Expressing "and" with "he"
-
Level
-
Similar to
-
Used for
-
Keywords
Whenever you need to list nouns, whether two of them or more, 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
- 你 和 我。You and I.
- 他 和 我 都 不 喝 红酒。None of us (both he and I don't) drink red wine.
- 我 喜欢 可乐 和 茶。I like cola and tea.
- 我 和 他 一起 工作。He and I work together.
- 我 的 爸爸 和 妈妈 都 是 70 岁。My dad and mom are both 70 years old.
- 我 的 朋友 和 我 都 喜欢 中国 菜。My friend and I both like Chinese food.
- 他 和 她 都 是 美国 人。He and she (they) are both Americans.
- 去年 和 今年 我 都 在 纽约。I was in New York both last year and this year .
- 苹果 手机 和 苹果 电脑 都 很 贵。The Apple smartphone and the Apple computer are both expensive.
- 水果 和 肉 我 都 喜欢 吃 。I like to eat both fruit and meat.
- 我 的 英语 和 汉语 都 很 好。My English and Chinese are both good.
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
