Word Order
Word order in Mandarin Chinese is quite fixed, and changing it can change meaning or make a sentence ungrammatical. The basic sentence pattern follows Subject-Verb-Object, with modifiers and time expressions slotting in predictable places.
Basic Sentence Order
The simplest sentences follow SVO: the subject comes first, then the verb, then the object. Time expressions usually come before the verb and particles come after the verb or at the end of the sentence.
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Time Expressions
Time expressions (like jīntiān 今天 "today" or sān diǎn 三点 "3 o'clock") typically go at the very beginning of the sentence or immediately before the verb, setting the scene for when an action happens.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ⏰ 我今天早上七点起床。 | Wǒ jīntiān zǎoshang qī diǎn qǐchuáng. | I got up at 7 this morning. |
| ⏳ 他昨天晚上很晚才回家。 | Tā zuótiān wǎnshàng hěn wǎn cái huí jiā. | He came home very late last night. |
| 🕒 我们明天下午三点开会。 | Wǒmen míngtiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn kāihuì. | We have a meeting at 3 tomorrow afternoon. |
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Place Expressions
Place expressions usually come after time expressions and before the verb. If the sentence includes a locative phrase for where an action happens, it often takes the form of a place word plus a noun or measure word.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 我在家吃饭。 | Wǒ zài jiā chī fàn. | I eat at home. |
| 🏢 他去公司开会。 | Tā qù gōngsī kāihuì. | He went to the company for a meeting. |
| ☕ 我们在咖啡馆见面。 | Wǒmen zài kāfēiguǎn jiànmiàn. | We met at the cafe. |
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Manner and Result
Manner expressions (how something is done) often come after the verb or are expressed with a zěnme 怎么 question or a resultative complement. Resultative complements attach to the verb to show the outcome of an action.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🏃 他快跑回来了。 | Tā kuài pǎo huílái le. | He ran back quickly. |
| 🍲 菜做好了，可以吃了。 | Cài zuò hǎo le, kěyǐ chī le. | The food is ready, you can eat now. |
| 🧹 我把房间整理干净了。 | Wǒ bǎ fángjiān zhěnglǐ gānjìng le. | I tidied up the room. |
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Adjectives and Modifiers
Adjectives that describe nouns usually come before the noun and are often linked by de 的; adverbs that modify verbs come before the verb. Relative clauses come before the noun they modify and end with de 的.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🍎 我买了几个红苹果。 | Wǒ mǎi le jǐ gè hóng píngguǒ. | I bought several red apples. |
| 🥖 桌子上放着一篮新鲜的面包。 | Zhuōzi shàng fàng zhe yī lán xīnxiān de miànbāo. | There is a basket of fresh bread on the table. |
| 🍵 他喝了一杯热茶。 | Tā hē le yī bēi rè chá. | He drank a cup of hot tea. |
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Questions
Question particles like ma 吗 go at the end of yes/no questions. Question words like shénme 什么 or shéi 谁 replace the thing being asked about and stay in the position of the word they are asking to replace.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🕰️ 你什么时候吃的？ | Nǐ shénme shíhòu chī de? | When did you eat? |
| 📍 饭店在哪里？ | Fàndiàn zài nǎlǐ? | Where is the restaurant? |
| 🍽️ 这个菜怎么样？ | Zhège cài zěnmeyàng? | How is this dish? |
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Particles
Sentence-final particles (such as le 了, ne 呢, ba 吧) add nuance like completed action, emphasis, or suggestion. They come at the very end of the sentence and can change the tone or meaning subtly.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 吧 我们五点去吃饭吧。 | Wǒmen wǔ diǎn qù chīfàn ba. | Let's go eat at five. |
| 呢 你想吃什么呢？ | Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme ne? | What do you want to eat? |
| 了 我吃了好几碗饭。 | Wǒ chī le hǎo jǐ wǎn fàn. | I ate several bowls of rice. |
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Summary
Mandarin word order sticks closely to SVO, with time and place expressions placing before the verb, modifiers positioned according to whether they describe nouns or actions, and particles finishing sentences to add meaning.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025