{"id":181403,"date":"2023-02-17T17:16:19","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T22:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/chinese-sentence-structures\/"},"modified":"2025-01-23T23:28:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T04:28:28","slug":"chinese-sentence-structures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-sentence-structures\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Basic Chinese Sentence Structures to Ease You into Grammar"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the comforts of Chinese grammar<\/a> is the straightforward and logical sentence patterns. And thankfully, many of them are based on the formula you already know, such as the ever-so-reliable SVO structure.<\/p>\n

Check out these five really simple Chinese sentence structures<\/strong> to build your Mandarin language skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"chinese<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Subject + Verb + (Object)<\/h2>\n

As the foundation of the rest of the structures in the post, this pattern needs no introduction or explanation.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at an example of an SVO sentence in Chinese:<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5403\u8089\u3002
\n(n\u01d0 ch\u012b r\u00f2u.)
\n<\/em>You eat meat.<\/p>\n

Like in English, sentences can also simply be composed of just a subject and a verb.<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5403\u3002
\n(n\u01d0 ch\u012b.)
\n<\/em>You eat.<\/p>\n

Here are other examples of SV(O) sentences:<\/p>\n

\u5988\u5988\u5de5\u4f5c\u3002
\n(m\u0101 ma g\u014dng zu\u00f2.)
\n<\/em>Mom works.<\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u4eec\u6559\u4e66\u3002
\n(t\u0101 men ji\u0101o sh\u016b.)
\n<\/em>They (all male or mixed gender<\/em>) teach.<\/p>\n

\u5979\u5b66\u4e60\u62c9\u4e01\u8bed\u3002
\n(t\u0101 xu\u00e9 x\u00ed l\u0101 d\u012bng y\u01d4.)
\n<\/em>She studies Latin.<\/p>\n

\u5c0f\u7537\u5b69\u8bfb\u6f2b\u753b\u4e66\u3002
\n(xi\u01ceo n\u00e1n h\u00e1i d\u00fa m\u00e0n hu\u00e0 sh\u016b.)
\n<\/em>The little boy reads comic books.<\/p>\n

2. Subject + Verb + (Object) + \u5417\uff1f<\/h2>\n

Okay, now it’s time to build up from the SV(O) word order.<\/p>\n

As you can see, \u5417 (ma)<\/em> is a particle<\/a> that turns statements into yes\/no questions<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So when \u5417 is tacked on the end of an SV(O) statement, it turns the sentence into a “Do\/Does” question.<\/p>\n

Building on the examples from earlier, here’s a question without an object:<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5403\u5417\uff1f<\/strong>
\n(n\u01d0 ch\u012b ma?<\/strong>)
\nlit.<\/em> You eat?<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Do<\/strong> you eat?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then here’s what the question would look like with an object:<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5403\u8089\u5417\uff1f<\/strong>
\n(n\u01d0 ch\u012b r\u00f2u ma?)
\nlit.<\/em> You eat meat?<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Do<\/strong> you eat meat?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are more examples of this pattern:<\/p>\n

\u5988\u5988\u5de5\u4f5c\u5417
\n<\/strong>(m\u0101 ma g\u014dng zu\u00f2 ma?<\/strong>)
\n<\/em>Does<\/strong> Mom work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u4eec\u6559\u4e66\u5417\uff1f
\n<\/strong>(t\u0101 men ji\u0101o sh\u016b ma?<\/strong>)
\n<\/em>Do<\/strong> they teach?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u5979\u5b66\u4e60\u62c9\u4e01\u8bed\u5417\uff1f
\n<\/strong>(t\u0101 xu\u00e9 x\u00ed l\u0101 d\u012bng y\u01d4 ma?<\/strong>)
\n<\/em>Does<\/strong> she study Latin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u5c0f\u7537\u5b69\u8bfb\u6f2b\u753b\u4e66\u5417\uff1f
\n<\/strong>(xi\u01ceo n\u00e1n h\u00e1i d\u00fa m\u00e0n hu\u00e0 sh\u016b ma?<\/strong>)
\n<\/em>Does<\/strong> the little boy read comic books?<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Subject + Time + Verb + (Object)<\/h2>\n

This is where we start to explore the uniquely Chinese sentence structures.<\/p>\n

If you want to add a time when an action occurs, you need to place that information in between the subject and the verb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Without an object:<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5468\u4e00<\/strong>\u5403\u3002
\n(n\u01d0 zh\u014du y\u012b<\/strong> ch\u012b.)
\nlit.<\/em> You Monday<\/strong> eat.
\nYou eat on Monday(s)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

With an object:<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5468\u4e00<\/strong>\u5403\u8089\u3002
\n(n\u01d0 zh\u014du y\u012b<\/strong> ch\u012b r\u00f2u.)
\nlit.<\/em> You Monday<\/strong> eat meat.
\nYou eat meat on Monday(s)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n

\u5988\u5988\u661f\u671f\u516d<\/strong>\u5de5\u4f5c\u3002
\n(m\u0101 ma x\u012bng q\u012b li\u00f9<\/strong> g\u014dng zu\u00f2.)
\n<\/em>Mom works on Saturday(s)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u4eec\u6bcf\u5e74<\/strong>\u6559\u4e66\u3002
\n(t\u0101 men m\u011bi ni\u00e1n<\/strong> ji\u0101o sh\u016b.)
\n<\/em>They teach every year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u5979\u65e9\u4e0a<\/strong>\u5b66\u4e60\u62c9\u4e01\u8bed\u3002
\n(t\u0101 z\u01ceo shang<\/strong> xu\u00e9 x\u00ed l\u0101 d\u012bng y\u01d4.)
\n<\/em>She studies Latin in the morning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u5c0f\u7537\u5b69\u665a\u4e0a<\/strong>\u770b\u6f2b\u753b\u4e66\u3002
\n(xi\u01ceo n\u00e1n h\u00e1i w\u01cen sh\u00e0ng<\/strong> k\u00e0n m\u00e0n hu\u00e0 sh\u016b.)
\n<\/em>The little boy reads comic books at night<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4. Subject + Time + \u5728 Location + Verb + (Object)<\/h2>\n

\u5728<\/strong> (z\u00e0i)<\/em> has several meanings, but in Chinese SVO sentences, it’s translated as “at” to indicate the location.<\/p>\n

\u5728 + location<\/strong><\/p>\n

So if you wanted to say, “at the restaurant,” it would be \u5728<\/strong>\u9910\u5385 (z\u00e0i c\u0101n t\u012bng)<\/em>. Then this little detail would need to be placed in between the time and verb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Without an object:<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5468\u4e00\u5728\u9910\u5385<\/strong>\u5403\u3002
\n(n\u01d0 zh\u014du y\u012b z\u00e0i c\u0101n t\u012bng<\/strong> ch\u012b.)
\nlit.<\/em> You Monday at restaurant<\/strong> eat.
\nYou eat at the restaurant<\/strong> on Monday(s).<\/p>\n

With an object:<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u5468\u4e00\u5728\u9910\u5385\u5403\u8089\u3002
\n(n\u01d0 zh\u014du y\u012b z\u00e0i c\u0101n t\u012bng<\/strong> ch\u012b r\u00f2u.)
\nlit.<\/em> You Monday at restaurant<\/strong> eat meat.
\nYou eat meat at the restaurant<\/strong> on Monday(s).<\/p>\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n

\u5988\u5988\u661f\u671f\u516d\u5728\u6c99\u9f99<\/strong>\u5de5\u4f5c\u3002
\n(m\u0101 ma x\u012bng q\u012b li\u00f9 z\u00e0i sh\u0101 l\u00f3ng<\/strong> g\u014dng zu\u00f2.)
\n<\/em>Mom works at the salon<\/strong> on Saturday(s).<\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u4eec\u6bcf\u5e74\u5728\u5927\u5b66<\/strong>\u6559\u4e66\u3002
\n(t\u0101 men m\u011bi ni\u00e1n z\u00e0i d\u00e0 xu\u00e9<\/strong> ji\u0101o sh\u016b.)
\n<\/em>They teach at the university<\/strong> every year.<\/p>\n

\u5979\u65e9\u4e0a\u5728\u56fe\u4e66\u9986<\/strong>\u5b66\u4e60\u62c9\u4e01\u8bed\u3002
\n(t\u0101 z\u01ceo shang z\u00e0i t\u00fa sh\u016b gu\u01cen<\/strong> xu\u00e9 x\u00ed l\u0101 d\u012bng y\u01d4.)
\n<\/em>She studies Latin in the morning at the library<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u5c0f\u7537\u5b69\u665a\u4e0a\u5728\u5e8a\u4e0a<\/strong>\u770b\u6f2b\u753b\u4e66\u3002
\n(xi\u01ceo n\u00e1n h\u00e1i w\u01cen shang z\u00e0i chu\u00e1ng sh\u00e0ng<\/strong> k\u00e0n m\u00e0n hu\u00e0 sh\u016b.)
\n<\/em>The little boy reads comic books at night in bed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Do note that there are some exceptions to this structure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are some verbs<\/a> where the location would be placed after them instead of before. These include:<\/p>\n