Difference between revisions of "Separable verb"

Latest revision as of 02:18, 14 March 2019

Level

B1 / HSK4
Level

B1
Level

HSK4
Similar to
Similar to
Used for

Describing actions, Referring to the present, Referring to the past, Referring to past experiences, Referring to changes of situation
Keywords

None

Also known as: 离合词 (líhécí) and verb-object phrase.

"Separable verbs" get their name from their ability to "separate" into two parts (a verb part and an object part), with other words in between. In fact, you could also simply call separable verbs "verb-object phrases."

What Are Separable Verbs?

Separable verbs are "verb-object phrases." They consist of two characters: the first is the verb, and the second is the object. Very often, these two will appear together, seemingly acting as a single verb, as in 吃饭, "to eat," 见面, "to meet," or 睡觉, "to sleep." But the two can also separate, and the verb can also be used without the object.

Structure

Verb + Object

Verb... [Other Stuff]... Object

The Typical Learner Mistake

Let's look at a typical example in Chinese, using the verb 见面, meaning "to meet." 见 is the verb; 面 is the object, which literally means "face," but is never translated as such. The mistake everyone makes is to put an object after 见面. You can't do this, though, because 见面 already has its own object.

我没有时间见面。It may seem like it has no object, but 面 is the object.Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān jiànmiàn.I don't have time to meet.
我没有时间见你。Here, 见 is the verb and 你 is the object.Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān jiàn nǐ.I don't have time to meet you.
我没有时间见面你。面 is the object, so adding 你 after it is wrong.Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān jiànmiàn nǐ.

The key features of separable verbs are:

Many separable verbs can't be easily translated into other languages in a way that makes both the verb and the object part clear. For instance, 见面 ("to meet"), 睡觉 ("to sleep"), and 游泳 ("to swim") are such examples. In these examples, it's just not easy to think of the objects as a separate word.
The relationship between the verb and the object in a separable verb pair is very close; adding the object to the verb is sort of the "default form" of the verb, even if the verb part can be used without the object.
Separable verbs are a source of frequent errors from learners of Chinese because you can't add an object after a separable verb. Many learners don't know if a verb is a regular two-character verb like 工作 or a verb-object construct like 开会. If you don't know, you're sure to use it wrong.

The key to using separable verbs correctly is to remember that they are "Verb + Object" constructs. The verb alone must be treated as a verb, and the object cannot be treated as part of the verb.

How to Use Separable Verbs

The first step in mastering separable verbs is knowing which verbs are actually separable verbs.

Some of the more common separable verbs you should already know include: 吃饭 (chīfàn), 出差 (chūchāi), 读书 (dúshū), 过年 (guònián), 见面 (jiànmiàn), 讲话 (jiǎnghuà), 开车 (kāichē), 开会 (kāihuì), 看病 (kànbìng), 聊天 (liáotiān), 生气 (shēngqì), 谈话 (tánhuà), 洗澡 (xǐzǎo), 游泳 (yóuyǒng).

Slightly less common (but still useful for intermediate learners) separable verbs include: 帮忙 (bāngmáng), 分手 (fēnshǒu), 结婚 (jiéhūn), 请假 (qǐngjià), 离婚 (líhūn), 跑步 (pǎobù), 报名 (bàomíng), 道歉 (dàoqiàn), 散步 (sànbù), 排队 (páiduì).

Perhaps the most common examples of separable verbs that beginners first struggle with are 见面 and 睡觉. What makes them especially hard is that the "object" part of each word seem to have no counterpart in English. "Meet face?" "Sleep a sleep?" It all feels very odd.

Below we will introduce separable verbs in more detail, provide more examples, and also offer more specific cases which can trip up learners.

Using 跟 with Separable Verbs

A few verbs allow you to effectively add an additional object by using a 跟 (or 和) phrase before the verb.

Structure

跟 + Person + Verb + Object

In this pattern, the verb-object construct remains unseparated.

Examples

我明天跟他见面。Wǒ míngtiān gēn tā jiànmiàn.I'll meet him tomorrow.
我不要跟她结婚。Wǒ bùyào gēn tā jiéhūn.I don't want to marry her.
你还没有跟我道歉。Nǐ hái méiyǒu 跟 wǒ dàoqiàn.You still haven't apologized to me.

You'll have to learn which separable verbs allow this pattern on a case-by-case basis.

Where to put 了, 过, 着 with Separable Verbs

Hint: they go after the verb, not the object.

Structure

Verb + 了 / 过 / 着 + Object

Examples

见面 (jiànmiàn)

我们昨天见了面。separated, 了 insertedWǒmen zuótiān jiàn le miàn.We met yesterday.
我们见过面。separated, 过 insertedWǒmen jiàn guo miàn.We've met.

开会 (kāihuì)

我们早上开了会。Wǒmen zǎoshang kāi le huì.We had a meeting in the morning.
你们开过会了吗？Nǐmen kāi guo huì le ma?Have you had the meeting yet?
我们正开着会呢。Wǒmen zhèng kāi zhe huì ne.We're having a meeting right now.

吃饭 (chīfàn)

他昨天来我家了，还吃了饭。Tā zuótiān lái wǒ jiā le, hái chī le fàn.He came to my house yesterday and he ate a meal with us.
他吃过饭了吗？Tā chī guo fàn le ma?Has he eaten yet?
他正吃着饭呢。Tā zhèng chī zhe fàn ne.He's eating a meal right now.

Note: unlike the particles 过 and 着, the particle 了 is especially tricky, and it can also appear after the object. So it can be correct in multiple places.

Where to Put Measure Words with Separable Verbs

You guessed it: they go after the verb, not the object.

Structure

Verb + [Measure Word Phrase] + Object

Examples

见面 (jiànmiàn)

我们见个面吧。Wǒmen jiàn gè miàn ba.Let's meet.
我们见过 几次 面。Wǒmen jiàn guo jǐ cì miàn.We've met a few times.

吃饭 (chīfàn)

我们一起吃过 几次 饭。Wǒmen yīqǐ chī guo jǐ cì fàn.We've had several meals together.
老板请大家吃了 一顿 饭。Lǎobǎn qǐng dàjiā chī le yī dùn fàn.The boss treated everyone to dinner.

睡觉 (shuìjiào)

晚安！睡个 好觉 。Wǎn'ān! Shuì gè hǎo jiào.Good night! I hope you have a good sleep.
昨晚我只睡了 两个小时 觉。Zuówǎn wǒ zhǐ shuì le liǎng gè xiǎoshí jiào.I only slept two hours last night.

How to Reduplicate Separable Verbs

Reduplication is a way to express the casual nature of a verb or that it happens only briefly. When it comes to separable verbs, only the verb part reduplicates.

Structure

Verb + Verb + Object

Examples

见见面jiànjian miàn
吃吃饭chīchi fàn
聊聊天liáoliao tiān

吃饭吃饭饭 is the object; it should not be repeated.chī fàn chīfàn
聊天聊天天 is the object; it should not be repeated.liáo tiān liáotiān

Note that you can't put 一下 after separable verbs to express that it happened briefly.

见面一下jiànmiàn yīxià

Common Examples and Common Mistakes with Separable Verbs

帮忙 (bāngmáng) to help; to do a favor. 帮 is the verb; 忙 is the object, meaning "a favor."

我们可以帮忙你。Wǒmen kěyǐ bāngmáng nǐ.
我们可以 帮你 。Wǒmen kěyǐ bāng nǐ.We can help you.
我们可以帮忙。Wǒmen kěyǐ bāngmáng.We can do (you) this favor.

If you want to ask someone to do you a favor, check this out:

你可以帮我 一个忙 吗？Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ yī gè máng ma?Can you do me a favor?

结婚 (jiéhūn) to get married. 结 is the verb; 婚 acts as the object, meaning "marriage." However, 婚 cannot typically be used as a noun by itself.

我想结婚她。Wǒ xiǎng jiéhūn tā.
我想跟她结婚。the prepositional phrase, literally "with her," comes before the verbWǒ xiǎng gēn tā jiéhūn.I want to get married to her.

聊天 (liáotiān) to chat; to talk (about things in general). 聊 is the verb; 天 acts as the object.

他很喜欢聊天女生。Tā hěn xǐhuan liáotiān nǚshēng.
他很喜欢聊女生。Tā hěn xǐhuan liáo nǚshēng.He loves talking about girls.
他很喜欢跟女生聊天。the prepositional phrase, literally "with you," comes before the verbTā hěn xǐhuan gēn nǚshēng liáotiān.He loves talking with girls.

Literally, 天 doesn't mean anything. The object needs to be something specific if you want to make the topic clear.

爸爸不喜欢聊天他的工作。Bàba bù xǐhuan liáotiān tā de gōngzuò.
爸爸不喜欢聊他的工作。Bàba bù xǐhuan liáo tā de gōngzuò.My father doesn't like to talk about his work.

Why Use Them

If separable verbs are simply verb-object phrases, then why the special name? It's because there are some special features of Chinese verb-object phrases worth special attention, and the name "separable verbs" helps call attention to this. Mastering separable verbs can be a little tricky and is an essential objective of the intermediate (B1) level learner of Chinese.

Separable verbs are just one of those things you can't avoid. Many extremely common verbs, such as "to sleep" (睡觉) or "to meet" (见面) are separable verbs, and until you understand which verbs are separable verbs and how they work, you'll forever be making mistakes with these words, even in very basic sentences. In addition, you will continue to encounter new separable verbs, and being already familiar with the concept makes mastering new words much easier.

Academic debate

There is some debate as to how useful the concept of separable verbs really is. For our purposes, we're only concerned with whether or not separable verbs are a useful concept for the student of Mandarin Chinese. Many learners do, in fact, find the concept to be quite useful in helping them speak more natural Chinese.

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK Standard Course 4上 (pp. 83) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 208) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 16-7) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 113) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 111) [ →buy]

Websites

The Canadian TCSL Association: 离合词教学的理论与实践
北京语言大学网络教育学院: 离合词及其教学
百度百科: 离合词
Sinosplice.com: Syntactic Anguish of the Verb-Object-Modifier Variety
ChinesePod (free content): Qing Wen - Separable Verbs
Mandarin Friend: “Separable Verbs” – A Misleading and Unnecessary Concept

Difference between revisions of "Separable verb"

Latest revision as of 02:18, 14 March 2019

Contents

What Are Separable Verbs?

Structure

The Typical Learner Mistake

How to Use Separable Verbs

Using 跟 with Separable Verbs

Structure

Examples

Where to put 了, 过, 着 with Separable Verbs

Structure

Examples

Where to Put Measure Words with Separable Verbs

Structure

Examples

How to Reduplicate Separable Verbs

Structure

Examples

Common Examples and Common Mistakes with Separable Verbs

Why Use Them

Academic debate

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 "Separable verbs" get their name from their ability to "separate" into two parts (a [[verb]] part and an [[object]] part), with other words in between. In fact, you could also simply call separable verbs "verb-object [[phrase]]s."
-== What They Are ==
+== What Are Separable Verbs? ==
-Purely from the "separable" aspect, Mandarin's separable verbs have a counterpart in English: phrasal verbs (also called two-word verbs).  While the grammatical components of English's phrasal verbs are different, the "separable" quality works in a very similar way.  Take the phrasal verb "check out" for example:
+Separable verbs are "verb-object [[phrase]]s." They consist of two characters: the first is the verb, and the second is the object. Very often, these two will appear together, seemingly acting as a single verb, as in 吃饭, "to eat," 见面, "to meet," or 睡觉, "to sleep." But the two can also separate, and the verb can also be used without the object.
-* '''Check out''' my new computer.
+=== Structure ===
-* '''Check''' my new computer '''out'''.
-Do you see what happened there?  The verb "check out" can split into two parts (a ''verb'' and a ''preposition''), and other words can go in between those two parts.  Separable verbs work much the same way in Chinese, except that the two parts are a ''verb'' and an ''object'' (a noun).
+<div class="jiegou">
+Verb + Object
+</div>
+<div class="jiegou">
+Verb... [Other Stuff]... Object
+</div>
+=== The Typical Learner Mistake ===
-Let's look at a typical example in Chinese, using the verb 见面, meaning "to meet." 见 is the verb; 面 is the object, literally meaning "face."
+Let's look at a typical example in Chinese, using the verb 见面, meaning "to meet." 见 is the verb; 面 is the object, which literally means "face," but is never translated as such. The mistake everyone makes is to put an object after 见面. You can't do this, though, because 见面 ''already has its own object''.
 <div class="liju">
 <ul>
-<li class="x">我 想 <em>见面</em> <strong>你</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <em>jiànmiàn</em> <strong>nǐ</strong>.</span></li>
+<li class="o">我 没有 时间 <em>见面</em> 。<span class="expl">It may seem like it has no object, but 面 is the object.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān <em>jiànmiàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">I don't have time to meet.</span></li>
-<li class="o">我 想 <em>见</em> <strong>你</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <em>jiàn</em><strong>nǐ</strong>.</span></li>
+<li class="o">我 没有 时间 <em>见</em> <strong>你</strong> 。<span class="expl">Here, 见 is the verb and 你 is the object.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān <em>jiàn</em> <strong>nǐ</strong>.</span><span class="trans">I don't have time to meet you.</span></li>
-<li class="o">我 想 <strong>跟 你</strong> <em>见面</em> 。<span class="expl">the prepositional phrase, literally "with you," comes before the verb</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <strong>gēn nǐ</strong> <em>jiànmiàn</em>.</span></li>
+<li class="x">我 没有 时间 <em>见面</em> <strong>你</strong> 。<span class="expl">面 is the object, so adding 你 after it is wrong.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān <em>jiànmiàn</em> <strong>nǐ</strong>.</span></li>
 </ul>
 </div>
-Perhaps the most common examples of separable verbs that beginners struggle with are 见面 and 睡觉.  For a more complete list, see the [[list of separable verbs]].
+The key features of separable verbs are:
-Below we will introduce separable verbs in more detail, provide more examples, and also offer more specific cases of where separable verbs can get tricky.
+# Many separable verbs can't be easily translated into other languages in a way that makes both the verb and the object part clear. For instance, 见面 ("to meet"), 睡觉 ("to sleep"), and 游泳 ("to swim") are such examples. In these examples, it's just not easy to think of the objects as a separate word.
+# The relationship between the verb and the object in a separable verb pair is very close; adding the object to the verb is sort of the "default form" of the verb, even if the verb part can be used without the object.
+# Separable verbs are a source of frequent errors from learners of Chinese because you can't add an object after a separable verb. Many learners don't know if a verb is a regular two-character verb like 工作 or a verb-object construct like 开会. ''If you don't know, you're sure to use it wrong.''
-== Why Use Them ==
+'''The key to using separable verbs correctly is to remember that they are "Verb + Object" constructs.'''  The verb alone must be treated as a verb, and the object cannot be treated as part of the verb.
-If separable verbs are simply verb-object phrases, then why the special name? It's because there are some special features of Chinese verb-object phrases worth special attention, and the name "separable verbs" helps call attention to this. Mastering separable verbs can be a little tricky, and is an essential objective of the intermediate ([[B1]]) level learner of Chinese.
+== How to Use Separable Verbs ==
-Separable verbs are just one of those things you can't avoid.  Many extremely common verbs, such as "to sleep" (睡觉) or "to meet" (见面) are separable verbs, and until you understand which verbs are separable verbs and how they work, you'll forever be making mistakes with these verbs, even in very basic sentences.
+''The first step in mastering separable verbs is knowing [[List of separable verbs|which verbs are actually separable verbs]].''
-== Basic Usage ==
+Some of the more common separable verbs you should already know include: 吃饭 (chīfàn), 出差 (chūchāi), 读书 (dúshū), 过年 (guònián), 见面 (jiànmiàn), 讲话 (jiǎnghuà), 开车 (kāichē), 开会 (kāihuì), 看病 (kànbìng), 聊天 (liáotiān), 生气 (shēngqì), 谈话 (tánhuà), 洗澡 (xǐzǎo), 游泳 (yóuyǒng).
-First, you need to understand the structure of separable verbs.  Most separable verbs are a "Verb + Object" (the object is a noun) construct.  One might wonder, then, why there needs to be a separate category called "separable verbs" instead of just thinking of them as a verb and an object.  There are several reasons to think of them as special verbs:
+Slightly less common (but still useful for intermediate learners) separable verbs include: 帮忙 (bāngmáng), 分手 (fēnshǒu), 结婚 (jiéhūn), 请假 (qǐngjià), 离婚 (líhūn), 跑步 (pǎobù), 报名 (bàomíng), 道歉 (dàoqiàn), 散步 (sànbù), 排队 (páiduì).
-# Many separable verbs can't be easily translated into other languages in a way that makes both the verb and the object part clear. For example, 见面 (to meet), and 结婚 (to get married). In these examples, it's just not easy to think of the objects as an object.
+Perhaps the most common examples of separable verbs that beginners first struggle with are 见面 and 睡觉. What makes them especially hard is that the "object" part of each word seem to have no counterpart in English. "Meet face?" "Sleep a sleep?" It all feels very odd.
-# The relationship between the verb and the object in a separable verb pair is very close; adding the object to the verb is sort of the "default form" of the verb, even if the verb part can be used without the object.
-# Separable verbs are a source of frequent errors from learners of Chinese. No matter how you think of them, it's good to give these "words" or "phrases" extra attention to make your Chinese more natural.
-'''The key to using separable verbs correctly is to remember that they are "Verb + Object" constructs.'''  The verb alone must be treated as a verb, and the object cannot be treated as a verb.  It's from this essential relationship that the following principles flow:
+Below we will introduce separable verbs in more detail, provide more examples, and also offer more specific cases which can trip up learners.
-=== Common Examples ===
+=== Using 跟 with Separable Verbs ===
-* 帮忙 (bāngmáng) to help; to do a favor
+A few verbs allow you to effectively add an additional object by using a 跟 (or 和) phrase before the verb.
-帮 is the verb; 面 is the object, meaning "a favor."
-<div class="liju">
+==== Structure ====
-<ul>
-<li class="x">我 可以 <em>帮忙</em> <strong>你</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen dōu kěyǐ <em>bāngmáng</em> <strong>nǐ</strong>.</span></li>
-<li class="o">我们 可以 <em>帮 你</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen kěyǐ <em>bāng nǐ</em>.</span><span class="trans">We can help you.</span></li>
-<li class="o">我们 可以 <em>帮忙</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen kěyǐ <em>bāngmáng</em>.</span><span class="trans">We can do this favor (for you).</span></li>
-</ul>
-If you want to ask someone to do you a favor, use this sentence below:
-<ul>
-<li class="o">你 可以 帮 <em>我</em> <strong>一个 忙</strong> 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ bāng <em>wǒ</em> <strong>yī gè máng</strong> ma?</span><span class="trans">Can you do me a favor?</span></li>
-</ul>
+<div class="jiegou">
+跟 + Person + Verb + Object
 </div>
-* 结婚 (jiéhūn) to get married
+In this pattern, the verb-object construct remains unseparated.
-结 is the verb; 婚 acts as the object, meaning "marriage." You can hear something like "这个婚我不结了", which means "I quit getting married (with someone)", but 婚 cannot be used as a noun very much. So you cannot ask someone "你的婚结了吗?"
-<div class="liju">
-<ul>
-<li class="x">我 想 <em>结婚</em> <strong>她</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <em>jiéhūn</em> <strong>tā</strong>.</span></li>
-<li class="o">我 想 <strong>跟 她</strong> <em>结婚</em> 。<span class="expl">the prepositional phrase, literally "with her," comes before the verb</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <strong>gēn tā</strong> <em>jiéhūn</em>.</span><span class="trans">I want to get married to her.</span></li>
-</ul>
-</div>
-* 聊天 (liáotiān) to talk (about things in general)
+==== Examples ====
-聊 is the verb; 天 acts as the object.
 <div class="liju">
-<ul>
+*我 明天 <strong>跟</strong> 他 <em>见面</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ míngtiān <strong>gēn</strong> tā <em>jiànmiàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'll meet him tomorrow.</span>
-<li class="x">他 很 喜欢 <em>聊天</em> <strong>女生</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā hěn xǐhuan <em>liáotiān</em> <strong>nǚshēng</strong>.</span></li>
+*我 不要 <strong>跟</strong> 她 <em>结婚</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bùyào <strong>gēn</strong> tā <em>jiéhūn</em>.</span><span class="trans">I don't want to marry her.</span>
-<li class="o">他 很 喜欢 <strong>跟 女生</strong> <em>聊天</em> 。<span class="expl">the prepositional phrase, literally "with you," comes before the verb</span><span class="pinyin">Tā hěn xǐhuan <strong>gēn nǚshēng</strong> <em>liáotiān</em>.</span><span class="trans">He loves talking with girls.</span></li>
+*你 还 没有 <strong>跟</strong> 我 <em>道歉</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ hái méiyǒu <strong>跟</strong> wǒ <em>dàoqiàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">You still haven't apologized to me.</span>
-</ul>
-Literally, 天 doesn't mean anything. That is why you need to put a specific object before 聊 to mean "to talk about something."
-<ul>
-<li class="x">爸爸 不 喜欢 <em>聊天</em> <strong>他 的 工作</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Bàba bù xǐhuan <em>liátiān</em> <strong>tā de gōngzuò</strong>.</span>
-<li class="o">爸爸 不 喜欢 <em>聊</em> <strong>他 的 工作</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Bàba bù xǐhuan <em>liáo</em> <strong>tā de gōngzuò</strong>.</span><span class="trans">My father doesn't like to talk about his work.</span></li>
-</ul>
 </div>
-* 创业 (chuàngyè) to start up one's business
+You'll have to learn which separable verbs allow this pattern on a case-by-case basis.
-创 is the verb; 业 is the object.
-<div class="liju">
+=== Where to put 了, 过, 着 with Separable Verbs ===
-<ul>
+Hint: they go after the verb, ''not'' the object.
-<li class="x">我 想 <em>创业</em> <strong>自己 的 公司</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng  <em>chàungyè</em> <strong>zìjǐ de gōngsī</strong>.</span></li>
-<li class="o">我 想 <em>创业</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <em>chàungyè</em>.</span><span class="trans">I want to start up my own business.</span></li>
-</ul>
-If you mean to say "to launch a company" or "to set up your business," use this sentence below:
+==== Structure ====
-<ul>
-<li class="o">我 想 <em>开</em> <strong>公司</strong>  。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <em>kāi</em> <strong>gōngsī</strong><em></em>.</span><span class="trans">I want to lunch my business.</span></li>
-</ul>
+<div class="jiegou">
+Verb + 了 / 过 / 着 + Object
 </div>
-== Where to put 了, 过, 着 ==
+==== Examples ====
-=== Examples ===
+见面  (jiànmiàn)
-* 见面  (jiànmiàn)
 <div class="liju">
-*我们 昨天 <em>见</em> <strong>了</strong> <em>面</em> 。<span class="expl">separated, 了 inserted</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zuótiān <em>jiàn</em> <strong>le</strong> <em>miàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">We've met yesterday.</span>
+*我们 昨天 <em>见</em> <strong>了</strong> <em>面</em> 。<span class="expl">separated, 了 inserted</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zuótiān <em>jiàn</em> <strong>le</strong> <em>miàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">We met yesterday.</span>
 *我们 <em>见</em> <strong>过</strong> <em>面</em> 。<span class="expl">separated, 过 inserted</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>jiàn</em> <strong>guo</strong> <em>miàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">We've met.</span>
 </div>
-* 开会 (kāihuì)
+开会 (kāihuì)
 <div class="liju">
-*我们 早上 <em>开</em> <strong>了</strong> <em>会</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zǎoshang <em>kāi</em> <strong>le</strong> <em>huì</em>.</span><span class="trans">We had a meeting this morning.</span>
+*我们 早上 <em>开</em> <strong>了</strong> <em>会</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zǎoshang <em>kāi</em> <strong>le</strong> <em>huì</em>.</span><span class="trans">We had a meeting in the morning.</span>
 *你们 <em>开</em> <strong>过</strong> <em>会</em> 了 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen <em>kāi</em> <strong>guo</strong> <em>huì</em> le ma?</span><span class="trans">Have you had the meeting yet?</span>
-*我们 <em>开</em> <strong>着</strong> <em>会</em> 呢 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>kāi</em> <strong>zhe</strong> <em>huì</em> ne.</span><span class="trans">We're having a meeting right now.</span>
+*我们 正 <em>开</em> <strong>着</strong> <em>会</em> 呢 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zhèng <em>kāi</em> <strong>zhe</strong> <em>huì</em> ne.</span><span class="trans">We're having a meeting right now.</span>
 </div>
-* 吃饭 (chīfàn)
+吃饭 (chīfàn)
 <div class="liju">
-*他 昨天 来 我家 了 ，还 <em>吃</em> <strong>了</strong> <em>饭</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā zuótiān lái wǒ jiā le, hái <em>chī</em> <strong>le</strong> <em>fàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">He came to my house yesterday and he ate a meal with us.</span>
+*他 昨天 来 我 家 了 ，还 <em>吃</em> <strong>了</strong> <em>饭</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā zuótiān lái wǒ jiā le, hái <em>chī</em> <strong>le</strong> <em>fàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">He came to my house yesterday and he ate a meal with us.</span>
 *他 <em>吃</em> <strong>过</strong> <em>饭</em> 了 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>chī</em> <strong>guo</strong> <em>fàn</em> le ma?</span><span class="trans">Has he eaten yet?</span>
-*他 <em>吃</em> <strong>着</strong> <em>饭</em> 呢 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>chī</em> <strong>zhe</strong> <em>fàn</em> ne.</span><span class="trans">He's eating a meal right now.</span>
+*他 正 <em>吃</em> <strong>着</strong> <em>饭</em> 呢 。<span class="pinyin">Tā zhèng <em>chī</em> <strong>zhe</strong> <em>fàn</em> ne.</span><span class="trans">He's eating a meal right now.</span>
 </div>
-''Note: unlike the particles 过 and 着, the particle 了 is especially tricky, and it can also appear after the object. So it can be correct in multiple places.''
+''Note: unlike the particles 过 and 着, the particle 了 is especially tricky, and [[Advanced "le" after an object|it can also appear after the object]]. So it can be correct in multiple places.''
+=== Where to Put Measure Words with Separable Verbs ===
+You guessed it: they go after the verb, ''not'' the object.
-== Where to Put Measure Words ==
+==== Structure ====
-=== Examples ===
+<div class="jiegou">
+Verb + [Measure Word Phrase] + Object
+</div>
-* 见面 (jiànmiàn)
+==== Examples ====
+见面 (jiànmiàn)
 <div class="liju">
@@ Line 162: / Line 139: @@
 </div>
-* 吃饭 (chīfàn)
+吃饭 (chīfàn)
 <div class="liju">
-*我们 一起 <em>吃</em> 过 <strong>几 次</strong> <em>饭</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen yīqǐ <em>chī</em> guo <strong>jǐ cì</strong> <em>fàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">When you're available, let's go out for dinner.</span>
+*我们 一起 <em>吃</em> 过 <strong>几 次</strong> <em>饭</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen yīqǐ <em>chī</em> guo <strong>jǐ cì</strong> <em>fàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">We've had several meals together.</span>
-*老板 请 大家 <em>吃</em> 了 <strong>一 顿</strong> <em>饭</em>  。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn qǐng dàjiā chī<em>le</em> <strong>yī dùn</strong> <em>fàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">The boss invited everyone to dinner.</span>
+*老板 请 大家 <em>吃</em> 了 <strong>一 顿</strong> <em>饭</em>  。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn qǐng dàjiā <em>chī</em> le <strong>yī dùn</strong> <em>fàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">The boss treated everyone to dinner.</span>
 </div>
-* 睡觉 (shuìjiào)
+睡觉 (shuìjiào)
 <div class="liju">
-*晚安！<em>睡</em> <strong>个</strong> <em>好 觉</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǎn'ān! <em>Shuì</em> <strong>gè</strong> <em>hǎo jiào</em>.</span><span class="trans">Good night! I hope you can have some good sleep.</span>
+*晚安！<em>睡</em> <strong>个</strong> <em>好 觉</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǎn'ān! <em>Shuì</em> <strong>gè</strong> <em>hǎo jiào</em>.</span><span class="trans">Good night! I hope you have a good sleep.</span>
 *昨晚 我 只 <em>睡</em> 了 <strong>两 个 小时</strong> <em>觉</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zuówǎn wǒ zhǐ <em>shuì</em> le <strong>liǎng gè xiǎoshí</strong> <em>jiào</em>.</span><span class="trans">I only slept two hours last night.</span>
 </div>
-== How to Reduplicate ==
+=== How to Reduplicate Separable Verbs ===
-[[Verb reduplication|Reduplication]] is a way to express the casual nature of a verb, or that it happens only briefly. When it comes to separable verbs, ''only the verb part reduplicates''.
+[[Verb reduplication|Reduplication]] is a way to express the casual nature of a verb or that it happens only briefly. When it comes to separable verbs, ''only the verb part reduplicates.''
-=== Examples ===
+==== Structure ====
+<div class="jiegou">
+Verb + Verb + Object
+</div>
+==== Examples ====
 <div class="liju">
 <ul>
-<li class="o">见 <em>见</em> 面<span class="pinyin">jiàn <em>jiàn</em> miàn</span></li>
+<li class="o">见<em>见</em> 面<span class="pinyin">jiàn<em>jian</em> miàn</span></li>
-<li class="x">见 <strong>面</strong> 见面<span class="expl">面 is the object; it should not be repeated.)</span><span class="pinyin">jiàn <strong>miàn</strong> jiànmiàn</span></li>
+<li class="o">吃<em>吃</em> 饭<span class="pinyin">chī<em>chi</em> fàn</span></li>
+<li class="o">聊<em>聊</em> 天<span class="pinyin">liáo<em>liao</em> tiān</span></li>
 </ul>
 <ul>
-<li class="o">吃 <em>吃</em> 饭<span class="pinyin">chī <em>chī</em> fàn</span></li>
+<li class="x">吃 <strong>饭</strong> 吃饭<span class="expl">饭 is the object; it should not be repeated.</span><span class="pinyin">chī <strong>fàn</strong> chīfàn</span></li>
-<li class="x">吃 <strong>饭</strong> 吃饭<span class="expl">饭 is the object; it should not be repeated.)</span><span class="pinyin">chī <strong>fàn</strong> chīfàn</span></li>
+<li class="x">聊 <strong>天</strong> 聊天<span class="expl">天 is the object; it should not be repeated.</span><span class="pinyin">liáo <strong>tiān</strong> liáotiān</span></li>
 </ul>
+</div>
+Note that you can't put 一下 after separable verbs to express that it happened briefly.
+<div class="liju">
 <ul>
-<li class="o">聊 <em>聊</em> 天<span class="pinyin">liáo <em>liáo</em> tiān</span></li>
+<li class="x">见面 <strong>一下</strong><span class="pinyin">jiànmiàn <strong>yīxià</strong></span></li>
-<li class="x">聊 <strong>天</strong> 聊天<span class="expl">天 is the object; it should not be repeated.</span><span class="pinyin">liáo <strong>tiān</strong> liáotiān</span> </li>
 </ul>
 </div>
-Note that separable verbs can't used with 一下 to express it happens briefly.
+== Common Examples and Common Mistakes with Separable Verbs ==
+'''帮忙 (bāngmáng) to help; to do a favor.''' 帮 is the verb; 忙 is the object, meaning "a favor."
 <div class="liju">
 <ul>
-<li class="x">见面 <strong>一下</strong><span class="pinyin">jiànmiàn <strong>yīxià</strong></span></li>
+<li class="x">我们 可以 <em>帮忙</em> 你 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen kěyǐ <em>bāngmáng</em> nǐ.</span></li>
-<li class="x">散步 <strong>一下</strong><span class="pinyin">sànbù <strong>yīxià</strong></span></li>
+<li class="o">我们 可以 <em>帮 你</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen kěyǐ <em>bāng nǐ</em>.</span><span class="trans">We can help you.</span></li>
+<li class="o">我们 可以 <em>帮忙</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen kěyǐ <em>bāngmáng</em>.</span><span class="trans">We can do (you) this favor.</span></li>
+</ul>
+If you want to ask someone to do you a favor, check this out:
+<ul>
+<li class="o">你 可以 <em>帮</em> 我 <strong>一个 忙</strong> 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ <em>bāng</em> wǒ <strong>yī gè máng</strong> ma?</span><span class="trans">Can you do me a favor?</span></li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+'''结婚 (jiéhūn) to get married.''' 结 is the verb; 婚 acts as the object, meaning "marriage." However, 婚 cannot typically be used as a noun by itself.
+<div class="liju">
+<ul>
+<li class="x">我 想 <em>结婚</em> 她 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <em>jiéhūn</em> tā.</span></li>
+<li class="o">我 想 <strong>跟</strong> 她 <em>结婚</em> 。<span class="expl">the prepositional phrase, literally "with her," comes before the verb</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng <strong>gēn</strong> tā <em>jiéhūn</em>.</span><span class="trans">I want to get married to her.</span></li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+'''聊天 (liáotiān) to chat; to talk (about things in general).''' 聊 is the verb; 天 acts as the object.
+<div class="liju">
+<ul>
+<li class="x">他 很 喜欢 <em>聊天</em> 女生 。<span class="pinyin">Tā hěn xǐhuan <em>liáotiān</em> nǚshēng.</span></li>
+<li class="o">他 很 喜欢 <em>聊</em> 女生 。<span class="pinyin">Tā hěn xǐhuan <em>liáo</em> nǚshēng.</span><span class="trans">He loves talking about girls.</span></li>
+<li class="o">他 很 喜欢 <strong>跟</strong> 女生 <em>聊天</em> 。<span class="expl">the prepositional phrase, literally "with you," comes before the verb</span><span class="pinyin">Tā hěn xǐhuan <strong>gēn</strong> nǚshēng <em>liáotiān</em>.</span><span class="trans">He loves talking with girls.</span></li>
+</ul>
+Literally, 天 doesn't mean anything. The object needs to be something specific if you want to make the topic  clear.
+<ul>
+<li class="x">爸爸 不 喜欢 <em>聊天</em> 他 的 工作 。<span class="pinyin">Bàba bù xǐhuan <em>liáotiān</em> tā de gōngzuò.</span>
+<li class="o">爸爸 不 喜欢 <em>聊</em> 他 的 工作 。<span class="pinyin">Bàba bù xǐhuan <em>liáo</em> tā de gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">My father doesn't like to talk about his work.</span></li>
 </ul>
 </div>
+== Why Use Them ==
+If separable verbs are simply verb-object phrases, then why the special name? It's because there are some special features of Chinese verb-object phrases worth special attention, and the name "separable verbs" helps call attention to this. Mastering separable verbs can be a little tricky and is an essential objective of the intermediate ([[B1]]) level learner of Chinese.
+Separable verbs are just one of those things you can't avoid.  Many extremely common verbs, such as "to sleep" (睡觉) or "to meet" (见面) are separable verbs, and until you understand which verbs are separable verbs and how they work, you'll forever be making mistakes with these words, even in very basic sentences. In addition, you will continue to encounter new separable verbs, and being already familiar with the concept makes mastering new words much easier.
 == Academic debate ==
 There is some debate as to how useful the concept of separable verbs really is.  For our purposes, we're only concerned with whether or not separable verbs are a useful concept ''for the student of Mandarin Chinese''.  Many learners do, in fact, find the concept to be quite useful in helping them speak more natural Chinese.
+== See also ==
+* [[List of separable verbs]] (categorized by difficulty level)
 == Sources and further reading ==
@@ Line 220: / Line 258: @@
 === Books ===
+{{Source|HSK Standard Course 4上|83}}
 {{Source|Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册)|208}}
 {{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)|16-7}}
@@ Line 232: / Line 271: @@
 * Sinosplice.com: [http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2008/10/13/syntactic-anguish-of-the-verb-object-modifier-variety Syntactic Anguish of the Verb-Object-Modifier Variety]
 * ChinesePod (free content): [http://chinesepod.com/lessons/separable-verbs Qing Wen - Separable Verbs]
-* Chinesegrammar.info: [http://chinesegrammar.info/vocabulary/bang-and-bang-mang/ A look into the seperable verb 帮忙 by comparing it to 帮.]
 * Mandarin Friend: [https://mandarinfriend.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/separable-verbs-a-misleading-concept-for-chinese-learners/ “Separable Verbs” – A Misleading and Unnecessary Concept]
 [[Category:Verbs]]
+{{HSK|HSK4}}
-{{Basic Grammar|none|B1|Verb-Obj.|我们 <em>见 过 面</em> 。|grammar point|ASG4GVRX}}
+{{Basic Grammar|none|B1|Verb-Obj.|我们 <em>见</em> 过 <em>面</em> 。|grammar point|ASG4GVRX}}
-{{POS|Verb phrases}}
 {{Used for|Describing actions}}
 {{Used for|Referring to past experiences}}
@@ Line 244: / Line 281: @@
 {{Used for|Referring to the past}}
 {{Used for|Referring to the present}}
+{{POS|Verbs}}
+{{Subprop|Verb phrases}}