Using 和

和 (hé) means and. At this level, use it to join two nouns or pronouns.

Put 和 between the two items.

This lets you talk about two people or two things together in a single sentence, which you'll need constantly once you start describing your life.

Structure

A + 和 + B

我和他 Wǒ hé tā me and him

茶和水 Chá hé shuǐ tea and water

A 和 B + Verb + Object

我和他学习中文。 Wǒ hé tā xuéxí Zhōngwén. He and I study Chinese.

还有: Adding One More Item

还有 (hái yǒu) means and also / and one more thing. Use it after a comma to tack an extra item onto the end of a list.

A，B，还有 C

我喜欢茶，还有咖啡。 Wǒ xǐhuan chá, hái yǒu kāfēi. → I like tea, and also coffee.

我喜欢茶，咖啡，还有水。 Wǒ xǐhuan chá, kāfēi, hái yǒu shuǐ. → I like tea, coffee, and also water.

和 vs 还有:

When NOT to Use 和

和 joins nouns or pronouns. It does not join two full sentences, each with its own subject and verb — English uses "and" for both jobs, but Chinese does not.

✓ 我喝茶，他喝咖啡。 Wǒ hē chá, tā hē kāfēi. ✗ 我喝茶和他喝咖啡。

✓ 我喜欢茶，也喜欢咖啡。 Wǒ xǐhuan chá, yě xǐhuan kāfēi. ✗ 我喜欢茶和我喜欢咖啡。

Examples

我和他学习中文。 Wǒ hé tā xuéxí Zhōngwén.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 和 (and) · 他 (he) · 学习 (study) · 中文 (Chinese)

→ He and I study Chinese.

我喜欢茶和水。 Wǒ xǐhuan chá hé shuǐ.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 喜欢 (like) · 茶 (tea) · 和 (and) · 水 (water)

→ I like tea and water.

我朋友喜欢苹果和米饭。 Wǒ péngyou xǐhuan píngguǒ hé mǐfàn.

Breakdown: 我朋友 (my friend) · 喜欢 (like) · 苹果 (apple) · 和 (and) · 米饭 (rice)

→ My friend likes apples and rice.

我喜欢茶，还有咖啡。 Wǒ xǐhuan chá, hái yǒu kāfēi.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 喜欢 (like) · 茶 (tea) · 还有 (and also) · 咖啡 (coffee)

→ I like tea, and also coffee.

这是米饭和水。 Zhè shì mǐfàn hé shuǐ.

Breakdown: 这 (this) · 是 (is) · 米饭 (rice) · 和 (and) · 水 (water)

→ This is rice and water.

我喜欢茶，咖啡，还有水。 Wǒ xǐhuan chá, kāfēi, hái yǒu shuǐ.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 喜欢 (like) · 茶 (tea) · 咖啡 (coffee) · 还有 (and also) · 水 (water)

→ I like tea, coffee, and also water.

Common Mistakes

Joining two full sentences with 和

- Incorrect: 我喝茶和他喝咖啡。 (Wǒ hē chá hé tā hē kāfēi.) - Correct: 我喝茶，他喝咖啡。 (Wǒ hē chá, tā hē kāfēi.) — I drink tea, he drinks coffee.

English uses "and" to join whole sentences too, but 和 only joins nouns or pronouns. Use a comma between two full clauses instead.

Leaving 和 out

- Incorrect: 我喜欢茶水。 (Wǒ xǐhuan chá shuǐ.) - Correct: 我喜欢茶和水。 (Wǒ xǐhuan chá hé shuǐ.) — I like tea and water.

What Can You Say Now?

You can now combine two people or two things in one sentence instead of saying two separate sentences, and tack on one more with 还有 — 老师和学生 (the teacher and the students), 我喜欢茶和水 (I like tea and water), 我喜欢茶，还有咖啡 (I like tea, and also coffee). Try listing two or three things you like, joined with 和 and 还有.

Quick Summary

A 和 B = A and B, between exactly two items. A，B，还有 C adds one more item after a comma. 我和他; 茶和水；茶，还有咖啡。