29/06/2023
Chinese Sentence ( Structure )
Word Order
For many simple cases, the basic sentence structure of Chinese is the same in Chinese as it is in English. Both languages use a subject-verb or subject-verb-object (SVO) formula for making simple sentences. This familiar pattern means that you shouldn't have much trouble with word order at first.
Subject-Verb Examples:
SubjectVerbTranslation
你Nǐ 吃。chī. - You eat.
他Tā 笑。xiào. - He laughs.
我Wǒ 去。qù. - I go.
Subject-Verb-Object Examples:
Subject-Verb-Object - Translation
➡ 我Wǒ 吃chī. 肉。ròu.
I eat meat.
➡ 你Nǐ 喝hē 水。shuǐ.
You drink water.
他Tā 说shuō 中文。Zhōngwén.
He speaks Chinese.
As sentences get more complex, you'll note that Chinese word order does, in fact, diverge significantly from English word order, even for some relatively simple sentences. For help with those, check out our articles on time words, locations of actions, using simple adverbs correctly, and making simple noun-adjective sentences.
⇨ Questions
➡ Simple sentences can be turned into yes/no questions by adding
👉吗 (ma) to the end of simple statements. For each of the following, you could make a simple statement by dropping 吗 (ma).
➡ 他 是 老师 吗 ？Tā shì lǎoshī ma?
Is he a teacher?
➡ 你 喜欢 咖啡 吗 ？Nǐ xǐhuan kāfēi ma?
Do you like coffee?
➡ 他 是 机器人 吗 ？Tā shì jīqìrén ma?
Is he a robot?
Another important question particle for beginners to understand is 呢 (ne).
👉 呢 (ne) is simply added after a topic to turn it into a "what about...?" question.
This is useful in conversations to say things like "what about you?" or "what about my money?"
This particle is simply tagged onto a subject to form the question.
➡ 我 吃饭 了 。 你 呢 ？- Wǒ chīfàn le. Nǐ ne?
I've eaten. What about you?
➡ 北京 下 雨 了 。 上海 呢 ? - Běijīng xià yǔ le. Shànghǎi ne?
It's raining in Beijing. How about Shanghai?
➡ 你 说 他们 可以 去 。 我们 呢 ？- Nǐ shuō tāmen kěyǐ qù. Wǒmen ne?
You said they can go. What about us?
Always remember that one of the firts grammar rules to learn Chinese is knowing the structure of the sentence. Happy Learning everyone! Please continue to like, share and follow.
