Lesson 9: Sentence Structure (SVO, Serial Verbs, Special Patterns)

Vocabulary

ChinesePinyinEnglish
去qùto go
回huíto return, go back
买mǎito buy
看kànto see, to watch
书shūbook
东西dōngxithing, stuff
饭fànfood, meal
和héand
一起yìqǐtogether
然后ránhòuthen, afterwards

Basic Sentence Order: Subject + Verb + Object (SVO)

Chinese word order is generally Subject + Verb + Object, similar to English.

Examples:

  • 我看书。
    (Wǒ kàn shū.) → I read books.
  • 他吃饭。
    (Tā chī fàn.) → He eats (a meal).
  • 我们学中文。
    (Wǒmen xué Zhōngwén.) → We study Chinese.

Serial Verb Constructions (One Subject, Multiple Verbs)

In Chinese, it’s common to use more than one verb in a row without connectors. This is called a serial verb construction.

Structure:

[Subject] + [Verb 1] + [Verb 2] (+ Object)
This shows a sequence of actions by the same person.

Examples:

  • 我去学校学习。
    (Wǒ qù xuéxiào xuéxí.) → I go to school to study.
  • 他回家吃饭。
    (Tā huí jiā chī fàn.) → He goes home to eat.
  • 我们去超市买东西。
    (Wǒmen qù chāoshì mǎi dōngxi.) → We go to the supermarket to buy things.

Note: There are no linking words like “to” or “and then” — the verbs flow naturally.

4. Using 一起 (yìqǐ) for “Together”

Structure:

[Subject] + 一起 + [Verb] + [Object]

Examples:

  • 我们一起吃饭。
    (Wǒmen yìqǐ chī fàn.) → We eat together.
  • 他们一起去学校。
    (Tāmen yìqǐ qù xuéxiào.) → They go to school together.

5. Using 然后 (ránhòu) for “Then / After that”

Use 然后 to show a sequence of actions with a slight pause between them (like “and then” in English).

Structure:

[Action 1]，然后 [Action 2]

Examples:

  • 我起床，然后吃饭。
    (Wǒ qǐchuáng, ránhòu chī fàn.) → I get up, then eat.
  • 他去超市，然后回家。
    (Tā qù chāoshì, ránhòu huí jiā.) → He goes to the supermarket, then goes home.

Notes

  • Chinese is a highly structured language with fixed word order. Word order matters more than word endings.
  • SVO is the default pattern, even in complex sentences.
  • Serial verbs are natural in Chinese and don’t require extra words like “to” or “in order to.”
  • Words like 一起 and 然后 are optional, but useful for adding clarity and fluency.
  1. 我们一起吃饭。 (Wǒmen yìqǐ chī fàn.)
  2. 她在学校看书。 (Tā zài xuéxiào kàn shū.)
  3. 他买东西，然后回家。 (Tā mǎi dōngxi, ránhòu huí jiā.)
  4. 他们学习中文。 (Tāmen xuéxí Zhōngwén.)

Exercises