Simple Sentences
Simple sentences show basic ideas clearly and they are the first step in learning Mandarin Chinese. This guide goes over key sentence patterns and useful vocabulary so you can start making sentences right away.
Subject - Verb - Object
The basic order in Mandarin is SVO (Subject Verb Object), just like in English. This pattern tells who did what to whom and is used for most actions.
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🐶 狗 吃 面包。 | Gǒu chī miànbāo. | The dog eats bread. |
| 🐱 猫 喝 牛奶。 | Māo hē niúnǎi. | The cat drinks milk. |
| 🐰 兔子 吃 胡萝卜。 | Tùzǐ chī húluóbo. | The rabbit eats a carrot. |
| 🐦 鸟 吃 种子。 | Niǎo chī zhǒngzi. | The bird eats seeds. |
| 🐷 猪 吃 苹果。 | Zhū chī píngguǒ. | The pig eats an apple. |
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Questions
Questions are formed by adding question particles like ma 吗 at the end, using question words such as shénme 什么, or inserting the A-not-A pattern. These make it clear you are asking for information.
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🐶 狗 吃 面包 吗？ | Gǒu chī miànbāo ma? | Does the dog eat bread? |
| 🐱 猫 喝 牛奶 了吗？ | Māo hē niúnǎi le ma? | Did the cat drink milk? |
| 🐰 兔子 吃 胡萝卜 了吗？ | Tùzǐ chī húluóbo le ma? | Did the rabbit eat the carrot? |
| 🐦 鸟 吃 种子 吗？ | Niǎo chī zhǒngzi ma? | Does the bird eat seeds? |
| 🐷 猪 吃 苹果 吗？ | Zhū chī píngguǒ ma? | Does the pig eat apples? |
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Negation
Negation is expressed with words like bù 不 for habitual actions and méi 没 for past actions or possession. Placing these before the verb turns the sentence into its opposite.
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🐶 狗 不 吃 面包。 | Gǒu bù chī miànbāo. | The dog does not eat bread. |
| 🐱 猫 没 喝 牛奶。 | Māo méi hē niúnǎi. | The cat did not drink milk. |
| 🐰 兔子 不 吃 胡萝卜。 | Tùzǐ bù chī húluóbo. | The rabbit does not eat carrots. |
| 🐦 鸟 没 吃 种子。 | Niǎo méi chī zhǒngzi. | The bird did not eat seeds. |
| 🐷 猪 不 吃 苹果。 | Zhū bù chī píngguǒ. | The pig does not eat apples. |
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Time Expressions
Time expressions usually come at the beginning of the sentence or right before the verb to show when an action happens. Common time words include jīntiān 今天 (today) and yǐqián 以前 (before).
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🐶 狗 今天 吃 面包。 | Gǒu jīntiān chī miànbāo. | The dog eats bread today. |
| 🐱 昨天 猫 喝 牛奶。 | Zuótiān māo hē niúnǎi. | The cat drank milk yesterday. |
| 🐰 兔子 明天 吃 胡萝卜。 | Míngtiān tùzǐ chī húluóbo. | The rabbit will eat a carrot tomorrow. |
| 🐦 鸟 现在 吃 种子。 | Niǎo xiànzài chī zhǒngzi. | The bird is eating seeds now. |
| 🐷 猪 早上 吃 苹果。 | Zhū zǎoshang chī píngguǒ. | The pig eats apples in the morning. |
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Useful Verbs
Simple sentences rely on common verbs like chī 吃 (eat), qù 去 (go), kàn 看 (look/watch), and yǒu 有 (have). These verbs appear frequently in everyday speech.
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 🐶 狗 吃 面包。 | Gǒu chī miànbāo. | The dog eats bread. |
| 🐱 猫 喝 牛奶。 | Māo hē niúnǎi. | The cat drinks milk. |
| 🐰 兔子 拿 胡萝卜。 | Tùzǐ ná húluóbo. | The rabbit takes a carrot. |
| 🐦 鸟 看 种子。 | Niǎo kàn zhǒngzi. | The bird looks at the seeds. |
| 🐷 猪 找 苹果。 | Zhū zhǎo píngguǒ. | The pig looks for apples. |
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Vocabulary
Familiar nouns, verbs, and time words help you create meaningful sentences. Practice substituting different words into simple patterns to expand your speaking and writing.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 去 | qù | to go |
| 看 | kàn | to look/watch |
| 有 | yǒu | to have |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 什么 | shénme | what |
| 学校 | xuéxiào | school |
| 饭 | fàn | meal/food |
| 朋友 | péngyǒu | friend |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 🐶 | gǒu | dog |
| 🐱 | māo | cat |
| 🐰 | tùzǐ | rabbit |
| 🐦 | niǎo | bird |
| 🐷 | zhū | pig |
| 🍞 | miànbāo | bread |
| 🥛 | niúnǎi | milk |
| 🥕 | húluóbo | carrot |
| 🌱 | zhǒngzi | seeds |
| 🍎 | píngguǒ | apple |
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Summary
Simple sentences follow the SVO order and use particles like ma 吗 to ask questions and words like bù 不 to negate. Time expressions set when things happen, and common verbs make it easy to talk about everyday actions.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025