Using "ba" sentences

Also known as: 把字句 ("bǎ"zìjù), 把 construction, preposition 把, disposal construction and pre-transitive 把.

The 把 (bǎ) sentence is a useful structure for constructing longer sentences which focus on the result or influence of an action. One of its key features is that it brings the object of the verb closer to the front of the sentence and precedes it with a 把. It's really common in Mandarin but can feel a bit awkward at first for English speakers.

What is a 把 sentence?

A basic sentence in Mandarin is formed with a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, as in English:

Subj. + [Verb Phrase] + Obj.

A 把 sentence shakes things up a bit, and you get this structure:

Subj. + 把 + Obj. + [Verb Phrase]

Note that the object has moved, and is preceded by 把. You now have SOV word order.

This is all well and good, but most students of Chinese, on learning about 把 sentences for the first time, have the same reaction: "Why the heck would I ever use this structure? The SVO word order always works just fine, right?" The answer is: well, no... not always. It's true that 把 sentences are often used to achieve somewhat subtle differences in emphasis, but there are also very good reasons to use 把 sentences when a regular sentence just won't do. Take this sentence for example:

• 把 书 放 在 桌子 上 。Bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shàng.Put the book on the table.

How would you say this without the 把 construction? You might try this:

• 放 书 在 桌子 上 。Fàng shū zài zhuōzi shàng.

The problem is that the above Chinese sentence is not grammatical. You can't put an object right after a verb, and then put other modifiers of the verb after the object. Here are other examples of how to successfully use 把 and 放 in the same sentence.

• 她 把 我 的 手机 放 在 她 的 包 里 了 。Tā bǎ wǒ de shǒujī fàng zài tā de bāo lǐ le.She put my cell phone in her bag.
• 他 把 脏 衣服 放 在 床 下面 了 。Tā bǎ zāng yīfu fàng zài chuáng xiàmiàn le.He put his dirty laundry under the bed.
• 你 是 不 是 把 护照 放 在 行李箱 里 了 ？Nǐ shì bu shì bǎ hùzhào fàng zài xínglixiāng lǐ le?Did you put your passport in your suitcase?

For each of these, the sentence would be ungrammatical if you tried to do away with the 把 and put the object right after the verb.

Key Things to Keep in Mind When Using 把

• The object should be known. So it has already been mentioned or discussed previously.
• 把字句 are most often used to describe what happened to the object in some detail. The verb is not just "bare"; there's "more stuff" after it. Often the "stuff" is related to some kind of manipulation of the object.
• 把字句 are not tied to any particular time. You can use them when talking about events in the past, or for making a request.

把 Sentences with Two Objects

The usual structure for 把 sentences, as described above, puts the object right after 把. For certain verbs, however, you can have two objects in a 把 sentence. Their use in a 把 sentence will also involve prepositions.

They use the following structure:

Subj. + 把 + Obj. 1 + Verb + 给 + Obj. 2

Common verbs that take two objects include: 送 (sòng), 拿 (ná), 递 (dì), 卖 (mài), 借 (jiè), 还 (huán), 介绍 (jièshào).

Some examples:

Subject	把	Object 1	Verb	Preposition	Object 2
我们	把	礼物	送	给	客人	了	。
	把	盐	递	给	我		。
他	把	房子	卖	给	谁	了	？
我	把	他	介绍	给	我 老板	了	。

把 Sentences with Complements

Because 把 sentences are all about "doing stuff" to the object, and complements in Mandarin often handle this issue, it's good to be aware of how these two grammar features interact.

Result complements work particularly well in 把 sentences. When you consider that both structures deal with the result or outcome of an action, this makes sense. The majority of result complements (except for perception verbs) fit in very well in a 把 construction. For example:

• 我 把 作业 做 完 了 。Wǒ bǎ zuòyè zuò wán le.I finished doing my homework.
• 老师 把 我 的 名字 读 错 了 。Lǎoshī bǎ wǒ de míngzì dú cuò le.The teacher read my name wrong.

Direction complements also work well in 把 constructions, for similar reasons. For example:

• 请 把 客人 带 进去 。Qǐng bǎ kèrén dài jìnqù.Please take the guests inside.
• 把 我 的 眼镜 拿 过来 。Bǎ wǒ de yǎnjìng ná guòlái.Please bring my glasses over here.

Note that potential complements do not appear in 把 sentences. This is because they are hypothetical, whereas a 把 sentence must describe what actually happens.

Forming 把 Sentences

Negating 把 Sentences

To negate a 把 sentence, insert 不要 or 别 (present or future) or 没有 (past) directly in front of 把. You can't put it after 把, 'inside' the 把 construction, as this would break the rule about describing what happened to the object. It would be like saying "What happened to ... was nothing." It doesn't sound natural.

A few examples:

Subject	Negative	把	Object	Verb Phrase
阿姨	没有	把	房间	打扫 干净	。
我	没	把	钱	借给 他	。
你们	不要	把	这 件 事	告诉 她	。

Question Forms of 把 Sentences

You can make 把 sentences into questions in the usual three ways to form questions in Mandarin:

• With a question particle
• With a question word
• With positive-negative verbs

Some examples:

• 你们 把 那个 问题 解决 了 吗 ？Nǐmen bǎ nàge wèntí jiějué le ma?Did you solve that problem?
• 你 把 我 手机 放 在哪儿 了 ？Nǐ bǎ wǒ shǒujī fàng zài nǎr le?Where did you put my cell phone?
• 他 把 钱 借 给 谁 了 ？Tā bǎ qián jiè gěi shéi le?Who did he lend the money to?
• 你 能不能 把 你 房间 打扫 干净 ？Nǐ néng bu néng bǎ nǐ fángjiān dǎsǎo gānjìng?Can you clean your room or not?

Be careful how you form questions with 把 sentences though. Remember that you have to have a definite object, and you have to describe the disposal of that object. A question form could easily get in the way of one of these conditions.

Adverbs in 把 Sentences

Adverbs can usually be placed before 把 or before the verb (the exception is negative adverbs, as described above). Adverbs in each of these positions can change the meaning in slightly different ways, as demonstrated with 都 in the examples below. In the first sentence, 我们都把作业做完了, 都 modifies 我们 to make "We all finished the homework." In the second sentence, 都 modifies 咖啡 to make "He finished all the coffee".

Some examples:

Subj.	Adv.	把	Object	Adv.	Verb Phrase
我们	都	把	作业		做 完 了	。
他		把	咖啡	都	喝 完 了	。
他	已经	把	钱		还给 我 了	。
我	可能	把	手机		忘 在 朋友 家 了	。

(Note the subtle difference in meaning between the first two sentences.)

把 Sentences and Quantity Phrase

As mentioned above, the object of a 把 sentence must be something specific and definite. This might involve noun measure words, which will come after the 把 and before the object.

Some examples:

Subject	把	Quantity Phrase	Noun	Verb Phrase
我	把	那 两 件	脏 衣服	洗 干净 了	。
他	把	最后 三 块	蛋糕	吃 完 了	。
你	把	这 几 句	话	读 一下	。

Verb measure words are frequently used in 把 sentences and come at the end of a 把 sentence.

Some examples:

Subject	把	Object	Verb	Quantity Phrase
	把	课文	读	一 遍	。
她	把	这个 字	写 了	十 遍	。
他	把	手机	摔坏 过	两 三 次	。

Note that in all of these sentences, the object is something specific and definite.

Verbs for 把 Sentences

Some verbs generally can't indicate what happened to the object. They only describe what the subject did. Below are some examples of verbs that do not generally work in 把 sentences.

Psychological verbs: 爱 (ài) "to love," 喜欢 (xǐhuan) "to like," 想 (xiǎng) "to miss," 了解 (liǎojiě) "to know well," 害怕 (hàipà) "to fear," 恨 (hèn ) "to hate."

Perception verbs: 看 (kàn) "to look at," 听 (tīng) "to listen to," 闻 (wén) "to smell," 像 (xiàng) "to resemble."

Other Use of 把

It's important to note that 把 is a word with other uses. The most common is as a measure word for things with handles, or things that you hold. Examples include 一把伞 ("an umbrella"), 一把枪 ("a gun"), and 一把椅子 ("a chair"). So, you've got to look at how 把 is being used in a sentence before you can understand its meaning.

To demonstrate the difference, here's a sentence with both kinds of 把:

• 请 你 把 那 把 伞 拿 给 我 。Qǐng nǐ bǎ nà bǎ sǎn ná gěi wǒ.Please give me that umbrella.

See also

• Result complement
• Direction complement
• Bei sentence
• Aspect particles

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 461-70) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 53-4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 159-64) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 167-81) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 3-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 142-4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 225-7, 321-3) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 463-92) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 354-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 41-2, 88) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 15, 51, 101-2) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 369-70, 384, 398-9) [ →buy]

Websites

• Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): 把 Construction
• CTCFL (Oxford): The 把 Construction
• ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Magic Word 把 (free podcast content)
• ChinesePod: Qing Wen - 把 Humbug (free podcast content)
• FluentU: The Definite Guide to the Chinese Ba Construction
• Mandarin Online: 把字句
• Just Learn Chinese (blog): Lesson 10 How to understand and use Chinese sentence pattern “…把…”?