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

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=== Books ===
 
=== Books ===
  
* [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)]] (p. 87) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy]
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{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)|87}}
* [[Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide]] (p. 251) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0415700108 →buy]
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{{Source|Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide|251}}
* [[Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)]] (p. 198) [http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B004WA6JSQ/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B004WA6JSQ →buy]
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{{Source|Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)|198}}
*[[40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册)]] (p. 73)[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20 →buy]
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{{Source|40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册)|73}}
  
 
[[Category:A2 grammar points]]
 
[[Category:A2 grammar points]]

Revision as of 09:57, 10 October 2017

In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate and different thoughts. 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.

Subj. + Verb + Obj. 1, 还 + Verb + Obj. 2

Examples

  • 她 有 一 个 弟弟, 有 一 个 妹妹。Tā yǒu yī gè dìdi, hái yǒu yī gè mèimei.She has a younger brother and also has a younger sister.
  • 我 老板 会 说 法语, 会 说 日语。Wǒ lǎobǎn huì shuō Fǎyǔ, hái huì shuō Rìyǔ.My boss can speak French and can also speak Japanese.
  • 你 要 一 杯 咖啡, 要 什么? Nǐ yào yī bēi kāfēi, hái yào shénme?You want a cup of coffee, and what else do you want?
  • 我 想 吃 冰淇淋, 想 吃 汉堡。Wǒ xiǎng chī bīngqílín, hái xiǎng chī hànbǎo.I want to eat ice cream and I also want to eat a hamburger.
  • 爸爸 有 一个 小米 手机, 有 一个 iPhone。Bàba yǒu yī gè Xiǎomǐ shǒujī, hái yǒu yī gè iPhone.Dad has a Xiaomi phone and also has an iPhone.
  • 你 晚上 在家 做 了 作业, 做 了 什么?Nǐ wǎnshang zài jiā zuò le zuòyè, hái zuò le shénme? You did your homework at home tonight, and what else did you do?
  • 他 结婚 的 时候,请 了 同事, 请 了 谁?Tā jiéhūn de shíhou, qǐng le tóngshì, hái qǐng le shéi?When he got married, he invited his co-workers. Who else did he invite?
  • 生日 的 时候,我们 会 吃 蛋糕, 要 送 礼物。Shēngrì de shíhou, wǒmen huì chī dàngāo, hái yào sòng lǐwù.During a birthday, we eat cake and also give presents.
  • 去 美国 要 带 钱、护照, 要 带 什么?Qù Měiguó yào dài qián, hùzhào, hái yào dài shénme?To go to the USA, you need to take money and a passport. What else do you need to take with you?

The Difference Between 还 (hái) and 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). Let's do that!

  • 他 做 了 饭 , 洗 了 碗。Tā zuò le fàn, hái xǐ le wǎn.He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
  • 洗 了 碗。 xǐ le wǎn.She washed the dishes too.

How about a few more similar examples?

  • 我 洗 了 澡, 洗 了 衣服。Wǒ xǐ le zǎo, hái xǐ le yīfu. I took a shower and also did my laundry.
  • 洗 了 衣服。 xǐ le yīfu.She did her laundry too.
  • 我们 今天 晚上 出去 吃饭 了, 看 了 电影 。Wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshang chūqù chīfàn le, hái kàn le diànyǐng.We went out for dinner tonight and also watched a movie.
  • 他们 今天 晚上 看 了 电影 。 Tāmen jīntiān wǎnshang kàn le diànyǐng.They watched a movie tonight too.

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books