Difference between revisions of "Basic sentence order"
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{{Grammar Box}}  
 
{{Grammar Box}}  
  
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In its most basic form, Chinese word order is very similar to English word order. Don't expect these similarities to hold true for anything past the very basic sentence order outlined below.
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In its most basic form, Chinese [[word order]] is very similar to English word order. These similarities definitely have their limits, though; don't expect the two languages' word orders to stay consistent much beyond the very basic sentence orders outlined below.
  
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== Subject-predicate ==
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== Subject-Predicate ==
  
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The most basic word order in Chinese is:
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A simple [[predicate]] can be just a verb. The most basic word order in Chinese is:
  
 
=== Structure ===  
 
=== Structure ===  
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<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
  
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Subject + Verb
+
Subj. + Verb
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
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=== Examples ===
 
=== Examples ===
  
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<table class="table table-striped table-bordered" style="font-size:120%">
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<table class="table big-text table-striped table-bordered">
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<tr><th>Subject</th><th>Verb</th><th>Translation</th></tr>
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<tr>
−
<tr><td>你<br>Nǐ</td><td>吃。<br>chī.</td><td>You eat.</td></tr>
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<th style="width:25%">Subject</th>
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<tr><td>他<br>Tā</td><td>笑。<br>xiào.</td>He laughs.<td></td></tr>
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<th style="width:25%">Verb</th>
−
<tr><td>我<br>Wǒ</td><td>读。<br>dú.</td><td>I read.</td></tr>
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<th style="width:50%">Translation</th>
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<tr><td>我 <br>Wǒ</td><td>去。<br>qù.</td><td>I go.</td></tr>
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</tr>
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<tr><td>你 <br>Nǐ</td><td>看。<br>kàn.</td><td>You look.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你们<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen</span></td><td>吃。<span class="pinyin">chī.</span></td><td>You eat.</td></tr>
−
<tr><td>你 <br>Nǐ</td><td>滚 !<br>gǔn!</td><td>You get out of here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td>他<span class="pinyin">Tā</span></td><td>笑。<span class="pinyin">xiào.</span></td><td>He laughs.</td></tr>
−
<tr><td>你<br>Nǐ</td><td>说。<br>shuō.</td><td>You speak.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>我<span class="pinyin">Wǒ</span></td><td>读。<span class="pinyin">dú.</span></td><td>I read.</td></tr>
−
<tr><td>孩子 <br>Háizi</td><td>哭。<br>kū.</td><td>Children cry.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你<span class="pinyin">Nǐ</span></td><td>去。<span class="pinyin">qù.</span></td><td>You go.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>谁 <br>Shuí</td><td>要 学？<br>yào xué?</td><td>Who wants to study?</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你们<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen</span></td><td>看。<span class="pinyin">kàn.</span></td><td>You look.</td></tr>
−
<tr><td>谁<br>Shuí</td><td>想 做？<br>xiǎng zuò?</td><td>Who wants to do (it)?</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你<span class="pinyin">Nǐ</span></td><td>来。<span class="pinyin">lái.</span></td><td>You come here!</td></tr>
 +
<tr><td>我<span class="pinyin">Wǒ</span></td><td>说。<span class="pinyin">shuō.</span></td><td>I speak.</td></tr>
 +
<tr><td>孩子<span class="pinyin">Háizi</span></td><td>哭。<span class="pinyin">kū.</span></td><td>Children cry.</td></tr>
 +
<tr><td>谁 <span class="pinyin">Shéi</span></td><td>要 学？<span class="pinyin">yào xué?</span></td><td>Who wants to study?</td></tr>
 +
<tr><td>谁<span class="pinyin">Shéi</span></td><td>想 玩？<span class="pinyin">xiǎng wán?</span></td><td>Who wants to play?</td></tr>
 
</table>
 
</table>
  
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== Subject-verb-object ==
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== Subject-Verb-Object ==
  
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A basic sentence usually has an object, and is formed with this structure:
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A slightly longer [[predicate]] might be a verb with an object. A sentence with both a verb and an object is formed with this structure:
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
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<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
  
−
Subject + Verb + Object
+
Subj. + Verb + Obj.
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
−
This is the same as in English, and is commonly referred to as SVO word order. You can express a huge variety of things with this simple structure.  
+
This is the same as in English, and is commonly referred to as SVO word order. You can express a huge variety of things with this simple structure.
  
 
=== Examples ===
 
=== Examples ===
  
−
<table class="table table-striped table-bordered" style="font-size:120%">
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<table class="table big-text table-striped table-bordered">
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<caption>Simple SVO sentences</caption>
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<tr>
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<tr><th>Subject</th><th>Verb</th><th>Object</th><th>Translation</th></tr>
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<th style="width:18%">Subject</th>
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<tr><td>我<br>Wǒ</td><td>吃<br>chī</td><td>肉。<br>ròu.</td><td>I eat mean.</td></tr>
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<th style="width:18%">Verb</th>
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<tr><td>你<br>Nǐ</td><td>喝<br>hē</td><td>汤。<br>tāng.</td><td>You drink soup.</td></tr>
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<th style="width:24%">Object</th>
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<tr><td>我<br>Wǒ</td><td>去<br>qù</td><td>学校。<br>xuéxiào.</td><td>I go to school.</td></tr>
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<th style="width:40%">Translation</th>
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<tr><td>他<br>Tā</td><td>说<br>shuō</td><td>中文。<br>Zhōngwén.</td><td>He speaks Chinese.</td></tr>
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</tr>
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<tr><td>我们<br>Wǒmen</td><td>要 买<br>yào mǎi</td><td>电脑。<br>diànnǎo.</td><td>We want to buy a computer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>他们<span class="pinyin">Tāmen</span></td><td>吃<span class="pinyin">chī</span></td><td>肉。<span class="pinyin">ròu.</span></td><td>They eat meat.</td></tr>
−
<tr><td>我<br>Wǒ</td><td>想 吃<br>xiǎng chī</td><td>中国 菜。<br>Zhōngguó cài.</td><td>I want to eat Chinese food.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你<span class="pinyin">Nǐ</span></td><td>喝<span class="pinyin">hē</span></td><td>茶 吗？<span class="pinyin">chá ma?</span></td><td>Do you drink tea?</td></tr>
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<tr><td>我<br>Wǒ</td><td>喜欢<br>xǐhuān</td><td>那 个 小 孩子。<br>nà gè xiǎo háizi.</td><td>I like that child.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>我<span class="pinyin">Wǒ</span></td><td>去<span class="pinyin">qù</span></td><td>学校。<span class="pinyin">xuéxiào.</span></td><td>I go to school.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>我<br>Wǒ</td><td>爱<br>ài</td><td>你 和 爸爸。<br>nǐ hé bàba.</td><td>I love you and dad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>他<span class="pinyin">Tā</span></td><td>说<span class="pinyin">shuō</span></td><td>中文。<span class="pinyin">Zhōngwén.</span></td><td>He speaks Chinese.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你<br>Nǐ</td><td>要 做<br>yào zuò</td><td>什么？<br> shénme?</td><td>What do you want to do?</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你<span class="pinyin">Nǐ</span></td><td>喜欢<span class="pinyin">xǐhuan</span></td><td> 孩子 吗？<span class="pinyin">háizi ma?</span></td><td>Do you like kids?</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你<br>Nǐ</td><td>想 吃<br>xiǎng chī</td><td>什么 菜？<br>shénme cài?</td><td>What food do you want to eat?</td></tr>
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<tr><td>我们<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen</span></td><td>要 买<span class="pinyin">yào mǎi</span></td><td>电脑。<span class="pinyin">diànnǎo.</span></td><td>We want to buy a computer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你们<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen</span></td><td>想 吃<span class="pinyin">xiǎng chī</span></td><td>中国 菜 吗？<span class="pinyin">Zhōngguó cài ma?</span></td><td>Do you want to eat Chinese food?</td></tr>
 +
<tr><td>我<span class="pinyin">Wǒ</span></td><td>爱<span class="pinyin">ài</span></td><td>你 和 爸爸。<span class="pinyin">nǐ hé bàba.</span></td><td>I love you and dad.</td></tr>
 +
<tr><td>他们<span class="pinyin">Tāmen</span></td><td>要 做<span class="pinyin">yào zuò</span></td><td>什么？<span class="pinyin">shénme?</span></td><td>What do they want to do?</td></tr>
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<tr><td>你<span class="pinyin">Nǐ</span></td><td>想 去<span class="pinyin">xiǎng qù</span></td><td>什么 地方？<span class="pinyin">shénme dìfang?</span></td><td>What place do you want to go to?</td></tr>
 
</table>
 
</table>
 +
 +
== When Things Get Tricky ==
 +
 +
Despite the convenient word order similarities highlighted above, things start to break down as soon as you start adding in such simple sentence elements as [[The "also" adverb "ye"|the "also" adverb 也 (yě)]], [[Time words and word order|a time word]], or [[Indicating location with "zai" before verbs|a location where something happened]].
 +
 +
We have a video about that:
 +
 +
<div class="YT-container"><youtube>uBaamGzhGuE</youtube></div>
 +
 +
Don't worry; the more complicated Chinese structures aren't hard, they're just different! (If Chinese word order were really the same as English word order, that would be just a little too convenient, wouldn't it?)
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
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* [[Topic-comment sentences]]   
 
* [[Topic-comment sentences]]   
 
* [[Simple "noun + adjective" sentences]]
 
* [[Simple "noun + adjective" sentences]]
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* [[Using "zai" with verbs]]
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* [[Indicating location with "zai" before verbs]]
 
* [[Expressing location with "zai...shang/xia/li"]]
 
* [[Expressing location with "zai...shang/xia/li"]]
  
 
== Sources and further reading ==
 
== Sources and further reading ==
  
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* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)]] (p. 10) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401 →buy]
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=== Books ===
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* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)]] (pp. 11, 249) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235 →buy]
+
 
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* [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)]] (p. 76) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy]
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{{Source|HSK Standard Course 1|42}}
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{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)|10}}
 +
{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)|11, 249}}
 +
{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)|76}}
 +
 
 +
=== Videos ===
 +
 
 +
* AllSet Learning video on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBaamGzhGuE Is Chinese Word Order Really the Same as English Word Order?]
 +
 
 +
=== Websites ===
 +
 
 +
* FluentU: [https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2018/10/24/basic-chinese-grammar/ 5 Totally Uncomplicated Tips to Master Basic Chinese Grammar]
  
 
[[Category:A1 grammar points]]
 
[[Category:A1 grammar points]]
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{{HSK|HSK1}}{{2021-HSK|HSK1}}
 
[[Category:Table]]
 
[[Category:Table]]
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{{Basic Grammar|none|A1|Subject + Verb (+ Obj.)|<em>我 爱 你 。</em>|grammar point|ASGETNCO}}
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{{Basic Grammar|none|A1|Subj. + Verb (+ Obj.)|<em>我 爱 你 。</em>|grammar point|ASGETNCO}}
 
{{Similar|Word order}}
 
{{Similar|Word order}}
 
{{Similar|Time words and word order}}
 
{{Similar|Time words and word order}}
 
{{Similar|Actions in a row}}
 
{{Similar|Actions in a row}}
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{{Similar|Using "zai" with verbs}}     
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{{Similar|Indicating location with "zai" before verbs}}     
 
{{Similar|Placement of question words}}   
 
{{Similar|Placement of question words}}   
 
{{Structure|Basics}}
 
{{Structure|Basics}}
 
{{Used for|Sentence Patterns}}
 
{{Used for|Sentence Patterns}}

Latest revision as of 09:20, 20 April 2021

In its most basic form, Chinese word order is very similar to English word order. These similarities definitely have their limits, though; don't expect the two languages' word orders to stay consistent much beyond the very basic sentence orders outlined below.

Subject-Predicate

A simple predicate can be just a verb. The most basic word order in Chinese is:

Structure

Subj. + Verb

You can form very simple sentences with just two words.

Examples

Subject Verb Translation
你们Nǐmen吃。chī.You eat.
他Tā笑。xiào.He laughs.
我Wǒ读。dú.I read.
你Nǐ去。qù.You go.
你们Nǐmen看。kàn.You look.
你Nǐ来。lái.You come here!
我Wǒ说。shuō.I speak.
孩子Háizi哭。kū.Children cry.
谁 Shéi要 学？yào xué?Who wants to study?
谁Shéi想 玩？xiǎng wán?Who wants to play?

Subject-Verb-Object

A slightly longer predicate might be a verb with an object. A sentence with both a verb and an object is formed with this structure:

Structure

Subj. + Verb + Obj.

This is the same as in English, and is commonly referred to as SVO word order. You can express a huge variety of things with this simple structure.

Examples

Subject Verb Object Translation
他们Tāmen吃chī肉。ròu.They eat meat.
你Nǐ喝hē茶 吗？chá ma?Do you drink tea?
我Wǒ去qù学校。xuéxiào.I go to school.
他Tā说shuō中文。Zhōngwén.He speaks Chinese.
你Nǐ喜欢xǐhuan 孩子 吗？háizi ma?Do you like kids?
我们Wǒmen要 买yào mǎi电脑。diànnǎo.We want to buy a computer.
你们Nǐmen想 吃xiǎng chī中国 菜 吗？Zhōngguó cài ma?Do you want to eat Chinese food?
我Wǒ爱ài你 和 爸爸。nǐ hé bàba.I love you and dad.
他们Tāmen要 做yào zuò什么？shénme?What do they want to do?
你Nǐ想 去xiǎng qù什么 地方？shénme dìfang?What place do you want to go to?

When Things Get Tricky

Despite the convenient word order similarities highlighted above, things start to break down as soon as you start adding in such simple sentence elements as the "also" adverb 也 (yě), a time word, or a location where something happened.

We have a video about that:

Don't worry; the more complicated Chinese structures aren't hard, they're just different! (If Chinese word order were really the same as English word order, that would be just a little too convenient, wouldn't it?)

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Videos

Websites

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