Expressing "together" with "yiqi"

If you want to express that you are doing something together with someone else, 一起 (yīqǐ) is your word! 一起 (yīqǐ) is used when you are describing an action you did, or are going to do with another person. It is a helpful word and structure to know, everyone loves some company after all, right?

Note: The pinyin for 一起 is written "yīqǐ" but pronounced "yìqǐ" due to a tone change rule.

Structure

一起 (yīqǐ) is the easiest way to express an action being done together with other people.

[Plural subj.] + 一起 + Verb + Obj.

The subject must be plural - a plural noun or two or more nouns linked with a conjunction. You can't do things together on your own, after all.

Examples

• 我们 一起 吃饭 。 Wǒmen yīqǐ chīfàn. Let's eat together.
• 我 跟 我 爸爸 一起 喝 啤酒 。 Wǒ gēn wǒ bàba yīqǐ hē píjiǔ. My dad and I drink beer together.
• 他 和 他 姐姐 一起 旅游 。 Tā hé tā jiějie yīqǐ lǚyóu. He and his sister travel together.
• 我 和 同事 一起 开会 。 Wǒ hé tóngshì yīqǐ kāihuì. My co-worker and I hold a meeting together.
• 这 两 个 公司 一起 做 这个 产品 。 Zhè liǎng gè gōngsī yīqǐ zuò zhège chǎnpǐn. These two businesses made this product together.
• 你 和 他 一起 来 我 家 吧 。 Nǐ hé tā yīqǐ lái wǒ jiā ba. You and him can come to my home together.
• 我们 一起 坐 地铁 上班 。 Wǒmen yīqǐ zuò dìtiě shàngbān. We take the metro together to work.
• 我 和 我 的 女儿 一起 学 中文 。 Wǒ hé wǒ de nǚ’ér yīqǐ xué Zhōngwén. My daughter and I study Chinese together.
• 我 不 想 和 他 一起 住 。 Wǒ bù xiǎng hé tā yīqǐ zhù. I don't want to live together with him.
• 他 的 同事 不 喜欢 和 他 一起 工作 。 Tā de tóngshì bù xǐhuan hé tā yīqǐ gōngzuò. His co-worker doesn't like to work together with him.

See also

• Using "gen"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (p. 84, p88)→buy
• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 74-5) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 14-5) →buy