Difference between revisions of "Actions in a row"

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* 我 要 <em>打 电话</em> <em>订</em> 位子 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ yào <em>dǎ diànhuà</em> <em>dìng</em> wèizi.</span> <span class="trans">I want to call to make the reservation.</span>
 
* 我 要 <em>打 电话</em> <em>订</em> 位子 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ yào <em>dǎ diànhuà</em> <em>dìng</em> wèizi.</span> <span class="trans">I want to call to make the reservation.</span>
 
* 我 要 <em>上网</em> <em>买</em> 机票 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ yào <em>shàngwǎng</em> <em>mǎi</em> jīpiào.</span> <span class="trans">I will use the internet to buy airplane tickets.</span>
 
* 我 要 <em>上网</em> <em>买</em> 机票 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ yào <em>shàngwǎng</em> <em>mǎi</em> jīpiào.</span> <span class="trans">I will use the internet to buy airplane tickets.</span>
* 我 下周 <em>去</em> 美国 <em>旅行</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiàzhōu <em>qù</em> Měiguó <em>lǚxíng</em>.</span> <span class="trans">Next week I go to US to travel.</span>
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* 我 下周 <em>去</em> 美国 <em>旅行</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiàzhōu <em>qù</em> Měiguó <em>lǚxíng</em>.</span> <span class="trans">Next week I will go to the US to travel.</span>
 
* 周末 我 需要 <em>买</em> 菜 <em>做</em> 饭 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhōumò wǒ xūyào <em>mǎi</em> cài <em>zuò</em> fàn.</span> <span class="trans"> I need to buy food to cook on the weekend.</span>
 
* 周末 我 需要 <em>买</em> 菜 <em>做</em> 饭 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhōumò wǒ xūyào <em>mǎi</em> cài <em>zuò</em> fàn.</span> <span class="trans"> I need to buy food to cook on the weekend.</span>
  

Revision as of 08:04, 14 August 2015

Linking actions together in a sentence is very straightforward and to the point. Because of this, there is no new word or phrase needed!

Structure

In Chinese it's very easy to describe two actions in a row. Simply place one verb phrase after another, in this structure:

Subject + Verb Phrase 1 + Verb Phrase 2

No connecting word is needed. A common mistake in the early stages of learning Chinese is to try and link verbs with 和 (hé). This is incorrect - 和 (hé) can only link nouns. Just place one verb after another.

Examples

  • 我们 咖啡店 咖啡 吧 。 Wǒmen kāfēidiàn kāfēi ba. Let's go to the cafe and drink coffee.
  • 我 要 饭 。 Wǒ yào huí jiā chī fàn. I want to go home and eat.
  • 他 不 图书馆 书 。 Tā bù túshūguǎn kàn shū. He does not go to the library and read.
  • 我 想 海南 海 。 Wǒ xiǎng Hǎinán kàn hǎi. I want to go to Hainan and see the sea.
  • 你 要 超市 东西 吗 ? Nǐ yào chāoshì mǎi dōngxī ma? Do you want to go to the supermarket to buy things?
  • 打 电话 告诉 他 了 吗 ? dǎ diànhuà gàosu tā le ma? Did you call him and tell him?
  • 我 要 打 电话 位子 。 Wǒ yào dǎ diànhuà dìng wèizi. I want to call to make the reservation.
  • 我 要 上网 机票 。 Wǒ yào shàngwǎng mǎi jīpiào. I will use the internet to buy airplane tickets.
  • 我 下周 美国 旅行Wǒ xiàzhōu Měiguó lǚxíng. Next week I will go to the US to travel.
  • 周末 我 需要 饭 。 Zhōumò wǒ xūyào mǎi cài zuò fàn. I need to buy food to cook on the weekend.

Note that the English translations of these sentences use the word "and", but there is no equivalent to it in Chinese.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books