Centre for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language CTCFL

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The descriptive indicator 的 de (5,6)

The genitive particle 的de is used to describe nouns. The description of the noun is placed before 的de. In this construction the description can take the following forms.

The description can be a disyllabic phrase, formed by an adverb and an adjective, as in

很好的书

hĕn hăo de shū

a very good book.

However, a monosyllabic adjective such as 好 hăo good or 忙 máng busy is often placed before a noun without 的de to form an adjective-noun phrase, as in 好书 hăoshū (a) good book, 好老师 hăo lăoshī (a) good teacher, 忙人máng rén (a) busy person.

The description can also be a phrase or a sentence. It is like an inverted relative clause sentence in English. For instance,

小王买的书很好

Xiăo Wáng măi de shū hěn hăo

The book that Xiao Wang has bought is very good .

Subject	Predicate
书 (noun) ↑	← 好 (stative verb) ↑
买 (verb) 的(genitive particle)	很 (adverbial intensifier)
↑

小王 (proper noun)

The main sentence is 书很好 shū hěn hăo, which means the book is very good, and the description for the book is: that Xiao Wang bought 小王买 Xiăo Wáng măi, which is placed before the particle 的de.

However, 的de is not used in the following situations.

↓

When a noun qualifier is used to describe another noun forming a combined noun, 的de is not used. A noun that is described should be placed after its description. For instance 中国地图 zhōngguó dìtú (a) map of China. 中国 zhōngguó China qualifies the 地图 dìtú map, so China should be placed before map. In 汉语书 hànyǚ shū (a) book in Chinese, 汉语 hànyŭ in Chinese (language) qualifies the book, so 汉语 hànyŭ in Chinese (language) should be placed before 书 shū the book.
As mentioned above, 的de is not used when a monosyllabic adjective is followed by a monosyllabic noun to form another noun such as 忙人 mángrén a busy person and 好书 hăoshū a good book.

Sometimes the nouns after 的de are left out to avoid repetition, but the omitted noun(s) should be obvious to the listener. For instance,

他的书很多, 中文的, 英文的, 都有

tā de shū hěn duō Zhōngwén de, Yīngwén de, dōu yŏu

He has many books; Chinese ones, English ones, he has them all.

It is clear to a listener that the omitted noun in the sentence is 书 shū books.

Tips:

When you read a Chinese sentence you should always look for any nouns after 的de particles before translating into English.
The particle 的de is used to describe nouns and 的de should be followed by a noun.

1. When can I use the 的construction?

Frequently asked questions

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2. How do I form the 的 construction?

3. Do I always have to put measure words at the beginning of the 的construction, as in the above sentence?

4. Do I always have to use 的 when I use an adjective to describe a noun?

5. When can a possessive 的 be omitted?

6. It seems that the nouns after 的 are the most important nouns in sentences, but that in some sentences there are no nouns after 的. Why is that?

7. Hints and conclusion.

8. Four "don’ts" for describing nouns.

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Formation of plural pronouns

们men is a placed after a pronoun to form a plural. For instance, if 他 tā he is followed by 们men, it becomes 他们 tāmen they. If 你 nĭ you is followed by 们 men it becomes 你们 nĭmen you (pl) and if 我 wǒ I is followed by 们men, it becomes 我们 wǒmen we.

The use of 姓 xìng and 叫 jiào (9)

姓 xìng surname can be used as a noun, but it is most commonly used as a verb in Chinese sentences, as in

他姓王

tā xìng wáng

His surname is Wang (lit. he surname Wang)

你姓什么？

nĭ xìng shénme?

What is your surname? (lit. you surname what)

A polite form for the above question is

您贵姓？

nín guì xìng?

What is your surname? (lit. your honourable surname is…)

When asking names, 叫 jiào to be called can refer either to given names or to full names. For instance,

我姓王, 叫文书

wǒ xìng Wáng, jiào Wénshū

My surname is Wang and I am called Wenshu

我姓王, 叫王文书

wǒ xìng Wáng, jiào Wáng Wénshū

My surname is Wang and I am called Wang Wenshu.

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Question and answers

Question words

吗ma (2)

It is very easy to form Chinese questions. One of the question formulas is to place the interrogative (question particle) 吗 ma at the end of a statement. For instance, if 吗 ma is placed at the end of 你好 nĭ hăo hello (lit. you are well) it turns the statement into a question:

你好吗?

nĭ hăo ma?

How are you? (lit. Are you well?).

If 吗 ma is placed at end of 你是老师 you are (a) teacher, the statement becomes a question of

你是老师吗?

nĭ shì lăoshī ma?

Are you (a) teacher?

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The interrogative 呢 ne (2)

The interrogative (question particle) 呢 ne is placed at the end of a sentence or phrase. It is used in the following situations.

1. To bounce a question back to the person you are having a conversation with, as in:
A: 你好吗?

         nĭ hăo ma?
         how are you?
     B: 我很好. 你呢 ?

wǒ hěn hăo. nĭ ne
I am very well, and you?
2. To ask the question where? as in

我的书呢 ?

wǒ de shū ne

Where is my book?

呢 ne used for emphasis (35)

呢 ne can also be used to reinforce questions that are formed with question-words such as who, what, which, when, why and where (See below) and to show that the speaker really would like to know the answers. For instance,

他在哪儿呢

tā zài năr ne

Where IS he?

你看的是什么书呢 ?

nĭ kàn de shì shénme shū ne

What book ARE you reading?

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什么, 哪儿 and 谁 (6, 7)

The question word 什么 shénme what does not have a fixed position in a question. It changes according to the position of the subject or the object of a sentence. In the following question 什么 shénme what refers to an object:

你吃什么？

nĭ chī shénme

What are you eating? (lit. you eat what).

什么 shénme what can also refer to the subject of a question, as in

什么人吃中国饭？

shénme rén chī zhōngguo fàn

What kind of people eat Chinese food?

哪儿 năr where and 谁 shuí who are like 什么 shénme what can refer to the subject or the object of a question. The following question words are used as the objects of the questions:

你去哪儿？

nĭ qù năr

Where are you going? (lit. you are going where?)

你找谁？

nĭ zhăo shuí

Who are you looking for? (lit. you are looking for whom).

The question words refer to the subjects of the following questions.

哪儿是图书馆?

năr shì túshūguăn?

Where is the library?

谁吃中国饭

shuí chī zhōngguuó fàn

Who eats Chinese food?

If you listen to a question very carefully and remember its word order, it is easy to form an answer in Chinese, because the word order of an answer is the same as that of the question. If you use an appropriate noun or pronoun and replace the question word with an appropriate word, you will be your answer in Chinese. Take a question like

你去哪儿？

nĭ qù năr

Where are you going? (lit. you go where).

If your answer is the library, you just have to replace the pronoun 你 nĭ you with 我 wǒ I and replace the question word 哪儿 năr where with the word 图书馆 túishūguăn library. The answer is then

我去图书馆

wǒ qù túshūguăn

I am going to the library.

When forming a Chinese question, you should try to form the sentence pattern for the answer and replace the required information with a question word. For instance, 去图书馆…qù túshūguăn (someone) is going to the library. Replace "someone" with the question word 谁 shuí who and the question will be

谁去图书馆 ?

shuí qù túshūguăn

Who is going to the library?

怎么and 为什么

Question words used for numbers (10,15)

多少 duōshao how many and 几 jĭ how many are used to ask about quantity. 多少 duōshao how many is used to expect a number in the answer which is over ten, while the question word 几 jĭ how many is used to expect a number which is under ten.

你们系有几个老师, 多少学生？

nĭmen xì yǒu jĭ ge lăoshī duōshao xuésheng?

Wow many teachers and students are there in your department?

The speaker expects that there are fewer than ten teachers and more than ten students in the department. You might have noticed that in questions 几 jĭ is followed by a measure word, but 多少 duōshao is not. However, measure words are needed for answers with numbers: 我们系有七个老师, 八十个学生？

wǒmen xì yǒu qī ge lăoshī bā shí ge xuésheng

In our department there are seven teachers and eighty students.

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Assignments.

Choice-type questions of verb 不verb (13)

Choice-type questions ask people to decide between taking and not taking an action. No specific question words are needed. The format of the question is verb不verb, but it has the following two variations.

Subject verb 不 verb object?

你是不是学生

nĭ shì bu shì xuésheng

Are you a student? (lit. you are not are student)

Subject verb object 不 verb?

你是学生不是

nĭ shì xuésheng bu shì

Are you a student? (lit. you are student not are )

If a bi-syllabic verb (A and B) is used, there are three ways to form the questions.

Subject AB 不 AB object?

你认识不认识他

Nĭ rènshi bu rènshi ta

Do you know him? (lit. you recognise not recognise him)

Subject AB object 不 AB?

你认识他不认识

nĭ rènshi ta bu rènshi

Do you know him? (lit. you recognise him not recognise)

Subject A 不 AB object?

你认不认识他

nĭ rèn bu rènshi ta

Do you know him?

Choice-type question with the negation 没(有)

(This section should be learned with the section of the aspect for the completion of actions in Week 7)

没(有) negates completed actions. The sentence patterns for choice-type questions with 没(有) are similar to those with 不.

Subject verb 没 verb object

你吃没吃饭

Nĭ chī méi chī fàn

Have you eaten? (lit you ate not ate meal)

However, if the pattern of verb 没 verb is broken up, the affirmative aspect particle 了for completed actions is placed after the verb and the verb is not repeated. Instead 没有 is add to the end of the question.

Subject verb了 object 没有

你吃了饭没有

Nĭ chī le fàn méiyou

Have you eaten? (lit you ate meal not ate )

Choice-type questions with 还是 (19)

还是 háishì or is used to request that a choice is made between two objects or two actions:

你学中文还是日文

nĭ xué Zhōngwén háishì rìwén.

Are you learning Chinese or Japanese? (lit. you learn Chinese or Japanese)

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The short answers for "yes" and "no" (2)

There are no "fixed" words for "yes" or "no" in Chinese answers. One uses the verb or verb with verb particle used in the question.

你好吗?

nĭ hăo ma?

How are you?

The short affirmative answer is the stative verb of 好 hăo yes (lit. well) and its negative form is 不好 bù hăo no (lit. not well). If the question is

你是老师吗?

nĭ shì lăoshī ma?

Are you a teacher?

The affirmative answer is the verb 是 shì yes, and the negative form is 不是 búshì no.

The short answer to 你吃了饭吗？nĭ chī le fàn ma? have you eaten? is the verb 吃 chī and the verb particle 了le: 吃了 chī le.

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The position of time words in Chinese sentences (17)

Time words describe time "when", such as 现在 xiànzài now, 今天 jīntiān today and 三点sān diăn three o’clock. A time word should be placed before adverbs, verbs and stative verbs in sentences.

我今天很忙

wŏ jīntiān hĕn máng

I am very busy today.

The time word 今天 jīntiān today is placed before the adverbial intensifier 很 hĕn very and is followed by the stative verb 忙máng busy.

他今天三点去我家

tā jīntiān sān diăn qù wǒ jiā

He is going to my house at three o’clock today.

The time words 今天三点 jīntiān sān diăn three o’clock today are placed before the verb 去 qù to go. You might have noticed that the word order for time words is a reversed version of English word order. This is because Chinese word order in descriptions starts from the background and extends to the foreground. When expressing time, one starts with the year, then moves to the month, then the date, then the time, and so on. For instance, today is 24 June 2006. The word order in Chinese is 2004, June 24: 2004年 nián 6月yuè 24日rì. Last May in Chinese will be 去年五月qùnián wŭyuè (lit. last year’s May).

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Binominal verbs and verb-object patterns (8)

A Chinese character has only one syllable, and every character has its own meaning or function in a sentence, but many words in spoken Chinese are multi-syllabic. There are many binominal verbs, some of which take an adverb-verb form, such as 欢迎 huānyíng welcome (lit. joyfully greet). Some take a verb-verb form, as in 学习 xuéxí study (lit. learn practise), while others take a verb-object form of a verb and a noun, such as 吃饭 (chī fàn lit. eat meal) to eat; 教书 (jiāo shū lit. teach books) to teach and 吸烟 (xī yān lit. inhale smoke) to smoke. Have you eaten in Chinese is 你吃饭了吗? nĭ chī fàn le ma (lit. you eat meal LE MA), while I teach at Oxford will be

我在牛津教书

wǒ zài Niújīn jiāo shū

(lit. I am at Oxford teach books).

Many textbooks don’t indicate the structure of Chinese words in their vocabulary lists. Verb-object words are often categorised as verbs. This may cause confusion when forming sentences at a more advanced stage in your learning, so it would be a good idea to mark verb-object pattern words when you are learning new vocabulary. The following table consists of the most commonly used verb-object words.

V-O words	Meanings	Examples
说话 shuōhuà say speech	speak	别说话! bié shuō huà Don’t speak!
吃饭 chīfàn eat meal/rice	eat	不吃饭。 bù chī fàn Not eating.
睡觉 shuìjiào sleep a sleep	sleep	没睡觉。 méi shuì jiào Didn’t sleep.
看书 kànshū read books	read	他在看书。 tā zài kànshū He is reading.
写字 xiězì write words	write	我不会写字。 wŏ búhuì xiě zì I can’t write.
画画 huàhuà draw pictures	paint/draw	你会画画吗？ nĭ huì huà huà ma Can you draw?
唱歌 chànggē sing songs	sing	他会唱歌吗？ tā huì chàng gē Can he sing?
吸烟 xīyān inhale smoke	smoke	我不吸烟。 wŏ bú huì xī yān I don’t smoke?
教书 jiāoshū teach books	teach	他在中国教书。tā zài zhōngguó jiāo shū He teaches in China.
念书 niànshū read books	study	你在哪儿念书？nĭ zài năr niàn shū Where do you study?
洗澡xĭzăo wash bathe	wash/bathe	我不洗澡。 wŏ bùxĭ zăo I don’t wash.

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Greeting words (8)

These are the most commonly used greeting words

你好 nĭhăo	Hello
你早 (nĭ)zăo	Good morning
再见 zàijiàn	Goodbye
欢迎 huānyíng	Welcome
谢谢 xièxie	Thanks

Some English greeting words are not used in Chinese. For instance, 晚安 wănān good night is only used by people influenced by Western culture. 再见 zàijiàn goodbye is the expression that Chinese people use when parting in the evening. The most commonly used greeting in Chinese is 你好 nĭhăo hello (lit. you well). The expression 早 zăo morning is also used. Close to meal times the greeting words between friends and colleagues of the same social rank might be

吃了吗？

chīle ma

Have you eaten?

Chinese people often use a person’s title to show respect to those who are socially superior. For instance, if you met your teacher Mr. Wang in the street you would greet him like this:

王老师好

Wáng lăoshī hăo

Hello, Mr. Wang (lit. Wang Teacher well).

In the morning you should say:

王老师早

Wáng lăoshī zăo

Morning, Mr. Wang. (lit. Wang Teacher morning).

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Repetition of greeting words (8)

Chinese people often repeat greeting phrases to show sincerity and enthusiasm. When you meet a Chinese person he or she may say 你好, 你好 nĭhăo nĭhăo hello, 欢迎, 欢迎 huānyíng huānyíng welcome, 谢谢, 谢谢 xièxie xièxie thank you very much and 再见, 再见 zànjiàn zàijiàn goodbye.

Prefixes 老 and 小 (31)

Both 老 lăo old and 小 xiăo little are used as prefixes for surnames to show a degree of closeness when addressing colleagues or friends.

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Let’s practise.

The Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) sentence patterns (9)

Most commonly-used Chinese sentences are like English ones, and use a subject-verb-object pattern:

我是中国留学生

wǒ shì Zhōngguóliú xuéshēng

I am an overseas student from China

我叫丁云

wǒ jiào Dīng Yún

I am called Ding Yun.

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Numbers in Chinese

Counting numbers (10,11)

If you have learned the numbers one to ten (一 yī 二 èr 三 sān 四 sì 五 wŭ 六 liù 七 qī 八 bā 九 jiŭ 十 shí) and the words for a hundred 百 băi, a thousand 千 qiān and ten-thousand 万 wàn, you will be able to count in Chinese.

It is very easy to work out the Chinese number system. For instance, eleven is 十一 shí yī lit. ten and one, so twelve is 十二 shí èr ten and two, twenty is 二十 èr shí two tens and twenty two is二十二 èr shí èr two tens and two. A hundred and twenty two is 一百二十二 yī băi èr shí èr one hundred, two tens and two.

The word for zero 零 líng is also used for missing units in counting. For instance, 105 will be 一百零五 yì băi ling wŭ one hundred zero and five. The word 零 líng zero here indicates the missing unit of tens. If there are two or more missing units in a number, only one zero is used. For instance, 10,202 in Chinese is 一万二百零二 yí wàn èr băi líng èr one ten thousand, two hundred, zero and two.

If you are going to be a Chinese banker, you may have to learn more complicated figures. For instance, one million is 一百万 yì băi wàn (lit. one hundred of ten thousands); a hundred million is 亿Yì.

The following is a table of Chinese number units to help you to work out any figures you want in Chinese.


亿Yì	千qiān 万wàn	百băi 万wàn	十shí 万wàn	万wàn	千qiān	百băi	十shí

Only the Chinese words on the first line are said aloud here. For instance, if you insert the figure of 453,679,102 into the boxes below you should say:

4	5	3,	6	7	9,	1	0	2
亿Yì	千qiān 万wàn	百băi 万wàn	十shí 万wàn	万wàn	千qiān	百băi	十shí

四亿五千三百六十七万九千一百零二sì yì wŭ qiān sān băi liù shí qī wàn jiŭ qiān yì băi ling èr.

However, a word in orange from the second line is said when there are no more figures after it. For instance, the figure 150,000,000 is a hundred and fifty million in English and is 一亿五千万 yí yì wŭ qiān wàn in Chinese:

1	5	0,	0	0	0,	0	0	0
亿Yì	千qiān 万wàn	百băi 万wàn	十shí 万wàn	万wàn	千qiān	百băi	十shí

The figure only uses the first two columns on the left, including one word in orange.

Reading out aloud a number

Telephone numbers and year numbers are spoken individually in Chinese. The year 1965 is 一九六五年 yī jiŭ liù wŭ nián (lit. 1965 year).

Two irregular features about numbers are worth mentioning here.

1. The tone for 一 yī one changes according the tone of the succeeding word. It should be pronounced in the fourth tone unless the word after 一 yī is in the fourth tone, in which case 一 yī should be pronounced in the second tone. 一 yī one is only pronounced in the first tone when there is no word after it. The yī pronunciation for one can become indistinct if used with other numbers or (especially) if repeated, so one is also pronounced yāo when used for numbering:

1 1 3 路电车

yāoyāosān lù diànchē

Route 113 trolleybus.

2. When expressing quantity, 两 liăng two is used instead of 二 èr two. For instance, 两个老师 liăng ge lăoshī two teachers. However, in a larger number that involves two, then 二 èr is used, but not 两 liăng. Some examples are: 十二个老师 shí èr ge lăoshī twelve teachers.

Written from for numbers

Complicated Chinese characters are used for bank notes, cheques and receipts to avoid forgery, as shown on the second line below.

○

一

二

三

四

五

六

七

八

九

十

百

千

万

亿

零

壹

貳

叁

肆

伍

陸

柒

捌

玖

拾

佰

仟

萬

億

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Verb 一下 (11)

When 一下 yíxià is preceded by a verb, it has the following two functions.
1. It is used as a time measure to imply that an action lasts for a short time:

我用一下, 好吗?

wǒ yòng yíxià hăo ma

Could I use it for a little while?
2. Verb 一下…yíxià is used to soften the tone of voice, as leaving a verb at the end of a sentence sounds too definite, or even rather crude.

There are two other formulas that have the same function.

1. Reduplication of verbs, as in: 我给你介绍介绍…wǒ gěi nĭ jièshao jièshao… let me introduce you…

2. The verb 一 yi verb pattern, as in 请你说一说 qĭng nĭ shuō yi shuō (you) please speak.

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Going to School by car. Learning Chinese in classroom. Watching TV at home.

Co-verbs and co-verb phrases

The term "co-verb" refers to a verb when, used with its own object, its function is to modify the main verb of a sentence. An example is 在 zài, which can be used as a co-verb meaning to be located in, on or at a place. Please note in this context that sequence and background are important in Chinese when it comes to describing actions. The first action in a sequence should come first in an utterance. The way to learn co-verb phrases properly is to understand the description of sequence in Chinese word order. For instance,

小丁在家看书

Xiăo Dīng zài jiā kàn shū

Xiao Ding is reading a book at home.

The first action in the sequence could be described as the background to the main action, but it still has to come first in the sentence, with the co-verb 在 zài to be located in followed by the noun 家 jiā home forming a co-verb phrase. In the example given here Xiao Ding would have had to be at home before he started reading the book.

English prepositions are similar to Chinese co-verbs, but they appear after the main verbal clause. This means that it can be difficult for English speakers to master Chinese co-verb phrases.

Here are some more examples to help you to consolidate the concept of co-verb phrases.

1. 我坐飞机去中国

wǒ zuò fēijī qù Zhōngguó

I’ll go to China by plane.

The action of 坐zuò taking (lit. sitting on) the plane happens before going to China, so the co-verb phrase 坐飞机 zuò fēijī by (taking the) plane is placed before the main verbal clause去中国qù Zhōngguó go to China.

2. If you want to say I study Chinese at Oxford you must bear in mind that in a Chinese person’s mind the person has to be在牛津 zài Niújīn at Oxford before he can 学汉语 xué Hànyŭ study Chinese, so the sentence in Chinese is

我在牛津学汉语

wǒ zài Niújīn xué Hànyŭ

3. How do you say He goes to school by car? You must bear in mind that he has to take (or sit in) the car before he can reach school, so 坐汽车 zuò qìchē by (taking the) car should be placed before去学校 qù xuéxiào go to school. The Chinese sentence should be 他坐汽车去学校 ta zuò qìchē qù xuéxiào.

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The words in the following list are the most commonly used co-verbs for beginners.

Co-verbs	Verb meaning	Prep. in English sentence	Followed by words of
从cóng	to start	from /through	place/time (when)
朝cáo	to face	towards	direction/place
到dào	to arrive	to	place/time
对duì	to be face to face	to/towards/about	people/knowledge
给gĕi	to give	to/for	people/organisation
跟gēn	to follow	with/to	people/organisation (...一起)
离lí	to distance	from	place/time
替tì	to replace	for	people/organisation
往wàng	to go	towards	direction/place
为wèi	to be on behalf of	for	people/organisation
用yòng	to use	with/in	noun (used as a tool)
在zài	to (be) locate(d)	at/in/on	place/time
坐zuò	to sit	by ...	transport

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Measure words(15)

Words used for quantifying objects are called measure words. In English, some nouns are used in expressions of quantity to measure uncountable nouns, such as cup of in a cup of tea, bottle of in a bottle of wine and piece of in a piece of paper. However, measure words are used to quantify every object in Chinese. In

三个人

sān ge rén

Three people.

The word GE is a measure word used to quantify people. Here are some more examples.

1. If a number is attached to a noun, a measure word is inserted between the number and the noun, as in

我有三个老师

wǒ yǒu sān ge lăoshī

I have three teachers.

2. If a specifier such as 这 zhè this, 那 nà that or 每 měi every is attached to a noun, a measure word is inserted between the specifier and the noun, as in

这个老师是汉语老师

zhè ge lăoshī shì Hànyŭ Lăoshī

This teacher is a Chinese language teacher.

3. If a question word such as 几 jĭ how many or 哪 nă which is used, a measure word is inserted between the question word and the noun, as in 你有几个老师 nĭ yǒu jĭ ge lăoshī? How many teachers do you have?

The most commonly used measure word is the very general 个 ge but other Chinese measure words often categorise what follows according to shape and type. For instance, the measure word 条 tiáo is used for quantifying objects that are long, thin, narrow and twisted, such as ropes, snakes, streets and rivers, but is also used for quantifying news, lives, and lower-body worn items such as trousers!

There are two special Chinese nouns that do not need measure words. One is 年 nián year and the other is天 tiān day (including 日rì)

There are so many measure words that they are even a nightmare for the Chinese. Worse still, measure words used in the north of China may be different from those used in the south. The following list gives the "essential" Chinese measure words for beginners.

MW	Used for	Examples
本 bĕn	book-like objects	Magazines 四本杂志; novels三本小说
层 céng	floors (similar to 楼)	storey三层楼
次 cì	actions	to pay a visit 去了一次中国; to do something 这件事作了两次
顶 dĭng	something to put over one's head	hats 一顶帽子; umbrellas一顶雨伞
顿 dùn	actions which last for a short period	to eat a meal 吃了一顿饭; to beat somebody up把他打了一顿
封 fēng	something sealed in an envelope	letters 两封信; telegrams一封电报
幅 fú	picture-like objects	paintings 三幅画; banners八幅标语
个 ge	units of something (common measure word for abstract and physical objects)	people五个人; ideas一个主意...
间 jiān	any kind of room	bed-room 一间卧室; kitchen 两间厨房;
件 jiàn	upper-body worn clothes; matters	shirts 两件衬衫; matters三件事
句 jù	Sentences; lines (e.g. of poems)	sentences 两句话; idioms三句成语;
辆 liàng	vehicles (on wheels)	cars 一辆汽车; bikes一辆自行车
篇 piān	writing	essays一篇文章;
首 shŏu	verse	songs 一首民歌; poems两首中国诗歌
条 tiáo	narrow, long and twisting; lower-body worn clothes	fish 一条鱼; trousers 两条裤子, boats一条船
位 wèi	people (used to show respect)	teachers 三位老师; customers一位顾客
张 zhāng	objects made of paper; flat objects	paper一张纸; tickets, table 一张桌子; bed 一张床
只 zhī	animals; one of a pair	chickens 三只鸡; shoe一只鞋

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Measure words

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太 expresses excessiveness (16)

This construction is used to express an extreme state in a situation or action. The affirmative form of the 太 tài construction is 太 [stative verb] 了, which means extremely [stative verb] as in 太好了tài hăo le extremely good. Without the particle了in the affirmative form, the tone is rather crude. The negative form 不太 bú tài [stative verb] without 了le means that something is not extremely… [stative verb], as in 不太好 bú tài hăo not very good.

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Pronoun/noun + 这儿 or 那儿 (16)

A pronoun/noun + 这儿 or 那儿is similar to the English expression (somebody’s) place, as in

我们去小王那儿

wǒmen qù Xiăo Wáng nàr

We will go to Xiao Wang’s place.

你来我这儿

nĭ lái wǒ zhèr

You come to my place. (The speaker is in his place as he is talking.)

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Telling the time (20)

You might remember that when giving the date in Chinese you start from the year, then go to the month and then the day. This background-to-foreground logic also applies to time-telling, where you start from 点 diăn o’clock, then go to 分 fēn minute, then to 秒 miăo second. The other two words that are commonly used for telling the time are 半 bàn half and 刻 kè quarter, as in 十一点半 shí yī diăn bàn half past eleven (lit. eleven o’clock half); 十一点一刻 shí yī diăn yí kè quarter past eleven (lit. eleven o’clock a quarter). The word 刻 kè quarter is only used for time, not for other objects. In colloquial Chinese, for 12 hour clock time reading you use the words 上午 shàngwŭ a.m. (lit. up noon) and下午 xiàwŭ p.m. (lit. down noon):

上午十一点一刻

shàngwŭ shí yī diăn yí kè

Quarter past eleven in the morning (lit. up noon, 11 o’clock, a quarter)

Another irregular feature which should be mentioned here is that two o’clock in Chinese can be either 二点èr diăn or 两点 liáng diăn, although elsewhere it is normally 两 liăng two that is used for describing quantities.

When asking or telling the time, 是 shì to be is not needed:

现在几点 ?

xiànzài jĭ diăn

What time is it? (lit. now what time)

现在五点

xiànzài wŭ diăn

It’s 5 o’clock. (lit. now 5 o’clock)

The modal particle 了le, which indicates a change of situation, can be placed at the end of a sentence when expressing present time, as in

几点了?

jĭ diăn le

What time is it now?

五点了

wŭdiăn le

It’s 5 o’clock now.

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Modal verbs (19)

There are about a dozen modal verbs in Chinese. Modal verbs such as 喜欢 xĭhuān like, 想xiăng wish and 应该 yīnggāi ought to are used to express feelings, intentions and obligations. Modal verbs are placed before the main verbs in sentences. For instance,

我想吃中国饭

wǒ xiăng chī Zhōngguó fàn

I fancy eating some Chinese food

The word 想 xiăng fancy, wish in is a modal verb which indicates the speaker’s inclination and intention.

When a modal verb is used in a sentence, the aspect particle 了 le for completed actions is not used. A time word (time when) is placed in the sentence to indicate that an action has taken place:

我以前想去中国

wǒ yĭqián xiăng qù Zhōngguó

I wanted go to China in the past.

The modal verbs in the following list are the most commonly used.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
要	yào	want; ask for; wish; desire
想	xiăng	want to; would like to; feel like (something)
应该	yīnggāi	should; ought to; must
能	néng	can; be able to; be capable of
喜欢	xĭhuān	like; love; prefer; enjoy; be fond of
可以	kěiyĭ	can; may
会	huì	be good at; be skilful in
愿意	yuànyì	be willing to
肯	kěn	be willing to

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Asking ages

As with telling the time, the verb 是 shì to be is not used when talking about years of age:

你弟弟几岁?

nĭ dì di jĭ suì

How old is your younger brother? (lit. your younger brother how old)

我五岁的时候每天都吃中国饭

wǒ wŭ suì de shíhou měitiān dōu chī Zhōngguó fàn

When I was five years old, I ate Chinese food every day.

Aspects

Progressive aspects (23)

Use of the 正在 … 呢 sentence pattern

The subject (S) 正在 verb (V) object (O) sentence pattern is used to describe a progressive action in the past, at the present, or in the future. The verbs that are used in this construction are transitive verbs. For instance,

Time clause

S V O

昨天我去他家的时候他正在做晚饭

zuótiān wǒ qù tā jiā de shíhou tā zhèngzài zuò wănfàn

When I went to his house yesterday, he was cooking the supper.

Time clause

S V O

昨天他来看我的时候我在学习汉字

zuótiān tā lái kàn wǒ de shíhou wǒ zài xuéxí Hànzì

When he came to see me yesterday, I was learning Chinese characters.

S V O

他正看电视呢

tā zhèng kàn diànshì ne

He is right in the middle of watching the TV.

Time

S V O

现在我在上课呢

xiànzài wǒ zài shàng kè ne

I am having a lesson now.

Time clause

S V O

明天他到中国的时候，我在开会

míngtiān tā dào zhōngguó de shíhou, wǒ zài kāihuì

When he arrives in China tomorrow, I will be having a meeting.

“He was cooking the supper”, “I was learning Chinese characters”, “He is watching the TV”, “I am having a lesson” and “I will be having a meeting” are all progressive actions.

Some of the elements for the progressive constructions have special emphasis if they are used selectively. For instance, 正 zhèng can precede a verb with 呢 ne at the end of the sentence, without using the element 在 zài to create an emphatic tone of “right in the middle of”. (See the highlighted sentence below.)

All the following sentences mean he is watching the TV with different tones of emphasis.

S	正在	V	O	呢
他	正在	看	电视
他	正在	看	电视	呢
他	在	看	电视	呢
他		看	电视	呢
他	正	看	电视	呢

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The use of the particle 着 (36)

Many grammar books describe the use of verb (V)+ 着 zhe as the continuous aspect, but I have divided the usages into the following five categories.

1. V+着 zhe can be used to describe how an object has been left in a place in a certain position. For instance,

书在桌子上放着

shū zài zhuōzi shàng fàngzhe.

The book is on the table.

This implies that the book has been 放 fàng put on the table by someone.

门开着

mén kāizhe

The door is open.

This implies that the door has been left 开kāi open by someone.

在墙上挂着一张画

zàiqiángshàng guàzhe yì zhāng huà

There is a picture hanging on the wall.

This sentence implies that a picture has been 挂 guà hung on the wall by someone.

2. However, if an action is carried out by the subject of a sentence, the V + 着 zhe pattern implies that an action is in progress. For instance, if you see a friend of yours standing there, you might say:

别站着。快坐下

bié zhànzhe. kuài zuòxia

Don’t stand there. Quickly sit down!

You might describe a group a students sitting in a classroom in the following way:

学生们都在教室里坐着

xuéshengmen dōu zài jiàoshì lĭ zuò zhe

The students are sitting in the classroom.

The meaning of this sentence is similar to the form of its progressive aspect

学生们都正在教室里坐着呢

xuéshēngmen dōu zhèng zài jiàoshì lĭ zuò zhe ne

As you might have noticed that there is no object after the verb 坐 zuò sit, but instead the verb is followed by the particle 着 zhe. Another difference between the above sentence and the sentence pattern of the progressive aspect is that the word 在 zài here is a co-verb which means to be in (classroom) and it is not part of the elements that are used in the progressive aspect.

3. V + 着 zhe can also be used to describe how an action is carried out with another action. For instance,

小学生唱着歌去学校

xiăoxuéshēng chàngzhe kē qù xuéxiào

The primary school children go to school singing.

The phrase 唱着歌chàngzhe kē singing describes the way that the primary school children go to school.

他吸着烟看书

tā xīzhe yān kàn shū

He reads while he is smoking.

The phrase while he is smoking describes the way that he reads.

The stative verb 忙máng can be followed by particle 着 zhe to describe other actions as demonstrated below.

他忙着准备考试呢

tā mángzhe zhŭnbèi kăoshì ne

He is busy preparing the exams.

他忙着谈恋爱呢

tā mángzhe tán liàn ài ne

He is busy being in love.

There are other verbs that can be used like忙 máng such as 吵闹着

孩子们吵 (闹) 着要我带他们去公园玩

háizimen chăo(nào)zhe yào wǒ dài tāmen qù gōngyuánwán

The children are nagging me to take them to the parks.

4. The expression of V+ 着 zhe has a commanding tone. It is used to demand that a listener to carry out an action continuously. The only verbs that can be used in these expressions are some of the monosyllabic ones. For instance,

等着站着

děngzhe zhànzhe

Wait! (Don’t go away.) Stand up! (Don’t sit down.)

记着坐着

jì zhe zuòzhe

Remember! (Don’t forget.) Sit! (Don’t stand up or move about.)

看着

kānzhe

Watch it! (Don’t lose your concentration)

5. A stative verb can precede 着呢 zhene to describe excessiveness. The expression is placed at the end of a sentence. For instance,

中国的夏天热着呢他的钱多着呢

zhōngguó de xiàtiān rèzhene tā de qián duōzhene

The summer in China is extremely hot. He has got plenty of money.

我每天都忙着呢

wǒ měi tiān dōu máng zhe ne

I am busy everyday

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The aspect for the completion of actions (27)

Although the aspect particle了 le is one of the most complicated Chinese grammar points, I will only be explaining the practical aspect of the particle in this section.

Unlike the English past tense, the aspect particle了 le only affects certain verbs in certain sentence constructions. The following list consists of the common rules for the use of the particle which are supported by examples. Learning where to apply the aspect particle了 le in a sentence is important, but the most difficult thing is to know when it is not used. Learners must remember the following eight points when expressing a completed action in Chinese.

1. The aspect particle 了 le is placed after the main action verb of a sentence to indicate that the action has been completed. The aspect particle了le is not used when a verb is in the negative form. When expressing an action that did not occur in the past, a verb is preceded by the negation 没 méi did not. The following sentences demonstrate how some of the action verbs such as 学 xué to learn, 吃 chī to eat or 去 qù to go are used in the sentences with the aspect particle了 le and the negation 没 méi.

The sentence below shows that the verb 吃 chī to eat is used in the affirmative form.

我刚吃了一块面包

wǒ gāng chīle yí huài miànbāo

I’ve just eaten a piece of bread.

The following sentence shows the verb吃chī to eat in the negative form.

我没吃面包

wǒ méichī miànbāo

I didn’t eat bread.

The next sentence shows the verb去 qù to go in the affirmative form.

他去了两次中国

tā qùle liăngcì zhōngguó

He went to China twice.

The following sentence shows 去qù to go in the negative form.

他没去中国

tā méiqù zhōngguó

He didn’t go to China.

The following sentence shows the verb 学xué to learn in the affirmative form.

小王学了三年法文

xiăowáng xuéle sānnián făwén

Xiao Wang studied French for three years.

The following sentence shows the verb 学 xué to learn in the negative form.

小王没学法文

xiăowáng méixué făwén

Xiao Wang didn’t study French.

If a sentence consists of a time measure such as three months or an action measure such as twice, the measures should be placed after the main verb of the sentence, as demonstrated below. More examples can be seen in Lesson 31 of Practical Chinese Reader Book II.

我学汉语学了三个月

wǒ xué hànyŭ xuéle sān ge yuè

我学了三个月的汉语

wǒ xuéle sān ge yuè de hànyŭ

我汉语学了三个月

wǒ hànyŭ xuéle sān ge yuè

I studied Chinese for three months.

2. One might have noticed that the above affirmative sentences have complex objects. However, when describing a particular action, if the object of the sentence is a simple one i.e. a noun, which is not attached to a number and measure word, and not attached to a descriptive clause (的 clause), the aspect particle了 le can be placed at the end of the sentence. For instance,

今天上午你去哪儿了 or	今天上午你去了哪儿
jīn tiān shàngwŭ nĭ qù năr le or	jīn tiān shàngwŭ nĭ qù le năr

Where did you go this morning?

我去买书了

wǒ qù măi shū le

I went out to buy (a) book.

Both objects of the sentences, 哪儿 năr where and 书 shū book are simple words without clauses attached, therefore the aspect particle了 le can be placed at the end of the sentences.

As one can see that the answer in the above conversation uses the same sentence pattern as it is in the question.

3. The rules of the aspect particle了 le only apply to the main verb of a sentence. If an action verb is used in a descriptive (的) clause as it demonstrated below, it will not be affected by the rules. The aspect了 le is not used with stative verbs either. For example,

我们昨天学的汉语很容易

wǒmen zuótiān xué de hànyŭ hěn róngyì

The Chinese language that we learned yesterday was very easy.

The aspect particle了 le is not used in the above sentence for the following two reasons.

The action verb 学 xué learned is only used to describe the subject of the sentence, 汉语 hànyŭ Chinese language, and is not the main verb of the sentence.
The main verb of the sentence is the stative verb, 容易 róngyì was easy, therefore the aspect particle了 le is not applied.

4. The aspect particle了 le is not used when describing a completed action that one has done regularly. In other words, if a sentence consists of the words that indicate regularity, such as 每天 měitiān everyday, 常常 chángcháng often or 总是 zǒngshì always, the aspect particle了 le is not used, but a time adverb such as 昨天 zuótiān yesterday or 去年 qùnián last year is placed in a sentence to indicate that the action has been completed. The negation for a habitual action in the past is 不 bù do not, but not 没 méi. For example,

去年我们总是吃中国饭

qùnián wǒmen zǒngshì chī zhōngguó fàn

We always ate Chinese meals last year.

去年我们每天都不吃中国饭

qùnián wǒmen měitiān dōu bùchī zhōngguó fàn

We didn’t eat a Chinese meal during a single day.

5. When the verbs that imply habitual actions such as 是 shì, to be, 在 zài to be in and 有 yǒu to have are used as the main verbs of sentences, the aspect particle 了 le is not used. In this case the negation for these verbs is 不 bù not except for 有 yǒu. See below,

十年以前小王是汉语老师

shí nián yĭqián xiăo wáng shì hànyŭ lăoshī

Xiao Wang was a Chinese language teacher ten years ago.

十年以前小王不是汉语老师

shí nián yĭqián xiăo wáng búshì hànyŭ lăoshī

Xiao Wang wasn’t a Chinese language teacher ten years ago.

昨天我在图书馆

zuótiān wǒ zài túshūguăn

I was in the library yesterday.

昨天我不在图书馆

zuótiān wǒ búzài túshūguăn

I wasn’t in the library yesterday.

去年我有很多钱

qùnián wǒ yǒu hěnduō qián

I had a lot of money last year.

去年我没有很多钱

qùnián wǒ méiyǒu hěnduō qián

I didn’t have a lot of money last year.

6. If a modal verb is used in a sentence, the aspect particle了 le should not be applied, but a time adverb such as 昨天 zuótiān yesterday or 去年 qùnián last year is placed in the sentence to indicate the completion of the action. The negation for a modal verb in the past is 不 bù do not, but not 没 méi. Modal verbs are those verbs which express intentions, such as想 xiăng wish to and 要 yào want to; the verbs that are used to express feelings such as 喜欢 xĭhuān like and 爱 ài love; or the verbs that express obligations such as 应该 yīnggāi ought to, 能 néng can and 可以 kěyĭ may. For instance,

昨天晚上我很想吃中国菜

zuótiān wănshang wǒhěn xiăng chī zhōngguó cài

I really wanted to eat some Chinese food last night.

昨天晚上我不想吃中国菜

zuótiān wănshang wǒbùxiăng chī zhōngguó cài

I didn’t want to eat Chinese food last night.

7. The aspect particle了le is not used in the complement of degree construction. In other words when one expresses a sentence using 得+adverb, the aspect particle了le is not used. As you may have remembered, the complement of degree construction is used to describe habitual actions, such as “he runs very fast” and “she eats slowly”. It is mentioned in points 4 and 5 of this section that the aspect particle了le is not used when describing a regular action in the past. Although the complement of degree construction can also be used to describe the result or the outcome of a particular (one off) action, the aspect particle了le is not used. The following sentence describes a past habitual action without using the particle了le. The following sentence describes the regular action of studying in the past without using the particle了le.

去年他学中文学得很好

qùnián tā xué zhōngwén xué de hěnhăo

He studied Chinese very well last year.

The following sentence describes the outcome of a particular action, cooking in the past, without using the aspect particle了le.

昨天晚上他做饭作得很好

zuótiān wănshàng tā zuòfàn zuò dehěnhăo

He cooked a lot last night.

8. If a sentence describes a sequence of completed actions, the aspect particle了le is placed after the last verb in the sequence, but in a negative sentence, the negation 没 méi is placed before the first verb. For instance,

昨天我去大学书店买了三本书

zuótiān wǒ qù dàxué shūdiàn măile sān běn shū

I went to the university bookshop and bought three books yesterday.

昨天我没去大学书店买书

zuótiān wǒ méiqù dàxué shūdiàn măi shū

I didn’t go to the university bookshop to buy books yesterday.

If one of the actions in a sequence is completed and the other is not, they should be treated separately as indicated below.

我去了大学书店，可是没买书

wǒ qùle dàxué shūdiàn, kěshì méimăishū

Yesterday I went to the university bookshop, but I didn’t buy books.

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过 expressing experiences of actions in the past (32)

The verb suffix 过 guò can be used in the following two situations.

1. The particle 过 guò is placed after a verb to express an experience of action in the past, such as

他学过中文我去过中国

tā xué guò zhōngwén wǒqùguò zhōngguó

He has studied Chinese. I’ve been to China.

When expressing an experience of action that didn’t occur, the negation 没 méi will be used and the verb will be followed by 过 guò. For example

他没学过中文我没去过中国

tā méi xué guò zhōngwén wǒméiqùguòzhōngguó

He has never learned Chinese. I haven’t been to China.

2. The particle 过guò can also be used to express the completion of a regular activity within a specific time, such as having a meal, sleeping, having lessons or doing homework. This type of affirmative sentence is often ended with the modal partical 了le to indicate the change of the situation. The following sentences imply some of the regular activities that one does daily. Many native Chinese would use the aspect particle了le instead of过guò in the following affirmative sentences.

(今天) 我吃过午饭了 (今天) 我没吃过午饭

(jīntiān) wǒ chī guo wŭfàn le (jīntiān) wǒ méi chī guo wŭfàn

I’ve had lunch (for today). I haven’t had lunch today.

(今天) 我睡过觉了（今天）我没睡过觉

(jīntiān) wǒ shuì guo jiào le (jīntiān) wǒ méi shuì guo jiào

I’ve slept today. I haven’t slept today.

(今天) 我上过课了 (今天) 我没上过课

(jīntiān) wǒ shàng guo kè le (jīntiān) wǒ méi shàng guo kè

I’ve had today’s classes. I haven’t had today’s classes.

(今天) 我作过练习了 (今天) 我没作过练习

(jīntiān) wǒzuò guo liànxí le (jīntiān) wǒ méi zuò guo liànxí

I’ve done today’s homework. I haven’t done today’s homework.

If you have any questions about the above explanation, please click here to ask.

particle 吧, used for making suggestions

Position words with 在, 是 and 有(22)

1. The following table consists of all the position words. Position words are often bi-syllabic in spoken language. They are often formed by a joining position word with 边 biān side, 面 miàn face or 间 jiān between. Either of the suffixes 边 biān side or面 miàn face can be used as a suffix in a position word. The suffix间 jiān between can only be preceded by中 zhōng centre.

Position words	Suffixes	English
前 qián	边/面 biān/miàn	in front
后 hòu	边/面	behind
左 zuǒ	边/面	left side
右 yòu	边/面	right side
上 shàng	边/面	upper side
下 xià	边/面	underside
里 lĭ	边/面	inside
外 wàn	边/面	outside
东 dōng	边/面	east side
南 nán	边/面	south side
西 xī	边/面	west side
北 běi	边/面	north side
中 zhōng	间 jiān	middle

2. The word order for expressing the position of an object in Chinese is different from what it is in English. As explained in the 的de section, the primary information is placed after 的de and the descriptions of the information are placed before 的de. If one wants to say, “on the left of the dormitory”, in Chinese it would be宿舍的左边sùshè de zuǒbiān dormitory’s left. The primary information is left which is placed after 的de. To illustrate this speech pattern an English – Chinese comparison table is given below.

English	Chinese word order	Chinese
Top of the bookshelf	Bookshelf’s upperside	书架(的)上边 shūjià shàngbiān
Underneath the table	Table’s underside	桌子(的)下边 zhuōzi xiàbiān
Inside the house	House’s inside	房子(的)里边 fángzi lĭbiān
On the east side of the library	Library’s east	图书馆(的)东边túshūguăn dōngbiān

3. There are three common ways to express the position of an object in a sentence by using the verbs在 zài to be in/on/at, 是 shì to be and 有 yǒu there is/are. In the following patterns, “A” and “B” represent objects or items and the PW stands for position words.

English sentence

Chinese sentence

A is PW of B

The canteen is in front of the dormitory.

A is B ’s PW

食堂在宿舍的前边

shítáng zài sùshè de qiānbiān

PW of B is A

In front of the dormitory is the canteen.

B ’s PW is A

宿舍的前边是食堂

sùshè de qiānbiān shì shítáng

There is A PW of B

There is a canteen in front of the dormitory.

B ’s PW is A

宿舍的前边有一个食堂

sùshè de qiānbiān yǒu yíge shítáng

If you have any questions about the above explanation, please click here to ask.

The use of 请 (8)

请 qĭng has many meanings in Chinese. It means to ask (sb. to do sth.), to invite, and please, and is sometimes used with other Chinese words to form expressions. The best way to learn 请 qĭng is to see how it is used in various practical contexts.

1. When a friend comes to your house, you might use the following expressions to welcome him.

请进请坐请喝茶

qĭng jìn qĭng zuò qĭng hē chá

Do come in. Do have a seat. Would you like some tea?

In China you might also say:

请吸烟

qĭng xī yān

Would you like a cigarette? (lit. please breath in smoke)

You might have noticed that the word 请 qĭng is followed by verbs in the above examples.

2. When you want to ask someone a favour, you can the word 请 qĭng. For example if you want your Chinese friend to help you with your homework you might say:

请你教我汉语

qĭng nĭ jiāo wǒ Hànyŭ

Please teach me Chinese. (lit. please you teach me Chinese)

If your Chinese friend is incapable of answering your questions, you might say:

请你问你老师

qĭng nĭ wèn nĭ lăoshī

Please ask your teacher. (lit. please you ask your teacher)

When 请 qĭng is used to ask a favour, it is followed by full sentences, as can be seen in the above examples.

3. 请 qĭng means to invite. For example:

我请你喝酒

wǒ qĭng nĭ hē jiŭ

Let me buy you a drink. (lit. I invite you to drink wine.)

When you use 请qĭng for to invite, it usually means that you will take care of any payment. For example, if you say to a Chinese friend 我请你吃饭 wǒ qĭng nĭ chī fàn, you are expected to pay the bill.

4. The use of 请 qĭng in Chinese is not the same as that for the English word “please”. 请 qĭng is not used when asking for permission, as can be seen below.

我能喝杯茶吗？

wǒ néng hē bēi chá ma

May I have a cup of tea please? (lit. I can drink a cup of tea MA?)

他能用一下你的车吗？

tā néng yòng yíxià nĭ de chē ma

Could he please use your car for a while? (lit. he can use for a while your car MA)

As you may have noticed, the word 请 qĭng is not used in the Chinese questions above, although the word “please” is used in the English translation.

5. 请qĭng is also used to form the following expressions.

请问请教请客请假

qĭng wèn qĭng jiào qĭng kè qĭng jià

May I ask… May I ask your advice? Entertain friends Ask for leave

Let’s see how the first expression above is used in sentences.

请问qĭng wèn excuse me; may I ask…is one of the most common expressions used for starting a question politely. For example:

请问谁是你的汉语老师？

qĭng wèn shéi shì nĭ de hàn yŭ lăo shī

Excuse me, who is your Chinese teacher?

谁是你的汉语老师 shéi shì nĭ de hàn yŭ lăo shī who is your Chinese teacher is a question. The function of the expression 请问 qĭng wèn is to attract the listener’s attention before the question is asked.

If you have any questions about the above explanation, please click here to ask.

Verbs that take two objects (15)

There are only a few verbs in Chinese that can take both indirect and direct objects without any other particles being used. Lets’ look at the following examples, which make use of the verbs 还 huán to return (sth to sb), 教 jiāo to teach and 给 gěi to give.

S	V	Indir O	Dir O
我	还	你	词典
wǒ	huán	nĭ	cídiăn

I’m returning the dictionary to you.

S	V	Indir O	Dir O
他	教	我	汉语
tā	jiāo	wǒ	hànyŭ

He teaches me Chinese.

S	V	Indir O	Dir O
我	给	你	书
wǒ	huán	nĭ	shū

I’m giving the books to you.

Serial verbs (after verbs of motion 来 and 去)

The verbs 来 lái to come and 去 qù to go are used to describe motion coming towards or moving way from a speaker. More explanations and examples will be given in the “directional complement” section, but we would like to demonstrate here how 来 lái and 去 qù are followed by the noun or the main verbal clause of a sentence. For example:

他来我家喝茶

tā lái wǒ jiā hē chá

He is coming to my house for tea. (lit. he is coming to my home to drink tea)

The motion in the above sentence moves towards the speaker. 来 lái to come is followed by wǒ jiā my home.

他来喝茶

tā lái hē chá

He is coming for tea. (lit. he is coming to drink tea)

The motion in the above sentence moves towards the speaker. 来 lái to come is followed by the verbal clause hē chá drink tea.

我去书店买书

wǒ qù shū diàn mǎi shū

I’m going to the bookshop to buy books.

The motion in the above sentence moves away from the speaker. 去 qù to go is followed by the noun shū diàn bookshop.

我去买书

wǒ qù mǎi shū

I’m going out to buy books. (lit. I’m going to buy books)

The motion in the above sentence moves away from the speaker. 去 qù to go is followed by the verbal clause 买书mǎi shū buy books.

Apart from indicating motion direction, 来 lái has the following functions.

1. It can mean that let sb. do sth …

我来给你作我来教你汉语

wǒ lái gěi nǐ zuò wǒ lái jiāo nǐ hàn yǔ

Let me do it for you. Let me teach you Chinese.

2. 来 lái is used for ordering food and drinks in restaurants. The expression implies the ‘Bring me’ …that you might say to a waiter:

来一瓶啤酒来一杯咖啡

lái yì ping pí jiǔ lái yì bēi kāfēi

I’d like a bottle of beer. I’d like a cup of coffee.

Use of 有

有 yǒu means to have. This is the only verb whose negative form is 没有méiyǒu not have. 不bù not is not used with 有yǒu.

The Chinese word 有yǒu to have is not used when translating an English past participle. In other words, 有yǒu to have is not used when saying ‘I have done my work’.

Review of interrogatives following 好吗

The interrogative expression 好吗 hăoma is it OK? / how about? is used in making suggestions. 好吗 hăoma is placed at the end of a statement to form a question. For instance:

我们去看电影好吗？

wŏmen qù kàn diànyĭng hăoma

Shall we go and see a film? / How about seeing a film?

我们去看电影 wŏmen qù kàn diànyĭng we are going to see a film is a statement. hăoma is it OK? / how about? is added at end to form a question with the force of a suggestion. The use of hăoma is similar to the use of the sentence particle ba. However, the sentence particle ba has a more assertive tone (equivalent to the first person plural imperative ‘let’s’ in English), while hăoma leaves more of the choice to the listener.

If we replace 好吗 hăoma with the sentence particle ba in the above statement, the imperative connotation is stronger.

我们去看电影吧。

wŏmen qù kàn diànyĭng ba

(Come on.) Let’s go and see a film.

The answers for both types of question are either 好hăo OK or bù xíng no (not OK). The negative answer bu xíng no (not OK) is often followed by a reason. For instance, to give a negative answer to the above suggestion, we could say:

不行，我跟我男朋友一起去看京剧。

bù xing, wŏ gēn wŏ nán péngyou yìqĭ qù kàn jīngjù

Sorry, I can’t; my boyfriend and I are going to a Peking Opera.

NB Apologies such as sorry are not as common in Chinese as in English.

Modal particle 了

This section gives a brief introduction to the use of the end-of-sentence particle了le. This modal particle了 le may be used in the following situations.

To indicate change
To indicate imminent action
To indicate excessiveness (Please see notes on 太…了)

1. The modal particle 了le can be used to indicate change, such as in the weather, in seasons or in time.

两点半了。冬天了。

liăngdiănbàn le dōngtiān le

It’s 2:30 now. It’s winter now.

The modal particle 了le can also indicate a change of situation, or that a situation no longer exists.

丁老师去年教我们汉字现在教我们语法了。

dīng lăoshī qùnián jiāo wŏmen hànzì, xiànzài jiāo wŏmen yŭfă le

Mr Ding taught us Chinese characters last year. He teaches us grammar now.

我不是老师了。

wŏ búshì lăoshī le

I am no longer a teacher.

The modal particle 了le in the above examples implies “now”. The following end-of-sentence 了also has the function of bringing the action of “learning” into the present.

我学汉语学了三个月了。

wǒ xué hànyŭ xuéle sān ge yuè le

I have been studying Chinese for three months.

Here, the modal particle了le at the end of the sentence indicates that the action of learning is still going on. Without the end-of-sentence 了le it means that the action of learning has been completed.

2. The modal particle 了le is used as a sentence component to indicate that an action is about to take place. The other components used in this type of sentence pattern are要 yào, 就 jiù and 快 kuài. Possible formulas for this speech pattern are as follows.

· 要...了

· 快...了, 快要...了, 快就...了.

· 就要...了, 就快...了.

The imminent action is placed between 要 yào, 就 jiù, 快 kuài and了 le. Other possible elements that can be placed in this speech pattern are time words (such as winter, summer, June and 10 o’clock), verb-object phrases, and verbs. For instance,

快十二月了。 (month) 快要冬天了。(season)

kuài shí èr yuè le kuàiyào dōngtiān le

It’s nearly December. It’s almost winter.

小丁要来了。(verb) 就要开车了。 (verb-object)

xiăo dīng yào lái le jiù yào kāi chē le

Xiao Ding is about to arrive. The bus is about to leave.