Expressing "and also" with "hai"

In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate and different actions. We can do the same thing in Chinese by using 还 (hái).

Structure

The adverb 还 (hái) can be used to link two phrases together, in a similar way to "and also" in English. In this case, 还 (hái) begins a new phrase or clause.

Subj. + Verb + Obj. 1， 还 + Verb + Obj. 2

Examples

• 她 有 一 个 弟弟， 还 有 一 个 妹妹。Tā yǒu yī ge dìdi, hái yǒu yī ge mèimei.She has a younger brother.She also has a younger sister.
• 我老板 会 说 法语，还 会 说 日语。Wǒlǎobǎn huì shuō Fǎyǔ, hái huì shuō Rìyǔ.My boss can speak French.He can also speak Japanese.
• 我 想 吃 冰淇淋，还 想 吃 汉堡。Wǒ xiǎng chī bīngqílín, hái xiǎng chī qiǎokèlì.I want to eat ice cream, I also want to eat chocolate.
• 我 要 一 杯 咖啡， 还 要 一 个 蛋糕。Wǒ yào yībēi kāfēi, hái yào yīgè dàngāo.I want a cup of coffee, I also want cake.
• 他 是 我 的 爸爸，还 是 我 的 朋友。Tā shì wǒ de bàba, hái shì wǒ de péngyou.He is my father, he is also my friend.
• 妈妈 做 了 四 个 菜，还 做 了 一 个 汤。Māmā zuòle sì gè cài, hái zuòle yīgè tāng.My mom made four dishes, she also made soup.
• 我 请 了 ，还 买 了 菜。Wǒ mǎile ròu, hái mǎile cài.I bought meat, I also bought vegetables.
• 我 想 去 北京，还 想 去 成都。Wǒ xiǎng qù Běijīng, hái xiǎng qù Chéngdū.I want to go to Beijing, I also want to go to Chengdu.
• 我 喝 了 白酒，还 喝 了 啤酒。Wǒ hēle báijiǔ, hái hēle píjiǔ.I drank wine, I also drank beer.
• 我 喜欢 吃 苹果，还 喜欢 吃 香蕉。Wǒ xǐhuan chī píngguǒ, hái xǐhuan chī xiāngjiāo.I like apples, I also like bananas.

Also with 也 (yě)

It should be noted that another common way to express "also" is with the word 也 (yě). What's the difference? With 还 (hái), ONE subject is doing TWO different things, whereas when 也 (yě) is used, TWO subjects are doing ONE thing.

It's the difference between these two English sentences:

• He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
• She washed the dishes too.

If you translated these into Chinese, the first one (one subject, two actions) would use 还 (hái), and the second one (second subject, no new actions) would use 也 (yě).

See also

• Continuation with "hai"
• "In addition" with "zaishuo"
• "In addition" as "lingwai"
• Expressing "in addition" with "haiyou"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 87) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (p. 251) →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (p. 198) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 73)→buy