Word order in Mandarin Chinese is fairly flexible but follows general patterns that reflect focus and grammatical roles. The basic sequence is Subject-Verb-Object, with time, place, and manner adverbs placing consistently to signal meaning clearly.
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍞 我 先 吃 面包。 | Wǒ xiān chī miànbāo. | I eat bread first. | |
| ☕️ 他 后喝 咖啡。 | Tā hòu hē kāfēi. | He drinks coffee later. | |
| 🧃 我 现在 喝 果汁。 | Wǒ xiànzài hē guǒzhī. | I am drinking juice now. | |
| 🍳 她 先 煎 蛋。 | Tā xiān jiān dàn. | She fries eggs first. | |
| 🍚 我 饭 后 吃 水果。 | Wǒ fàn hòu chī shuǐguǒ. | I eat fruit after (the) meal. | |
| 🥐 你 先 吃 了 面包 吗？ | Nǐ xiān chī le miànbāo ma? | Did you eat the bread first? |
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025