Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Chinese term or phrase:
怎么你倒忘了.
English translation:
How could you forget?
Added to glossary by
cristini04
Apr 25, 2016 12:49
8 yrs ago
Chinese term
Romania
Native in: Romanian 
Works in: English to Romanian, English to Spanish, English to French, and 2 more.
怎么你倒忘了.
Chinese to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
Literature.
Hello. Could you please tell me what is the role of 倒 here? Thank you in advance.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+4
52 mins
Robert Hopkins
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
ATA-certified, meticulous, and well-read
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US)
Works in: Chinese to English, English to Chinese, Chinese
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
How could you forget?
We don't have any context to go on, but it appears that 倒 is functioning here to emphasize a kind of contrast or something contrary to expectations. "It was something you should've remembered. How could it have slipped your mind?" That sort of thing.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks. "
4 hrs
Chinese term (edited):
倒
反而
怎么你反而忘了
供参考
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2016-04-25 17:17:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
怎么你却忘了
供参考
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2016-04-25 17:17:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
怎么你却忘了
4 hrs
Jason Cochrane
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
Works in field
Ireland
Good translation brings people together.
Native in: English , Danish
Works in: Danish to English, Chinese to English, English to Danish, and 1 more.
I can't believe you forgot.
Broken down, the sentence means...
怎么: How is it that
你: you
倒: unexpectedly
忘了: forgot
Without additional context, the period at the end indicates a rhetorical question which can be translated in English as a question if the context allows (see Robert's answer of "How could you forget?") or turned into a sentence as I have.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2016-04-25 18:01:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
倒 most literally means to flip. This can be a physical object (lit. or for profit like a house), a direction or something like a statement or expectations. 'Unexpectedly' is what it means in the context of flipping over the speaker's expectations.
怎么: How is it that
你: you
倒: unexpectedly
忘了: forgot
Without additional context, the period at the end indicates a rhetorical question which can be translated in English as a question if the context allows (see Robert's answer of "How could you forget?") or turned into a sentence as I have.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2016-04-25 18:01:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
倒 most literally means to flip. This can be a physical object (lit. or for profit like a house), a direction or something like a statement or expectations. 'Unexpectedly' is what it means in the context of flipping over the speaker's expectations.
10 hrs
Probably indicating unexpectedness
It could be indicating unexpectedness
Most likely it's used here to emphasize that you should have remembered but you didn't.
http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=7jiNk8ntktRtYA0i6XADh4iQNguU...
Most likely it's used here to emphasize that you should have remembered but you didn't.
http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=7jiNk8ntktRtYA0i6XADh4iQNguU...
1 day 6 hrs
Intotheworld
United States
United States
Native in Chinese
United States
Accuracy and Completeness
Native in: Chinese (Variant: Mandarin)
Works in: English to Chinese, Chinese to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
How could you just forget?
Supposed to remember, and should remember without question, but..
4 hrs
How the heck did you forget it
http://www.chazidian.com/r_ci_4d401eea47885396c9770aee329f15...
倒 = 反倒， it implies that you are expect to remember it but you actually forgot it.
How the heck did you forget it?
(if it is not too strong for your context)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2016-04-25 17:24:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
It implied that you are expected to remember it but you actually forgot it."
It is implied that you would remember it but you even forgot it.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day11 hrs (2016-04-27 00:33:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Depending on the context, it could also be expliained this way:
怎么你倒忘了 = 为什么你会忘了呢？为什么你竟然忘了呢？
Why could you have forgotten it?
How could you have even forgotten it?
I told you about it but you didn't remember it.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 days (2016-05-02 13:21:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Another version: How come you forgot it?
倒 = 反倒， it implies that you are expect to remember it but you actually forgot it.
How the heck did you forget it?
(if it is not too strong for your context)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2016-04-25 17:24:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
It implied that you are expected to remember it but you actually forgot it."
It is implied that you would remember it but you even forgot it.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day11 hrs (2016-04-27 00:33:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Depending on the context, it could also be expliained this way:
怎么你倒忘了 = 为什么你会忘了呢？为什么你竟然忘了呢？
Why could you have forgotten it?
How could you have even forgotten it?
I told you about it but you didn't remember it.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 days (2016-05-02 13:21:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Another version: How come you forgot it?
Something went wrong...