Actions in a row

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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I want to go home and sleep.
  • 你 要 去 超市 买 东西 吗?Do you want to go to the supermarket to buy things?
  • 你 给 他 打电话 告诉 他 了 吗?What did you tell him when you called him?
  • 我 要 打电话 订 位子I want to call to make the reservation.
  • 我 要 上网 买 机票I use the internet to buy airplane tickets.
  • 我 下周 去 越南 旅行Next week I go to Vietnam to travel.
  • 她 的 工作 就 是 买 菜 做 饭Her job is to buy food and cook.

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

See also

Sources and further reading

Books