Conjunction
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\r\nConjunctions in Chinese do exactly what they do in English: connect things. They help make the transition between ideas smoother and also show the relationships between those ideas.\r\n==Characteristics==\r\nConjunctions can be used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and even entire sentences. They themselves cannot act as sentence elements. Instead, they come between the elements to connect them in some way. Unlike English, Chinese conjunctions need to have something next to them, so they cannot just be at the end of the sentence, as sometimes happens in English. Unlike adjectives and verbs, conjunctions are not reduplicated.\r\n==Functions==\r\nAs said above, conjunctions connect ideas and can show the relationship between them. Some of the more commonly expressed relationships include coordination (and), causality (so), condition (because), supposition (if), alternation (or), and succession (then). Less common relationships include inference, transition, concession, enumeration, and progression.\r\n==See Also==
- Different ways to say 'and' (depending on the context)
- Different ways to say 'if' (depending on the context)
- Different ways to say 'or' (depending on the context)\r\n== Grammar Patterns for Conjunctions==
A1 Conjunctions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "and" with "he" | Noun 1 + 和 + Noun 2 | 我 和 他 都 不 去。 |
| Offering choices with "haishi" | A + 还是 + B ? | 你 要 喝 茶 还是 咖啡 ? |
A2 Conjunctions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "or" in statements | ⋯⋯或者⋯⋯ | 我 想 去 青岛 或者 南京。 |
| Expressing "with" with "gen" | 跟⋯⋯ + Verb | 你 要 跟 我 一起 去 吗？ |
| The filler word "neige" | ⋯⋯那个⋯⋯ | 那个⋯⋯你 可以 做 我 的 女 朋友 吗？ |
| Two words for "but" | ……，可是 / 但是…… | 我 喜欢 他，可是/但是 他 不 喜欢 我。 |
B1 Conjunctions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A softer "but" with "buguo" | ⋯⋯ ，不过 ⋯⋯ | 他 的 汉语 口语 不错 ，不过 不 认识 汉字 。 |
| Expressing "how about" with "yaobu" | Reason / Situation，要不 + Suggestion + 吧 | 下雨 了，要不 明天 再 去 吧 。 |
| Expressing "in addition" with "haiyou" | ⋯⋯ ，还有 ，⋯⋯ | 你 需要 吃 药 。还有，要 多 休息 。 |
| Expressing "in addition" with "lingwai" | ⋯⋯ ，另外 ，⋯⋯ | 希望 你 不要 再 迟到 了。另外，你 应该 穿 得 正式 一点 。 |
| Expressing "in addition" with "zaishuo" | ⋯⋯ ，再说 ，⋯⋯ | 这么 晚 ，别 走 了 。再说 ，外面 还 在 下雨 。 |
| Expressing "then…" with "name" | 那么⋯⋯ | 他 不 听 ，那 我 应该 怎么办 ？ |
| Using "lai" to connect two verb phrases | 通过 / 用 + Method + 来 + Verb Phrase | 用 这 种 方法 来 赚钱 ，真 丢人 。 |
B2 Conjunctions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "and then" with "yushi" | ⋯⋯ ，于是 ⋯⋯ | 他 实在 太 懒 了 ，于是 老板 把 他 辞 了 。 |
| Using "er" to explain contrasting ideas | Sentence 1， + 而 + Sentence 2 | 以后 后悔 的 人 不 是 我，而 是 你 自己。 |
C1 Conjunctions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| "In order to avoid" with "yimian" | 以免 + Verb Phrase | 这儿 有 高压电线，请 不要 靠近，以免 发生 危险。 |
| Expressing "as well as" with "yiji" | Subj. + 何必 + Predicate | A ，B + 以及 + C |
| Expressing "in short" with "zongzhi" | （⋯⋯ ，）总之 ，⋯⋯ | 不管 他 的 理由 是 什么 ，总之 ，我 不会 再 相信 他 了 。 |
| Indicating contrast with "ze" | Clause 1，+ 则 + Clause 2 | 南方 人 喜欢 吃 甜 的 东西，北方 人 则 喜欢 吃 咸 的 东西。 |
\r\n== Sources and further reading ==\r\n* A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 123-31)→buy
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 73-5) →buy
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 14-5) →buy
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 97-9) →buy
- Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp. 95-120) →buy
- 实用汉语语法 (pp. 58-9) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 52-3) →buy\r\n
