Difference between revisions of "Expressing "and also" with "hai""

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In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate and different actions. We can do the same thing in Chinese by using 还 (hái).  
 
In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate and different actions. We can do the same thing in Chinese by using 还 (hái).  
=== Structure ===
 
  
The adverb 还 (hái) can be used to link two phrases together, in a similar way to "and also" in English. In this case, 还 (hái) begins a new phrase or clause. Note that in this structure, ONE subject is doing TWO different things, whereas when 也 (yě) is used as [[The "also" adverb]], TWO subjects are doing ONE thing.  
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== Structure ==
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The adverb 还 (hái) can be used to link two phrases together, in a similar way to "and also" in English. In this case, 还 (hái) begins a new phrase or clause.
  
 
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<div class="jiegou">
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=== Examples ===
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== Examples ==
  
 
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===Also with 也 (yě)===
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==Also with 也 (yě) ==
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It should be noted that another common way to express "also" is with the word 也 (yě).  What's the difference? With 还 (hái), ONE subject is doing TWO different things, whereas when [[The "also" adverb|也 (yě)]] is used, TWO subjects are doing ONE thing.
  
It should be noted that another common way to express "also" is with the word 也 (yě).  In the following examples on this page, 还 (hái) and 也 (yě) are interchangeable, but be careful, because the two words cannot be substituted for each other in many cases.
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It's the difference between these two English sentences:
  
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* He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
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* She washed the dishes too.
  
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If you translated these into Chinese, the first one (one subject, two actions) would use 还 (hái), and the second one (second subject, no new actions) would use 也 (yě).
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==

Revision as of 01:14, 27 July 2015

In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate and different actions. We can do the same thing in Chinese by using 还 (hái).

Structure

The adverb 还 (hái) can be used to link two phrases together, in a similar way to "and also" in English. In this case, 还 (hái) begins a new phrase or clause.

Subject + Verb + Object 1, 还 + Verb + Object 2

Examples

  • 我 有 iPhone, 有 iPad。Wǒ yǒu iPhone, hái yǒu iPad.I have an iPhone, I also have an iPad.
  • 我 会 说 中文, 会 说 英文。Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén, hái huì shuō Yīngwén.I can speak Chinese, I can also speak English.
  • 我 想 吃 冰淇淋, 想 吃 巧克力。Wǒ xiǎng chī bīngqílín, hái xiǎng chī qiǎokèlì.I want to eat ice cream, I also want to eat chocolate.
  • 我 要 一 杯 咖啡, 要 一 个 蛋糕。Wǒ yào yībēi kāfēi, hái yào yīgè dàngāo.I want a cup of coffee, I also want cake.
  • 他 是 我 的 爸爸, 是 我 的 朋友。Tā shì wǒ de bàba, hái shì wǒ de péngyǒu.He is my father, he is also my friend.
  • 妈妈 做 了 四 个 菜, 做 了 一 个 汤。Māmā zuòle sì gè cài, hái zuòle yīgè tāng.My mom made four dishes, she also made soup.
  • 我 买 了 肉, 买 了 菜。Wǒ mǎile ròu, hái mǎile cài.I bought meat, I also bought vegetables.
  • 我 想 去 北京, 想 去 成都。Wǒ xiǎng qù Běijīng, hái xiǎng qù Chéngdū.I want to go to Beijing, I also want to go to Chengdu.
  • 我 喝 了 白酒, 喝 了 啤酒。Wǒ hēle báijiǔ, hái hēle píjiǔ.I drank wine, I also drank beer.
  • 我 喜欢 吃 苹果, 喜欢 吃 香蕉。Wǒ xǐhuān chī píngguǒ, hái xǐhuān chī xiāngjiāo.I like apples, I also like bananas.

Also with 也 (yě)

It should be noted that another common way to express "also" is with the word 也 (yě). What's the difference? With 还 (hái), ONE subject is doing TWO different things, whereas when 也 (yě) is used, TWO subjects are doing ONE thing.

It's the difference between these two English sentences:

  • He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
  • She washed the dishes too.

If you translated these into Chinese, the first one (one subject, two actions) would use 还 (hái), and the second one (second subject, no new actions) would use 也 (yě).

See also

Sources and further reading

Books