Expressing "and" with "he"

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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

Just to be absolutely clear what we mean by this, 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.)

Examples

  • 都 不 去。 dōu bù qù.(Literally, "he and I both will not go.")Neither he nor I will go.
  • 老板 喜欢 咖啡 Lǎobǎn xǐhuan kāfēi chá.The boss likes coffee and tea.
  • 我 的 爷爷 奶奶 都 70 岁。Wǒ de yéye nǎinai dōu qīshí suì.My grandpa and grandma are both 70 years old.
  • 他 女朋友 都 喜欢 中国 菜。 tā nǚ péngyou dōu xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.His girlfriend and he both like Chinese food.
  • 你 爸爸 你 妈妈 都 是 美国 人 吗?Nǐ bàba nǐ māma dōu shì Měiguó rén ma?Are your father and your mother both Americans?
  • 去年 今年 你们 都 在 纽约 吗?Qùnián jīnnián nǐmen dōu zài Niǔyuē ma?Were you in New York both last year and this year?
  • 苹果 手机 苹果 电脑 都 很 贵。Píngguǒ shǒujī Píngguǒ diànnǎo dōu hěn guì.The Apple smartphone and the Apple computer are both expensive.
  • 蔬菜 我 都 喜欢 吃 。Shūcài ròu wǒ dōu xǐhuan chī.I like to eat both vegetables and meat.
  • 英语 法语你 都 会 说 吗? Yīngyǔ Fǎyǔ nǐ dōu huì shuō ma?Can you speak both English and French?
  • 今天 明天他们 都 在 这里 吗? Jīntiān míngtiān tāmen dōu zài zhèlǐ ma?Are they here both today and tomorrow?

See also

Sources and further reading

Books