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. This is incorrect - 和 can only link nouns. Just place one verb after another.

Examples

• 我们 去 咖啡店 喝 咖啡 了。Let's go to the cafe and drink coffee.
• 我 要 回家 吃饭。I want to go home and eat.
• 他 不 去 图书馆 看书。He does not go to the library and read.
• 我 想 回 家 睡觉。
• 你 要 去 超市 买 东西 吗？
• 你 给 他 打电话 告诉 他 了 吗？
• 我 要 打电话 订 位子。
• 我 要 上网 买 机票。
• 我 下周 去 越南 旅行。
• 她 的 工作 就 是 买 菜 做 饭。

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