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📝Making Statements

Making statements in Mandarin Chinese follows a basic order of topic, time, place, and action, and uses simple particles to turn ideas into clear sentences. This guide covers common patterns and key vocabulary for everyday statements.

Basic Sentence Structure

Mandarin sentences usually follow a Time-Topic-Place-Verb-Object order, which keeps information logical and easy to follow. The topic sets what the sentence is about, and the verb expresses the action or state.

Examples

Making Affirmative Statements

Affirmative statements use straightforward word order: time comes first if specified, then the topic, place, and action, followed by any objects or complements. No extra particles are needed for simple affirmations.

Examples

Hanzi SentencePinyin SentenceEnglish Sentence
☕ 我喝咖啡。Wǒ hē kāfēi.I drink coffee.
🍞 你吃面包。Nǐ chī miànbāo.You eat bread.
🥣 他吃汤。Tā chī tāng.He eats soup.
🍊 我喝橙汁。Wǒ hē chéngzhī.I drink orange juice.
🍵 她喝茶。Tā hē chá.She drinks tea.

Using Negation

Negation in Mandarin is normally formed by inserting bù (不) for habitual or future actions, or méi (没) for past actions and possession, directly before the verb or verb phrase. Double negatives are rare and usually avoided.

Examples

Hanzi SentencePinyin SentenceEnglish Sentence
🚫 我不喝咖啡。Wǒ bù hē kāfēi.I do not drink coffee.
🍵 你不喝茶。Nǐ bù hē chá.You do not drink tea.
🥐 他不吃面包。Tā bù chī miànbāo.He does not eat bread.
🍓 我不吃草莓。Wǒ bù chī cǎoméi.I do not eat strawberries.
🥤 她不喝汽水。Tā bù hē qìshuǐ.She does not drink soda.

Expressing Time

Time expressions appear at the very beginning of the sentence to set when the action occurs, and they can be very short (like jīn tiān 今天) or more detailed (like shàng ge xīngqī 上个星期). Time markers help place the event clearly.

Examples

Hanzi SentencePinyin SentenceEnglish Sentence
🍳 我昨天吃了鸡蛋。Wǒ zuótiān chīle jīdàn.I ate eggs yesterday.
☕ 我现在喝咖啡。Wǒ xiànzài hē kāfēi.I am drinking coffee now.
🥪 我明天吃三明治。Wǒ míngtiān chī sānmíngzhì.I will eat a sandwich tomorrow.
🍞 他今天吃了面包。Tā jīntiān chīle miànbāo.He ate bread today.
🍊 她现在喝橙汁。Tā xiànzài hē chéngzhī.She is drinking orange juice now.

Added Details

Place expressions come after time and before the verb, and additional details like manner or reason follow the main action or appear as separate phrases. Modifiers keep the sentence orderly and easy to understand.

Examples

Hanzi SentencePinyin SentenceEnglish Sentence
🍞 我在公园吃面包。Wǒ zài gōngyuán chī miànbāo.I am eating bread in the park.
☕ 他和朋友喝咖啡。Tā hé péngyǒu hē kāfēi.He drinks coffee with friends.
🍓 她给我一盘草莓。Tā gěi wǒ yì pán cǎoméi.She gave me a plate of strawberries.
🥗 我吃了一个大沙拉。Wǒ chīle yí gè dà shālā.I ate a big salad.
🥤 他们喝了很多果汁。Tāmen hēle hěn duō guǒzhī.They drank a lot of juice.

Summary

To make clear statements, follow the Time-Topic-Place-Verb-Object order, use bù and méi for negation as appropriate, and place time expressions at the start. Practice with simple sentences to make these patterns instinctive.

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Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025