Actions in a row

Linking actions together in a sentence is very straightforward. There is no new word or phrase needed!

Structure

In Chinese it's very easy to describe two actions in a row. Simply place one verb phrase after another, in this structure:

Subject + Verb Phrase 1 + Verb Phrase 2

No connecting word is needed. A common mistake in the early stages of learning Chinese is to try and link verbs with 和 (hé). This is incorrect - 和 (hé) can only link nouns. Just place one verb after another.

Examples

• 我们 去 咖啡店 喝 咖啡 吧 。 Wǒmen qù kāfēidiàn hē kāfēi bā. Let's go to the cafe and drink coffee.
• 我 要 回 家 吃 饭 。 Wǒ yào huí jiā chī fàn. I want to go home and eat.
• 他 不 去 图书馆 看 书 。 Tā bù qù túshūguǎn kàn shū. He does not go to the library and read.
• 我 想 去 海南 看 海 。 Wǒ xiǎng qù hǎinán kàn hǎi. I want to go to Hainan and see the sea.
• 你 要 去 超市 买 东西 吗 ？ Nǐ yào qù chāoshì mǎi dōngxī ma? Do you want to go to the supermarket to buy things?
• 你 打 电话 告诉 他 了 吗 ？ Nǐ dǎ diànhuà gàosu tā le ma? Did you call him and tell him?
• 我 要 打 电话 订 位子 。 Wǒ yào dǎ diànhuà dìng wèi zi. I want to call to make the reservation.
• 我 要 上网 买 机票 。 Wǒ yào shàngwǎng mǎi jīpiào. I will use the internet to buy airplane tickets.
• 我 下周 去 美国 旅行 。 Wǒ xiàzhōu qù Měiguó lǚxíng. Next week I go to U.S. to travel.
• 周末 我 需要 买 菜 做 饭 。 Zhōumò wǒ xūyào mǎi cài zuò fàn. I need to buy food to cook on the weekend.

Note that the English translations of these sentences use the word "and", but there is no equivalent to it in Chinese.

See also

• Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu"
• Sequencing with "xian" and "zai"

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) （pp. 477-484) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 207-8) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 384-5)→buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 125)→buy