Using "ba" sentences

Also known as: 把字句 (Bǎzì Jù), 把 construction, disposal construction, preposition 把 and pre-transitive 把.

The 把 sentence is a useful structure for focusing on the result or influence of an action. It's really common in Mandarin, but can feel a bit strange for English speakers at first.

How to form a 把 sentence

Basic 把 sentences

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

我 吃了 馒头。

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

Subject + 把 + Object + Verb

So you now have SOV word order

我 把 馒头 吃下了。

You might notice that another character, 下, crept in after the verb. This is because 把 sentences are used for describing what happened to the object. In other words, there always has to be something else after the verb:

Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + Something else

This is often described as the disposal of the object, which might sound a bit fancy but we'll use it for convenience here. As well as the verb, you need to indicate that the action was completed and applied to the object. In the example above 下 indicates this 'disposal'.

The idea of disposal will be covered in more detailed below. For now just remember that a 把 sentence must describe what happened to the object in the end. A useful way of thinking about it is that 把 is similar to saying "What I did with ... was ... " or "What happened to ... was ..."

More examples

Basic 把 sentences

Subject	把	Object	Verb	Disposal
我	把	那 本 书	放	在 桌子 上	。
你	把	你的作业	做	好	。
他	把	我的 钱包	偷	走 了	。
她	把	我的车	修	好了	。
您	把	您的 姓名	写	下来	。

Negating 把 sentences

To negate a 把 sentence, insert 不 (present) 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.

Negating 把 sentences

Subject	Negative	把	Object	Verb	Disposal
我	没有	把	你的 电脑	弄	坏	。
你	不要	把	我的 啤酒	喝	完	。
他	没	把	钥匙	拿	起来	。
她	没有	把	她的 房间	收拾	干净	。

Adverbs in 把 sentences

Adverbs can usually be placed before 把 or before the verb (the exception is negative adverbs, as described above).

把 sentences with adverbs

Subject	Adverb	把	Object	Adverb	Verb	Disposal
我们	都	把	作业		做	完了	。
我们		把	作业	都	做	完了	。
(Note the subtle difference in meaning between the two sentences above.)
他	不在意地	把	我的 秘密		告诉	别人 了	。
她		把	茶	慢慢地	喝	完了	。

When to use a 把 sentence

• 'What did you do?' vs 'What did you do with...?'

Known object

• Definiteness
• Generic things

Subjects and verbs for 把 sentences

Verb must indicate result

• Single character verbs can't be used alone

把 sentences and complements

• No potential complements
• Result complements prefer 把
• Direction complements prefer 把

Other rules for 把 sentences

• No 过 particle

Other uses of 把

Measure word for things with handles

Sources and further reading

Books

• Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 463 - 492)
• 外国人实用汉语语法(中英文对照) (pp. 461 - 470)
• 简明汉语语法学习手册 (pp. 167 - 181)

Websites

• Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): 把 Construction
• CTCFL (Oxford): The 把 Construction
• Mandarin Online: 把字句