<blockquote>
<p><em>[...] after reading my grammar notebook, I think that 的 belongs to &quot;是...的&quot; structure, though 是 is omitted in this sentence. Take a look at <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details#Is_.E6.98.AF_always_optional.3F" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[this resource]</a> and focus on the part of &quot;Position of 的&quot;. It is said that 的 can be put between the verb and the object.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Your grammar notebook  correctly addressed the use of 的 in your example.</p>
<p>Compare to 我(是)七点到的学校,  我(是)5点下的班，etc.</p>
<p>Those are often heard in day-to-day conversations.</p>
<p>Here is more quote from dictionary definition:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>（用在谓语动词后面， 强调动作的施事者、时间、地点等）:</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>I made the sketch; he filled in the colours.</p>
<p>是我打的稿子， 他上的色。</p>
<p>It was the year before last that he went to Xizang [Tibet].</p>
<p>他前年去的西藏。</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:12:10.307Z
Again, in 是我打的稿子(it is the manuscript I drafted) or 我打的稿子 ( the manuscript  I drafted) 的 still marks 我打的 as an adjectival phrase for the noun 稿子
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:16:52.987Z
wouldn't   我(是)七点到学校(的) and 我(是)5点下班( 的) make more sense than  我(是)七点到(的)学校 and 我(是)5点下(的)班 ?
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:24:35.413Z
@TangHo No need to argue more then.  It looks like you are completely unaware of this usage of 的.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T23:31:33.970Z
I asked an expert: "Shouldn't "我(是)七点到的学校"  be "这(是)我七点到的学校"?" He answered "The first sentence is used for emphasis on the time '7 o'clock'. The second sentence uses an adjectival clause to modify the noun 'school'." It proves [七点][到的] emphasizes the time 七点 and [十岁才][到的] emphasizes the age at the time 十岁. I honestly never considered this usage  because the more commonly way to use 的 is to emphasize the object
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T23:59:36.263Z
@TangHo You bet!
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T09:07:53.083Z
2020-06-23T12:04:24.103Z
2020-06-23T12:04:24.103Z
dan
<p>Edit 2:</p>
<p>I asked an expert: &quot;Shouldn't &quot;我(是)七点到的学校&quot; be &quot;这(是)我七点到的学校&quot;?&quot; He answered &quot;The first sentence is used for emphasis on the time '7 o'clock'. The second sentence uses an adjectival clause to modify the noun 'school'.&quot; It proves [七点][到的] emphasizes the time 七点 and [十岁才][到的] emphasizes the age at the time 十岁. I honestly never considered this usage because the more common way to use 的 is to emphasize the object</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[我十岁才][到的]美国 emphasizes the <strong>age at the time</strong> I came to America</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Edit:</p>
<p>OP posted the full sentence, the answer have to be edited too</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到的美国。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>的 might be accidentally added . 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到美国 make more sense. There's no need for 的 to be in this sentence</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>的 can function as 'adjectival marker'</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Without other context, 的 in [我十岁才到的] 美国。is an adjectival marker.  It marks &quot;我十岁才到的&quot; as an adjectival phrase that modifies the noun 美国</p>
</li>
<li><p>without other context, 的 in 我是[十岁才到美国的] modifies the noun 我</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:29:02.973Z
2020-06-24T00:08:46.417Z
2020-06-24T00:08:46.417Z
Tang Ho
<p>After reading all answers (and my notebook), I draw 2 conclusions:</p>
<p>(A) 的 can be a typo. 我十岁才到美国 is a better sentence without 的.</p>
<p>(B) 的 comes from &quot;是...的&quot; structure and 是 is omitted.</p>
<p>However, in my Chinese textbook, there is another sentence with the same structure.</p>
<pre><code>我是前天到的北京，2年前曾经在中国学过2年汉语，是王老师的学生。
</code></pre>
<p>That's why I am more inclined towards the second conclusion. I should have made it clear earlier, so it might avoid unnecessary arguments.</p>
<p>Thanks Dan, Tang Ho and 小奥利奥 for your answers!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T15:34:14.367Z
It has nothing to do with [是...的] structure. With or without 是, 的 still normally modifies the noun after it, not the subject. The main problem is placing 的 between the verb and object. It implies 的 function not as an adjectival marker or a possess marker, but as an verb particle similar to '得‘ e.g. 我是前天到[得]北京的. 得 denotes the verb is completed and also emphasizes the object e.g. 到北京一定要上長城 --> 到得北京一定要上長城. And I notice some Mandarin use 得 and 的 interchangeable in some context. e.g. 做得辛苦/ 做的辛苦
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T20:11:15.183Z
I can assure you that 的 here is not a typo at all.  Try to look up any decent dictionary about 的，you would find a similar definition as I attached in my answer. This use of 的 is very popular within at least the mainland.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T20:21:46.687Z
It also has nothing to do with 得.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T20:37:18.233Z
It seems that, based on all the inputs so far, speakers outside of mainland wouldn't recognize this use of 的.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T21:35:07.857Z
We know the usage of 的 in examples like 買書 --> 誰買的書 ; 到美国--> 我到的美国 that insert 的 between the verb and the object to emphasize the subject and object. I just think 我是前天到的北京 should be 是我前天到的北京  or  我是前天到北京的
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T21:36:52.523Z
我是前天到的北京  would mean "I am the Peking that arrived the day before" ; 这是我前天到的北京 would mean "This is the Peking I arrived the day before"
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T22:05:10.993Z
@TangHo 我是前天到的北京，to this mainland speaker, would mean "It was yesterday that I arrived Beijing". That's the main point here. If you don't acknowledge this, then you wouldn't recognize this use of 的 and a prolonged discussion wouldn't help.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T22:12:59.013Z
Consider '北京' in '我是前天到的北京',   and  '教師'  in '我是前天到的教師'  are both in the object position. You can't blame me for  interpret the former as "I am the Peking that arrived the day before"
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T22:38:18.123Z
@TangHo Only reason is that "I'm the Peking that arrived the day before'" doesn't make any practical sense，so we have to interpret the other way. Language is about conventions, not strictly grammar rules.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T22:46:00.523Z
@TangHo The parsing is different between your two sentences. 我 [是前天] [到的] 北京。 VS 我 [是] [前天到的] 教师。Also, the emphasis is different when we say the two sentences though they look like the same structure
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T22:57:33.467Z
then 的 in 我 [是前天] [到的] 北京 would be a verb particle that modifies the verb 到.  that is different from emphasize the subject and object . As in 買書 --> 誰買的書
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T14:39:37.950Z
2020-06-23T14:39:37.950Z
Jenny
<p>This might be a stretch and completely wrong, but in many cases I assume 的 is saying the thing following it has the property of the thing preceding it.</p>
<p>So the first half of the phrase &quot;我十岁才到&quot; is saying &quot;I only just arrived when I was 10 years old&quot;, whereas the latter part &quot;美国&quot; is just &quot;America&quot;. Taken as a whole that would be &quot;America with the proprerty of me only just arriving as a ten year old&quot;. I'm not sure how grammatically correct that would be but to me it comes across as someone reminiscing about how America was when they were 10 and only just arrived here.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T07:41:46.793Z
You are not wrong.  See example: [我十岁才到的美国 ] 跟 [今天的美國]相比友善得多 - [The America I arrived when I was ten], is more friendly compare to  [the America today]
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T07:52:22.683Z
"我十岁才到的"  and  "今天的"  are adjectival phrases for the noun 美國 -- One of the function of 的 is to mark a phrase as adjectival
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T07:59:46.327Z
Hi Tang Ho and 小奥利奥, after reading my grammar notebook, I think that 的 belongs to "是...的" structure, though 是 is omitted in this sentence. Take a look at https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details#Is_.E6.98.AF_always_optional.3F and focus on the part of "Position of 的". It is said that 的 can be put between the verb and the object.
Jenny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T08:28:07.507Z
@Jenny Your grammar notebook is right.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T09:57:30.097Z
adding the verb 是 and write  是我十岁才到的美国  doesn't change the fact that 的 marks 十岁才到 as an adjectival phrases for the noun 美國
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T11:20:16.973Z
@TangHo It should be 我是十岁才到的美国 when 是... 的 structure is applied.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T11:38:51.433Z
@dan the 是 being left out seemed odd to me at first but didn't prevent me from understanding the rest of the sentence, I find it hard to believe that that was the issue since it does't (to me at least) influence the behavior of 的 in this sentence
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T11:43:02.103Z
@dan in fact, 我是... 的 implies that the adjectival phrase modifies 我 when it seems to be the case that 美国 should be the target of modification
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T11:56:17.403Z
@小奥利奥 我是十岁才到的美国 can also mean "it was in my seventeen that I got to America". If you take 我十岁才到的 as the adjectival phrase, then 我十岁才到的美国 isn't a complete sentence.  If you take 我十岁才到的美国 as a complete sentence, then we should not take 我十岁才到的 as an adjectival phrase.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:03:14.627Z
我是十岁才到美国的  make better sentence .  Other  example : 我不会屈服 --> 我[是]不会屈服[的] In these sentence, the the adjectival phrase modifies 我
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:05:50.327Z
@小奥利奥 I added the dictionary definition about this in my answer.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:14:15.577Z
我是十岁才到的美国 doesn't make sense, It implies 我是美国
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:23:52.250Z
@dan ah, I never assumed it was a complete sentence though now I do see that Jenny called it a sentence in her question, could be a bad choice of words on her part
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:26:17.947Z
@dan actually user3306356 introduced the word sentence into the mix, as it was originally I never had any reason to believe it was a complete sentence, or meant to be one
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:27:38.193Z
@小奥利奥: I just edit the question, the full sentence is 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到的美国。 I rarely run into the same structure like that before, so do Chinese people usually use this structure?
Jenny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:31:07.127Z
@Jenny  的 might be accidentally added . 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到美国 make more sense. There's no need for 的 to be in this sentence
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T14:42:26.790Z
@小奥利奥, Dan, Tang Ho, I just add my conclusion above. Thanks for your enthusiasm :D
Jenny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T07:32:18.257Z
2020-06-23T07:32:18.257Z
小奥利奥
<p>I do not understand the meaning of 的 in the following sentence:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到<strong>的</strong>美国。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This sentence is in my Chinese textbook. At first, I had thought it may be wrong. Afterward, I run into <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details" rel="nofollow noreferrer">another sentence</a> with the same structure and need to check grammar.</p>
<p>Please explain it to me.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T12:48:29.813Z
I think you need to show a little homework here. Why don't you understand the sentence? What have you tried to figure it out?
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:18:42.767Z
@user3306356 This sentence is in my Chinese textbook. At first, I had thought it may be wrong. Afterward, I run into another sentence with the same structure and need to check grammar (in this source: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details#Is_.E6.98.AF_always_optional.3F)
You can find the answer below.
Jenny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:25:58.683Z
You might want to add some of those details into your question, otherwise you might get flagged. We have a flag here: "off-topic unless prior research effort is clearly indicated."
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:42:32.483Z
@user3306356 while I agree that some more effort on Jenny's side would be nice, at least for the sake of other readers, the flag reminder text reads: *Questions asking for _translations_ are off-topic unless [...]*. I wouldn't say this question is a mere request for translation, so I'm a little confused. What is the correct way to address this?
blackgreen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:47:57.247Z
May be she felt 的 in "我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到的美国。" seems out of place. I had answered many of her questions about the usage of 的 and this sentence doesn't sound correct with 的 in it
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T14:20:44.160Z
@blackgreen Yes, you are correct. A lot of times with these "meaning" questions though, it is hard to avoid translation. If someone asks "What does X mean?" without adding much context, it is almost tantamount to asking for a translation. Please, correct me if my understanding is wrong. Another flag that might be applicable would be: "[n]eeds details or clarity," if we don't agree that this has anything to do with translation. Either way, a question without much shown effort is easily closed.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T20:06:54.837Z
Maybe it's a typo for 了
Kasey Chang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-07T00:59:05.433Z
(There seems to be a similar question asked on Quora: [What is the meaning of "的" in "我十岁才到的美国" (grammar, meaning in context, Chinese)?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-%E7%9A%84-in-%E6%88%91%E5%8D%81%E5%B2%81%E6%89%8D%E5%88%B0%E7%9A%84%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD-grammar-meaning-in-context-Chinese).)
Becky 李蓓
<grammar><meaning-in-context>
Meaning of 的 in 我十岁才到的美国
# Meaning of 的 in 我十岁才到的美国

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-23)

I do not understand the meaning of 的 in the following sentence:

> 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到**的**美国。

This sentence is in my Chinese textbook. At first, I had thought it may be wrong. Afterward, I run into [another sentence](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details) with the same structure and need to check grammar.

Please explain it to me.

**Tags:** grammar, meaning-in-context
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think you need to show a little homework here. Why don't you understand the sentence? What have you tried to figure it out?  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 This sentence is in my Chinese textbook. At first, I had thought it may be wrong. Afterward, I run into another sentence with the same structure and need to check grammar (in this source: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details#Is_.E6.98.AF_always_optional.3F) You can find the answer below.  
> **username_1**: You might want to add some of those details into your question, otherwise you might get flagged. We have a flag here: "off-topic unless prior research effort is clearly indicated."  
> **username_2**: @user3306356 while I agree that some more effort on Jenny's side would be nice, at least for the sake of other readers, the flag reminder text reads: *Questions asking for _translations_ are off-topic unless [...]*. I wouldn't say this question is a mere request for translation, so I'm a little confused. What is the correct way to address this?  
> **username_3**: May be she felt 的 in "我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到的美国。" seems out of place. I had answered many of her questions about the usage of 的 and this sentence doesn't sound correct with 的 in it  
> **username_1**: @blackgreen Yes, you are correct. A lot of times with these "meaning" questions though, it is hard to avoid translation. If someone asks "What does X mean?" without adding much context, it is almost tantamount to asking for a translation. Please, correct me if my understanding is wrong. Another flag that might be applicable would be: "[n]eeds details or clarity," if we don't agree that this has anything to do with translation. Either way, a question without much shown effort is easily closed.  
> **username_4**: Maybe it's a typo for 了  
> **username_5**: (There seems to be a similar question asked on Quora: [What is the meaning of "的" in "我十岁才到的美国" (grammar, meaning in context, Chinese)?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-%E7%9A%84-in-%E6%88%91%E5%8D%81%E5%B2%81%E6%89%8D%E5%88%B0%E7%9A%84%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD-grammar-meaning-in-context-Chinese).)  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2020-06-23. Score: 2

> *[...] after reading my grammar notebook, I think that 的 belongs to "是...的" structure, though 是 is omitted in this sentence. Take a look at [[this resource]](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details#Is_.E6.98.AF_always_optional.3F) and focus on the part of "Position of 的". It is said that 的 can be put between the verb and the object.*

Your grammar notebook correctly addressed the use of 的 in your example.

Compare to 我(是)七点到的学校, 我(是)5点下的班，etc.

Those are often heard in day-to-day conversations.

Here is more quote from dictionary definition:

> （用在谓语动词后面， 强调动作的施事者、时间、地点等）:

> I made the sketch; he filled in the colours.
>
> 是我打的稿子， 他上的色。
>
> It was the year before last that he went to Xizang [Tibet].
>
> 他前年去的西藏。

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Again, in 是我打的稿子(it is the manuscript I drafted) or 我打的稿子 ( the manuscript  I drafted) 的 still marks 我打的 as an adjectival phrase for the noun 稿子  
> **username_3**: wouldn't   我(是)七点到学校(的) and 我(是)5点下班( 的) make more sense than  我(是)七点到(的)学校 and 我(是)5点下(的)班 ?  
> **username_6**: @TangHo No need to argue more then.  It looks like you are completely unaware of this usage of 的.  
> **username_3**: I asked an expert: "Shouldn't "我(是)七点到的学校"  be "这(是)我七点到的学校"?" He answered "The first sentence is used for emphasis on the time '7 o'clock'. The second sentence uses an adjectival clause to modify the noun 'school'." It proves [七点][到的] emphasizes the time 七点 and [十岁才][到的] emphasizes the age at the time 十岁. I honestly never considered this usage  because the more commonly way to use 的 is to emphasize the object  
> **username_6**: @TangHo You bet!  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-06-23. Score: 2

Edit 2:

I asked an expert: "Shouldn't "我(是)七点到的学校" be "这(是)我七点到的学校"?" He answered "The first sentence is used for emphasis on the time '7 o'clock'. The second sentence uses an adjectival clause to modify the noun 'school'." It proves [七点][到的] emphasizes the time 七点 and [十岁才][到的] emphasizes the age at the time 十岁. I honestly never considered this usage because the more common way to use 的 is to emphasize the object

> [我十岁才][到的]美国 emphasizes the **age at the time** I came to America

Edit:

OP posted the full sentence, the answer have to be edited too

> 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到的美国。

的 might be accidentally added . 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到美国 make more sense. There's no need for 的 to be in this sentence

~

的 can function as 'adjectival marker'

* Without other context, 的 in [我十岁才到的] 美国。is an adjectival marker. It marks "我十岁才到的" as an adjectival phrase that modifies the noun 美国
* without other context, 的 in 我是[十岁才到美国的] modifies the noun 我


---

### Answer by username_0 on 2020-06-23. Score: 1

After reading all answers (and my notebook), I draw 2 conclusions:
(A) 的 can be a typo. 我十岁才到美国 is a better sentence without 的.
(B) 的 comes from "是...的" structure and 是 is omitted.
However, in my Chinese textbook, there is another sentence with the same structure.
我是前天到的北京，2年前曾经在中国学过2年汉语，是王老师的学生。

That's why I am more inclined towards the second conclusion. I should have made it clear earlier, so it might avoid unnecessary arguments.
Thanks Dan, Tang Ho and 小奥利奥 for your answers!

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: It has nothing to do with [是...的] structure. With or without 是, 的 still normally modifies the noun after it, not the subject. The main problem is placing 的 between the verb and object. It implies 的 function not as an adjectival marker or a possess marker, but as an verb particle similar to '得‘ e.g. 我是前天到[得]北京的. 得 denotes the verb is completed and also emphasizes the object e.g. 到北京一定要上長城 --> 到得北京一定要上長城. And I notice some Mandarin use 得 and 的 interchangeable in some context. e.g. 做得辛苦/ 做的辛苦  
> **username_6**: I can assure you that 的 here is not a typo at all.  Try to look up any decent dictionary about 的，you would find a similar definition as I attached in my answer. This use of 的 is very popular within at least the mainland.  
> **username_6**: It also has nothing to do with 得.  
> **username_6**: It seems that, based on all the inputs so far, speakers outside of mainland wouldn't recognize this use of 的.  
> **username_3**: We know the usage of 的 in examples like 買書 --> 誰買的書 ; 到美国--> 我到的美国 that insert 的 between the verb and the object to emphasize the subject and object. I just think 我是前天到的北京 should be 是我前天到的北京  or  我是前天到北京的  
> **username_3**: 我是前天到的北京  would mean "I am the Peking that arrived the day before" ; 这是我前天到的北京 would mean "This is the Peking I arrived the day before"  
> **username_6**: @TangHo 我是前天到的北京，to this mainland speaker, would mean "It was yesterday that I arrived Beijing". That's the main point here. If you don't acknowledge this, then you wouldn't recognize this use of 的 and a prolonged discussion wouldn't help.  
> **username_3**: Consider '北京' in '我是前天到的北京',   and  '教師'  in '我是前天到的教師'  are both in the object position. You can't blame me for  interpret the former as "I am the Peking that arrived the day before"  
> **username_6**: @TangHo Only reason is that "I'm the Peking that arrived the day before'" doesn't make any practical sense，so we have to interpret the other way. Language is about conventions, not strictly grammar rules.  
> **username_6**: @TangHo The parsing is different between your two sentences. 我 [是前天] [到的] 北京。 VS 我 [是] [前天到的] 教师。Also, the emphasis is different when we say the two sentences though they look like the same structure  
> **username_3**: then 的 in 我 [是前天] [到的] 北京 would be a verb particle that modifies the verb 到.  that is different from emphasize the subject and object . As in 買書 --> 誰買的書  

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### Answer by username_7 on 2020-06-23. Score: 0

This might be a stretch and completely wrong, but in many cases I assume 的 is saying the thing following it has the property of the thing preceding it.

So the first half of the phrase "我十岁才到" is saying "I only just arrived when I was 10 years old", whereas the latter part "美国" is just "America". Taken as a whole that would be "America with the proprerty of me only just arriving as a ten year old". I'm not sure how grammatically correct that would be but to me it comes across as someone reminiscing about how America was when they were 10 and only just arrived here.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: You are not wrong.  See example: [我十岁才到的美国 ] 跟 [今天的美國]相比友善得多 - [The America I arrived when I was ten], is more friendly compare to  [the America today]  
> **username_3**: "我十岁才到的"  and  "今天的"  are adjectival phrases for the noun 美國 -- One of the function of 的 is to mark a phrase as adjectival  
> **username_0**: Hi Tang Ho and 小奥利奥, after reading my grammar notebook, I think that 的 belongs to "是...的" structure, though 是 is omitted in this sentence. Take a look at https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22shi..._de%22_construction_for_emphasizing_details#Is_.E6.98.AF_always_optional.3F and focus on the part of "Position of 的". It is said that 的 can be put between the verb and the object.  
> **username_6**: @Jenny Your grammar notebook is right.  
> **username_3**: adding the verb 是 and write  是我十岁才到的美国  doesn't change the fact that 的 marks 十岁才到 as an adjectival phrases for the noun 美國  
> **username_6**: @TangHo It should be 我是十岁才到的美国 when 是... 的 structure is applied.  
> **username_7**: @dan the 是 being left out seemed odd to me at first but didn't prevent me from understanding the rest of the sentence, I find it hard to believe that that was the issue since it does't (to me at least) influence the behavior of 的 in this sentence  
> **username_7**: @dan in fact, 我是... 的 implies that the adjectival phrase modifies 我 when it seems to be the case that 美国 should be the target of modification  
> **username_6**: @小奥利奥 我是十岁才到的美国 can also mean "it was in my seventeen that I got to America". If you take 我十岁才到的 as the adjectival phrase, then 我十岁才到的美国 isn't a complete sentence.  If you take 我十岁才到的美国 as a complete sentence, then we should not take 我十岁才到的 as an adjectival phrase.  
> **username_3**: 我是十岁才到美国的  make better sentence .  Other  example : 我不会屈服 --> 我[是]不会屈服[的] In these sentence, the the adjectival phrase modifies 我  
> **username_6**: @小奥利奥 I added the dictionary definition about this in my answer.  
> **username_3**: 我是十岁才到的美国 doesn't make sense, It implies 我是美国  
> **username_7**: @dan ah, I never assumed it was a complete sentence though now I do see that Jenny called it a sentence in her question, could be a bad choice of words on her part  
> **username_7**: @dan actually user3306356 introduced the word sentence into the mix, as it was originally I never had any reason to believe it was a complete sentence, or meant to be one  
> **username_0**: @小奥利奥: I just edit the question, the full sentence is 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到的美国。 I rarely run into the same structure like that before, so do Chinese people usually use this structure?  
> **username_3**: @Jenny  的 might be accidentally added . 我爸爸是美国人，妈妈是意大利人，我十岁才到美国 make more sense. There's no need for 的 to be in this sentence  
> **username_0**: @小奥利奥, Dan, Tang Ho, I just add my conclusion above. Thanks for your enthusiasm :D  

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