Mandarin sentences use the same basic order as English: Subject + Verb + Object.
The person or thing doing the action comes first. The action comes next. The thing the action is about comes last.
If you understand this structure, you will be able to build hundreds of simple sentences immediately.
Structure
Subject + Verb + Object
- Subject: who or what the sentence is about (我 Wǒ, 你 Nǐ, 他 Tā, 她 Tā, 我们 Wǒmen) - Verb: the action (喜欢 xǐhuan, 吃 chī, 喝 hē, 学习 xuéxí, 看 kàn, 有 yǒu) - Object: what the action is about (茶 chá, 水 shuǐ, 咖啡 kāfēi, 米饭 mǐfàn, 面条 miàntiáo, 苹果 píngguǒ, 中文 Zhōngwén, 汉语 Hànyǔ)
Examples
我喜欢茶。 Wǒ xǐhuan chá.
Breakdown: 我 (I) · 喜欢 (like) · 茶 (tea)
→ I like tea.
我们喝咖啡。 Wǒmen hē kāfēi.
Breakdown: 我们 (we) · 喝 (drink) · 咖啡 (coffee)
→ We drink coffee.
他吃苹果。 Tā chī píngguǒ.
Breakdown: 他 (he) · 吃 (eat) · 苹果 (apple)
→ He eats an apple.
她学习中文。 Tā xuéxí Zhōngwén.
Breakdown: 她 (she) · 学习 (study) · 中文 (Chinese)
→ She studies Chinese.
我有水。 Wǒ yǒu shuǐ.
Breakdown: 我 (I) · 有 (have) · 水 (water)
→ I have water.
你看书。 Nǐ kàn shū.
Breakdown: 你 (you) · 看 (read/look at) · 书 (book)
→ You read a book.
她吃面条。 Tā chī miàntiáo.
Breakdown: 她 (she) · 吃 (eat) · 面条 (noodles)
→ She eats noodles.
我们学习汉语。 Wǒmen xuéxí Hànyǔ.
Breakdown: 我们 (we) · 学习 (study) · 汉语 (Chinese)
→ We study Chinese.
Common Mistakes
Putting the object before the verb
- Incorrect: 我茶喜欢。 (Wǒ chá xǐhuan.) - Correct: 我喜欢茶。 (Wǒ xǐhuan chá.) — I like tea.
The object 茶 comes after the verb 喜欢.
Starting with the verb
- Incorrect: 喜欢我茶。 (Xǐhuan wǒ chá.) - Correct: 我喜欢茶。 (Wǒ xǐhuan chá.) — I like tea.
The subject 我 comes first.
What Can You Say Now?
You can now build a simple sentence about anyone doing anything to anything, just by lining up subject, verb, and object in that order — 我喝水 (I drink water), 他有中文 (He has Chinese [class/book]), and so on. Try it out loud: pick any person around you, an action, and a thing, and say the three words in order.
Quick Summary
Use Subject + Verb + Object.
我喜欢茶。 = I like tea.
| Word |
|---|
|
我 - wo3 (I; me) |
|
你 - ni3 (You) |
|
他 - ta1 (He; him) |
|
她 - ta1 (She; her) |
|
我们 - wo3 men (We; us) |
|
喜欢 - xi3 huan (To like.) |
|
吃 - chi1 (To eat; to consume.) |
|
喝 - he1 (To drink.) |
|
学习 - xüe2 xi2 (To learn; to study.) |
|
看 - kan4 (To see, look at, or read; to watch; to visit; to consider; to treat (an illness).) |
|
茶 - cha2 (Tea.) |
|
咖啡 - ka1 fei1 (Coffee.) |
|
水 - shui3 (Water; a river; a liquid; a surname.) |
|
米饭 - mi3 fan4 (Cooked rice.) |
|
苹果 - ping2 guo3 (Apple.) |
|
中文 - zhong1 wen2 (The Chinese language.) |
|
汉语 - han4 yu3 (The Chinese language.) |