Expressing "and" with "he"

When listing out multiple nouns, 和 (hé) is there to help you out. Just remember that 和 (hé) isn't a word you can use to translate just any usage of the English word "and."

Structure

The most common way to express "and" in Chinese is with 和 (hé). It's important to note that 和 (hé) is mainly used to link nouns. This is how you should use it exclusively as you get used to it. Don't try to link verbs (or whole sentences) with 和 (hé).

Noun 1 + 和 + Noun 2

Examples

• 你 和我nǐ hé wǒyou and I
• 老板 喜欢 咖啡 和 茶。Lǎobǎn xǐhuan kāfēi hé chá.The boss likes coffee and tea.
• 我 的 爷爷 和 奶奶 都 70 岁 。Wǒ de yéye hé nǎinai dōu qīshí suì.My grandpa and grandma are both 70 years old.
• 他 和 他 女朋友 都 喜欢 中国 菜 。Tā hé tā nǚpéngyou dōu xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.His girlfriend and he both like Chinese food.
• 你 爸爸 和 你 妈妈 都 是 美国 人 吗 ？Nǐ bàba hé nǐ māma dōu shì Měiguó rén ma?Are your father and your mother both Americans?
• 手机 和 电脑 都 很 贵 。Shǒujī hé diànnǎo dōu hěn guì.Cell phones and computers are both expensive.
• 德语 和 法语 都 很 难 吗 ？ Déyǔ hé Fǎyǔ dōu hěn nán ma?Are both German and French difficult?
• 今天 和 明天 都 可以 吗 ？ Jīntiān hé míngtiān dōu kěyǐ ma?Are today and tomorrow both OK?

(If you're unclear why the 都 (dōu) is used in the sentences about, see our article on the adverb 都 (dōu).)

Just to be absolutely clear what we mean by using 和 (hé) with nouns only, here are two English examples of what you should and shouldn't try to express with 和 (hé):

• I went to the store and bought some gum.Don't use 和 (hé) for this "and"! "Went to the store" and "bought some gum" are both verb phrases, not nouns.)
• I like to eat cucumbers and cheese.This one is good! "Cucumbers" and "cheese" are both nouns, so you can use 和 (hé) here.)

See also

• Expressing "in addition" with "haiyou"
• "In addition" as "lingwai"
• Expressing "not only… but also"
• Combining verbs with "bing"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 74-5) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 14-5) →buy
• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (p. 126) →buy