Language/Mandarin-chinese/Grammar/Subject-Verb-Object-Structure

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Mandarin Chinese Grammar → Sentence Structure and Word Order → Subject-Verb-Object Structure

As a Mandarin Chinese teacher with over 20 years of experience, I have seen many English speakers struggle with Mandarin Chinese sentence structure. However, once you understand the basic Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, you will be able to construct simple Chinese sentences in no time.

The SVO structure is the most common sentence construction in Mandarin Chinese. The subject is the person, place or thing doing the action, the verb is the action being performed, and the object is the person, place or thing that is receiving the action.

For example, the sentence "我喜欢中国菜。(Wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.)" means "I like Chinese food."

The subject is "我 (wǒ)" meaning "I"
The verb is "喜欢 (xǐhuan)" meaning "like"
The object is "中国菜 (Zhōngguó cài)" meaning "Chinese food"

Let's take a closer look at the specific rules that apply to SVO sentence structure in Mandarin Chinese.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Negation & Tones Introduction.

General Rules

1. In Mandarin Chinese, the subject usually comes before the verb and the object. 2. The verb is not conjugated according to tense or person. 3. The object can come before or after the verb, but it usually comes after. 4. When talking about time, the time phrase usually comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Examples

Here are some examples to help you better understand the basic sentence structure:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English
我吃饭。	Wǒ chīfàn.	I eat rice. (or "I'm eating rice.")
他看电影。	Tā kàn diànyǐng.	He is watching a movie.
她学习汉语。	Tā xuéxí hànyǔ.	She studies Chinese.
他喜欢吃牛肉。	Tā xǐhuan chī niúròu.	He likes to eat beef.

Practice

To practice creating SVO sentences, try filling in the blanks with the correct Chinese characters:

___学习___。 (Tā xuéxí hànyǔ.)

(He studies Chinese.)

___喝___。 (Wǒ hē kāfēi.)

(I drink coffee.)

___看___。 (Tā kàn shū.)

(She reads a book.)

Tips

When speaking Mandarin Chinese, remember to use the correct tone for each character, as tone changes can change the meaning of words.
Pay attention to the placement of time phrases and adverbs, as they can affect the meaning of the sentence.

Sources

Table of Contents - Mandarin Chinese Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Pinyin and Tones

Greetings and Basic Expressions

Sentence Structure and Word Order

Daily Life and Survival Expressions

Chinese Festivals and Traditions

Verbs and Verb Usage

Hobbies, Sports and Activities

China's Geography and Landmarks

Nouns and Pronouns

Professions and Personality Traits

Chinese Traditional Arts and Crafts

Comparative and Superlative

Cities, Countries and Tourist Destinations

Modern China and Current Events

Other Lessons

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