Difference between revisions of "Using the verb "jiao""

Revision as of 02:10, 19 June 2015

The verb 叫 (jiào) can seem a little weird to beginners. So it gets its own grammar point.

The verb 叫 (jiào) means both "to call" and "to be called." It's an easy way to give names, using the following structure:

Subject + 叫 + Name

This can be used to give your full name or just your first name.

我叫 Tom。(Note: it even works if you don't have a Chinese name!)Wǒ jiào Tom.My name is Tom.
他叫李小龙。(Note: this is the real name of Bruce Lee)Tā jiào Lǐ Xiǎolóng.His name is Li Xiaolong.
我哥哥叫老木。(Note: this is probably not his real name)Wǒ gēgē jiào Lǎo Mù.My brother is called Lao Mu.
这个美女叫 Ana。Zhè gè měinǚ jiào Ana.This pretty girl is named Ana.
我们的老板叫 John。Wǒmen de lǎobǎn jiào John.Our boss is named John.
我家的小狗叫 Logan。Wǒjiā de xiǎo gǒu jiào Logan.Our family dog is called Logan.
这种啤酒叫 PBR。Zhè zhǒng píjiǔ jiào PBR.This kind of beer is called PBR.
这个叫什么？Zhè gè jiào shénme?What is this called?
这个叫 iPad。Zhè gè jiào iPad.This is called an iPad.
这个地方叫外滩。Zhè gè dìfāng jiào Wàitān.This place is called the Bund.

You can also ask people their names using 叫 (jiào):

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 {{Grammar Box}}
-The verb 叫 (jiào) can seem a little weird to beginners.  So it gets its own grammar point!
+The verb 叫 (jiào) can seem a little weird to beginners.  So it gets its own grammar point.
 == Structure ==
-The verb 叫 (jiào) means both "to call" and "to be called". It's an easy way to give names, using the following structure:
+The verb 叫 (jiào) means both "to call" and "to be called." It's an easy way to give names, using the following structure:
 <div class="jiegou">