Question

Going over some Mandarin Notes

Answer 1

\({\bf{Talking~About~Time:}}\)

哪天 nǎ tiān: used as part of a question to ask what day
ex: 你哪天来? "What day will you arrive?"
前天 qián tiān: the day before yesterday
半天 bàn tiān: taken literally, means half a day but can be used metaphorically to describe a long time

\({\bf{Talking~About~Gifts:}}\)
东西 dōng xi ("stuff" can be singular or plural)
送 sòng (to give as a gift)
打开 dǎ kāi (means to open, but in this case is being used to refer to opening a gift)

\({\bf{Misc:}}\)
哥儿们 gēr men (in a loose sense, like the english word "bro" to connote a close, "brother-like" friend)
来得及 lái de jí (can be used literally to mean "to be able to do something" or more loosely to mean "to have time to do something")
根本 gēn běn (used before a negative verb to exaggerate the extent
ex. 我不喜欢蛋糕 = I don't like cake
我根本不喜欢蛋糕 = I don't like cake **at all**
^ can only be used w/ negative verbs, it wouldn't make sense to say something like 我根本喜欢蛋糕

Answer 2

\({\bf{Grammatical~Structures:}}\)
是...的 used to emphasize recently completed action. usage falls under 4 categories:
1. time of the action
我是十点睡觉的 --> I went to sleep at 10
2. location of the action
我是去办公室的 --> I went to the office
3. method or manner of the action (easier to see this one as an example)
我是跑步来的 --> I ran here (I arrived by running)
4. purpose of the action
我是来问的一个问题 --> I came here to ask a question
the object after 的 can be omitted if clear from context

刚(action 1)就(action 2) indicates that action 2 happens right after action 1