Expressing "and also" with "hai"

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.

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

Examples

  • 她 有 一 个 弟弟, 有 一 个 妹妹。, 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 汉堡。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 péngyou.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 请 了 , 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 xǐhuan chī píngguǒ, hái xǐhuan 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