Clauses
Clauses are building blocks of meaning, and Mandarin distinguishes them by function and markers. This guide goes over the main types: coordinating clauses, adverbial clauses, relative clauses, and complement clauses.
Coordinating Clauses
Coordinating clauses are joined by particles like hé 和 or háiyǒu 还有 that link two ideas of equal status. They typically appear as two separate clauses with a coordinating conjunction in between.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ☕ 我喝咖啡，🌞 天气很好。 | Wǒ hē kāfēi, tiānqì hěn hǎo. | I’m drinking coffee, and the weather is nice. |
| 🚶♂️ 我去散步，💬 朋友给我打电话。 | Wǒ qù sànbù, péngyǒu gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà. | I went for a walk, but my friend called me. |
| 🍰 我想吃蛋糕，🍵 所以我点了一份。 | Wǒ xiǎng chī dàngāo, suǒyǐ wǒ diǎnle yī fèn. | I want to eat cake, so I ordered one. |
| ⏰ 我快迟到了，🏃♀️ 于是我加快了步伐。 | Wǒ kuài chídàole, yúshì wǒ jiākuài le bùfá. | I’m almost late, therefore I quickened my pace. |
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Adverbial Clauses
Adverbial clauses modify time, cause, condition, or manner and are introduced by particles such as dāng 当, yīnwèi 因为, or rúguǒ 如果. The adverbial clause usually precedes the main clause, setting the context for the action.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ☔️ 因为下雨了，🏠 我们就在咖啡馆里坐着。 | Yīnwèi xià yǔ le, wǒmen jiù zài kāfēi guǎn lǐ zuòzhe. | Because it rained, we stayed inside the café. |
| 🌇 等天黑了，🏮 街灯才亮起来。 | Děng tiān hēi le, jiē dēng cái liàng qǐlái. | When it got dark, the streetlights came on. |
| 🥪 我边走边吃，🗺️ 一边看着地图。 | Wǒ biān zǒu biān chī, yībiān kàn zhe dìtú. | I ate while walking and looked at the map. |
| 🔔 打烊以后，🧹 店员开始收拾桌子。 | Dǎyáng yǐhòu, diànyuán kāishǐ shōushi zhuōzi. | After closing, the staff started cleaning the tables. |
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Relative Clauses
Relative clauses describe a noun and are formed by placing the descriptive clause before the noun, with de 的 marking the modification. The clause acts like an adjective, and the structure is very consistent: modifying clause + de 的 + noun.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🧑🔧 那个修电灯的人，🌟 很快就解决了问题。 | Nàgè xiū diàndēng de rén, hěn kuài jiù jiějuéle wèntí. | The person who fixed the streetlight solved the problem quickly. |
| 🗒️ 我看的菜单，上面写着很多特色饮品。 | Wǒ kàn de càidān, shàngmiàn xiězhe hěn duō tèsè yǐnpǐn. | The menu that I looked at had many special drinks listed. |
| 🐕 公园里跑来一只狗，🐾 牠的主人在远处招手。 | Gōngyuán lǐ pǎo lái yī zhī gǒu, tā de zhǔrén zài yuǎnchù zhāoshǒu. | A dog that ran in the park had its owner waving from afar. |
| 🪑 咖啡馆角落里坐着的人，📖 正在读一本书。 | Kāfēi guǎn jiǎoluò lǐ zuòzhe de rén, zhèngzài dú yī běn shū. | The person sitting in the corner of the café is reading a book. |
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Complement Clauses
Complement clauses provide additional information about result, manner, or purpose and often follow verbs that require complements, such as zuò 做 or ràng 让. They can take the form of verb-object complements, directional complements, or resultative complements.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ☕ 我觉得这家咖啡馆的咖啡很不错。 | Wǒ juéde zhè jiā kāfēiguǎn de kāfēi hěn bùcuò. | I think the coffee at this café is pretty good. |
| 💬 他说他会晚一点才到。 | Tā shuō tā huì wǎn yīdiǎn cái dào. | He said he would arrive a little later. |
| 🧑🍳 店员告诉我今天有特别优惠。 | Diànyuán gàosù wǒ jīntiān yǒu tèbié yōuhuì. | The staff told me there is a special offer today. |
| 📧 我想让你知道，我已经预订了附近的座位。 | Wǒ xiǎng ràng nǐ zhīdào, wǒ yǐjīng yùdìngle fùjìn de zuòwèi. | I want you to know that I’ve already reserved a nearby seat. |
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Summary
Mandarin clauses are organized by function: coordinating clauses join equal ideas, adverbial clauses set time/cause/condition, relative clauses modify nouns with de 的, and complement clauses add result or manner details. Recognizing the key particles and placements helps you parse and build complex sentences.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025