Difference between revisions of "Using the verb "jiao""

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<div class="liju">
 
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* 我 <em>叫</em> 修远。<span class="trans">My name is Xiu Yuan.</span>
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* 我 <em>叫</em> Tom。<span class="expl">(Note: it even works if you don't have a Chinese name!)<span class="trans">My name is Tom.</span>
* 他 <em>叫</em> 李小龙。<span class="trans">His name is Bruce Lee.</span>
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* 他 <em>叫</em> 李小龙。<span class="expl">(Note: this is the real name of Bruce Lee)<span class="trans">His name is Li Xiao Long.</span>
* 我 <em>哥哥</em> 叫 老木。<span class="trans">My brother's name is Lao Mu.</span>
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* 我 <em>哥哥</em> 叫 老木。<span class="expl">(Note: this is probably not his real name)</span><span class="trans">My brother is called Lao Mu.</span>
  
 
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Revision as of 08:41, 28 January 2013

Chinese-grammar-wiki-jiao.jpg

The verb 叫 (jiào) can seem a little weird to beginners. So it gets its own grammar point!

Structure

The verb 叫 means both "to call" and "to be called". It's an easy way to give names, using the following structure:

Subject + 叫 + Name

This can be used to give your full name or just your first name.

examples

  • Tom。(Note: it even works if you don't have a Chinese name!)My name is Tom.
  • 李小龙。(Note: this is the real name of Bruce Lee)His name is Li Xiao Long.
  • 哥哥 叫 老木。(Note: this is probably not his real name)My brother is called Lao Mu.

You can also ask people their names using 叫:

  • 什么 名字?What's your name?

See also

Sources and further reading

Books