americans prefer football.<br>
如果我们从球类运动来看，中国人更喜欢打乒乓球，而美国人更喜欢足球。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-29T23:15:48.167Z
2017-04-29T23:15:48.167Z
Pedroski
<p>你们好！</p>

<p>I'm a student currently studying Chinese. We have an oral assessment where we will need to compare Chinese culture and China to the culture of the Western world.</p>

<p>I was wondering if it is grammatically correct to say:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>人在中国喜欢乒乓球比踢足球, 但是人在美国喜欢踢足球比乒乓球.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If it is not correct, how could I change it so that it becomes right?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-30T00:44:21.237Z
proposed sentences ungrammatical，  see grammars re "comparison using 比＂（also explained by dictionaries)
cf。＂外国人实用汉语语法＂（一）介词＂比＂和比较对象构成的介词结构主要是在谓语前作壮语。例如：她比我大。这种肥皂比那种（肥皂）好。这个标志比那个明显。（二）介词结构＂比。。。＂后边的谓语由形容词或某些动词充当。例如：他比我保守。（形容词）哥哥比姐姐了解情况。（动词）
 the following would therefore be grammatical, 中国人乒乓球比踢足球是（更）喜欢的，但是美国人踢足球比乒乓球是（更）喜欢的.Note:Am. football (美式)橄榄球, soccer 足球
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-30T01:16:12.283Z
play football: 踢足球，play pingpong 打乒乓球, however play American football 打橄榄球, therefore replace 乒乓球, 踢足球 by 打乒乓球,打橄榄球 respectively
user6065
<mandarin><sentence-structure><simplified-characters>
Is it correct to say 人在中国喜欢乒乓球比踢足球, 但是人在美国喜欢踢足球比乒乓球?
# Is it correct to say 人在中国喜欢乒乓球比踢足球, 但是人在美国喜欢踢足球比乒乓球?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-29)

你们好！

I'm a student currently studying Chinese. We have an oral assessment where we will need to compare Chinese culture and China to the culture of the Western world.

I was wondering if it is grammatically correct to say:

> 人在中国喜欢乒乓球比踢足球, 但是人在美国喜欢踢足球比乒乓球.

If it is not correct, how could I change it so that it becomes right?

**Tags:** mandarin, sentence-structure, simplified-characters
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: proposed sentences ungrammatical，  see grammars re "comparison using 比＂（also explained by dictionaries) cf。＂外国人实用汉语语法＂（一）介词＂比＂和比较对象构成的介词结构主要是在谓语前作壮语。例如：她比我大。这种肥皂比那种（肥皂）好。这个标志比那个明显。（二）介词结构＂比。。。＂后边的谓语由形容词或某些动词充当。例如：他比我保守。（形容词）哥哥比姐姐了解情况。（动词）  the following would therefore be grammatical, 中国人乒乓球比踢足球是（更）喜欢的，但是美国人踢足球比乒乓球是（更）喜欢的.Note:Am. football (美式)橄榄球, soccer 足球  
> **username_1**: play football: 踢足球，play pingpong 打乒乓球, however play American football 打橄榄球, therefore replace 乒乓球, 踢足球 by 打乒乓球,打橄榄球 respectively  

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-04-29. Score: 4

I understand what you mean, but this might be a better way of saying it:
中国人喜欢打乒乓球，而美国人更喜欢踢足球。

Or, if you really meant people living in China/USA (and not Chinese people), then you can say:
在中国，人们喜欢打乒乓球。而在美国，人们更喜欢踢足球。


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### Answer by username_3 on 2017-04-30. Score: 1

> 人在中国喜欢乒乓球比踢足球, 但是人在美国喜欢踢足球比乒乓球.

Do you mean this?

> People in China like Ping Pong more than soccer, but People in the US like soccer more than Ping Pong.

Well, unless you strand them, modifiers in Mandarin basically all come before the "substance word". So instead of saying `人 (people) 在 (in) 中国 (China)`, people say something like `在 (in) 中国 (China) 的 人 (people)`, except if you don't really mean "people who are physically residing in China" but more of "Chinese people", you'd say, like in English, `中国人`.

Another problem is, while English says `(someone) A than B`, Mandarin says `(someone) than B A`. The last half of each part of your sentence should read as something like

`相比/比起踢足球更喜欢乒乓球`

`相比/比起乒乓球更喜欢踢足球`

Also if this helps: the verb for Ping Pong is 打, and if you are going for parallelism it is okay to leave out the verbs and just compare `足球` with `乒乓球`.

In general @hello\_harry has put it very well.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2017-04-30. Score: 1

"人在中国" and "人在美国" are already complete sentences. So it's kind of weird to use them as subjects.
You may wanna use "在中国的人" and "在美国的人" to describe "people in China" and "people in US". The “的” in "在中国的人" makes "在中国的" a description of "人".
Or you can just use "中国人" and “美国人”， which means Chinese and American.

Besides, it's better to say "和足球相比， 在中国的人更喜欢乒乓球， 但是在美国的人更喜欢足球". You could think in as: compared with football, people in China prefer pingpang. However, people in US prefer football.

Hope my answer helps you.
Good luck for your oral assessment!


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### Answer by username_5 on 2017-04-29. Score: 0

There are many differences between the Chinese and the Americans.  
中国人和美国人有许多不同之处。  
If we look at ball sports, the Chinese prefer to play ping pong, whereas Americans prefer football.  
如果我们从球类运动来看，中国人更喜欢打乒乓球，而美国人更喜欢足球。


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