Both are placed before the verb in a sentence. In Chinese, there are basically two adverbs used for negation: 不 (bù) and 没/有 (méi/yǒu). 在 can also be used as a preposition or adverb.
Here, 在 functions as a verb, so there is no need for 是 (shì) or 有 (yǒu) or any other verb. In fact, using a verb here would be grammatically incorrect. What do we see in these examples? Although it can be tempting to use a verb here, there’s no need for it. The structure is the following: subject +在 (zài) + place This is similar to English in which we use “to be at” or “to be in” to express the same. The verb 在 (zài) can be used to express “existence in a place”. 我的爷爷 和奶奶都70岁了 (Wǒ de yéye hé nǎinai dōu qīshí suì le): My grandpa and grandma are both 70 years old.The structure is the following: noun 1 + 和 (hé) + noun 2 So don’t use it to link verse, adjectives or subordinate clauses. But be careful! It is only used to link nouns. The character 和 (hé) is the most common way to express “and” in Chinese.
How to Learn Chinese? For a native English speaker, Chinese is an intimidating language! But it needn’t be as hard as you think if you follow these tips. The Complete Guide on How to Learn Chinese (in 2021) □ 13 Tips For Success 你喜欢咖啡吗? Nǐ xǐhuān kāfēi ma? Do you like coffee?įor some more top tips on how to order a coffee, check out our blog. We simply turn it into a question by adding the particle 吗 (ma) at the end of the sentence. Let’s look at a simple sentence, such as: “You like coffee.” (Who doesn’t?!) This means that any statement can be turned into a question. To make a 吗 question, we simply add the particle 吗 at the end of the statement. The 吗 (ma) Question?Īsking a 吗 (ma) question is similar to asking a yes or no question in English. Thinking of coming to learn Chinese? Good! As a present, we are getting you ahead of the rest with our hugely useful set of Chinese school vocabulary. The 有 verb does not, however, change in any way to indicate subject or tense.ħ5 Useful Academic Vocabulary □ Let’s Go back to School in Chinese Note: 有 is the equivalent of the English verb “to have”. In this example, the sentence would be translated with the “there is/there are” expression and not as “my family has five people”, since the verb 有 has a different meaning here. 我家 有五口人 (wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ kǒu rén): There are five people in my family (literally: my family has five people).Let’s take the next sentence as an example: This can sometimes be confusing to learners of Chinese language (but also to Chinese people learning English, who tend to literally translate such sentences into English). In this case, it is similar to the expression “there is/there are” in the English language, when meaning that something “exists” at a certain place. The 有 sentence can also be used to express existence. With 有, you can use nouns and adjectives as well. Notice how the last sentence (“I am sick”) is different from the rest. The 有 (yǒu) SentenceĪnother sentence structure common in Chinese is one where the main verb is 有 (yǒu). Identifying and naming correctly the parts of the body in Mandarin can come in handy when seeing the doctor, playing sports, going clothes shopping, and more. We are adding new articles all the time so you have a one stop place to understand every bit of grammar in Mandarinīody Parts in Chinese □ From Head to Toe
PSST – If you want an even more in depth look into Grammar check out our Chinese Grammar Bank here. We’ll prove this to you right now with a rundown of all the key Chinese grammar pointers you need to know.īasic Chinese Grammar – Subject + Verb Sentenceīasic Chinese Grammar – Subject + Verb + Object Sentenceīasic Chinese Grammar – The 是 (shì) Sentenceīasic Chinese Grammar – The 有 (yǒu) Sentenceīasic Chinese Grammar – The 吗 (ma) Question?īasic Chinese Grammar – Expressing “and” with 和 (hé)īasic Chinese Grammar – Expressing Existence with 在 (zài)īasic Chinese Grammar – Basic Negative Form of Verbsīasic Chinese Grammar – Questions with Question Words?īasic Chinese Grammar – The 把 (bǎ) Sentenceīasic Chinese Grammar – Expressing Experience with 过 (guò) In fact, all Chinese grammar is quite easy to get your head around once you have the basics nailed. Basic Chinese Grammar and Sentence Structures // The Complete Guideīasic Chinese Grammar is not hard – honestly!