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。Tā yǒu yī ge dìdi, hái yǒu yī ge mèimei.She has a younger brother.She also has a younger sister.
  • 我老板 会 说 法语, 会 说 日语。Wǒlǎobǎn huì shuō Fǎyǔ, hái huì shuō Rìyǔ.My boss can speak French.He can also speak Japanese.
  • 你 要 咖啡, 要 什么? Nǐ yào yībēi kāfēi, hái yào shénme?You want coffee.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 hamburger.
  • 爸爸 有 一个 小米 手机, 有 一个 iPhone。Bàba yǒu yīge xiǎomǐ shǒujī, hái yǒu yīge iPhone.Dad has a millet mobile phone and also has an iPhone.
  • 你 晚上 在家 做 了 作业, 做 了 什么?Māmā zuòle sì gè cài, hái zuò le yīgè tāng.You did your homework at home tonight.What else did you do?
  • 他 结婚 的 时候,请 了 同事, 请 了 谁? Tā jiéhūn de shǐhou qǐng le tóngshì hái qǐng le shéi.He invited people at work to his wedding.Who else did he invite?
  • 我 上大学 的 时候 认识 了 很多 老师, 认识 了 很多 朋友。Wǒ shàng dàxué de shíhou rènshi le hěnduō lǎoshī, hái rènshi le hěnduō péngyou.When I was in college, I met many professors and also a lot of friends.
  • 生日 的 时候,我们 会 吃 蛋糕, 要 送 礼物。Shēngrì de shíhou, hái yào sòng lǐwù.We eat cakes and also give presents at birthday.
  • 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 America,you need to take the money and passport.What else do you need to take with you?

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