Expressing "and also" with "hai"
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Keywords
In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate and different thoughts. We can do the same thing in Chinese by using 还 (hái).
Contents
Structure
The adverb 还 (hái) can be used to link two phrases together, in a similar way to "and also" in English. In this case, 还 (hái) begins a new phrase or clause.
Subj. + Verb + Obj. 1, 还 + Verb + Obj. 2
Examples
- 她 有 一 个 弟弟,还 有 一 个 妹妹。She has a younger brother and also has a younger sister.
- 我 老板 会 说 法语,还 会 说 日语。My boss can speak French and can also speak Japanese.
- 你 要 一 杯 咖啡,还 要 什么?You want a cup of coffee, and what else do you want?
- 我 想 吃 冰淇淋,还 想 吃 汉堡。I want to eat ice cream and I also want to eat a hamburger.
- 爸爸 有 一个 小米 手机,还 有 一个 iPhone。Dad has a Xiaomi phone and also has an iPhone.
- 你 晚上 在家 做 了 作业,还 做 了 什么?You did your homework at home tonight, and what else did you do?
- 他 结婚 的 时候,请 了 同事,还 请 了 谁?When he got married, he invited his co-workers. Who else did he invite?
- 生日 的 时候,我们 会 吃 蛋糕,还 要 送 礼物。During a birthday, we eat cake and also give presents.
- 去 美国 要 带 钱、护照,还 要 带 什么?To go to the USA, you need to take money and a passport. What else do you need to take with you?
The Difference Between 还 (hái) and 也 (yě)
It should be noted that another common way to express "also" is with the word 也 (yě). What's the difference? With 还 (hái), ONE subject is doing TWO different things, whereas when 也 (yě) is used, TWO subjects are doing ONE thing.
It's the difference between these two English sentences:
- He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
- She washed the dishes too.
If you translated these into Chinese, the first one (one subject, two actions) would use 还 (hái), and the second one (second subject, no new actions) would use 也 (yě). Let's do that!
- 他 做 了 饭 , 还 洗 了 碗。He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
- 她 也 洗 了 碗。She washed the dishes too.
How about a few more similar examples?
- 我 洗 了 澡, 还 洗 了 衣服。 I took a shower and also did my laundry.
- 她 也 洗 了 衣服。She did her laundry too.
- 我们 今天 晚上 出去 吃饭 了,还 看 了 电影 。We went out for dinner tonight and also watched a movie.
- 他们 今天 晚上 也 看 了 电影 。 They watched a movie tonight too.
See Also
- Continuation with "hai"
- "In addition" with "zaishuo"
- "In addition" as "lingwai"
- Expressing "in addition" with "haiyou"
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 87) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 251) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 198) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册) (pp. 73) [ →buy]