Measure words for verbs

When a verb is done more than once, it also requires a measure word to accompany it. This way the measure word is acting as a way to count the frequency or re-occurrence of an action.

Structure

Verb + Number + Measure Word

The grammar pattern is very similar to English. For example, "看三次" and "saw three times" mirror each other in structure. In Chinese sentences, these measure words can either come after the verb (as a complement) or before the word (as an adverb). You should also know that, like nouns, some verbs have special measure words to go with them. The basic verbal measure word, however, is 次.

Examples

• 去 过 两 次 qù guo liǎng cìhave been there twice.
• 读 两 遍 dú liǎng biànRead it twice.
• 说 了 很 多 次 shuō le hěn duō cìhave said it many times.
• 打 了 三 下dǎ le sān xiàHit three times.
• 要 听 几 遍 ？Yào tīng jǐ biàn?How many times do I need to listen to it?

See also

• Measure words for counting
• Measure words to differentiate
• Measure words in quantity questions