Verbs describe actions, states, or occurrences and are essential for communication. This list includes frequent Mandarin verbs used in everyday speech.
Vocabulary
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 去 | qù | to go | |
| 来 | lái | to come | |
| 吃 | chī | to eat | |
| 喝 | hē | to drink | |
| 看 | kàn | to see / to watch | |
| 说 | shuō | to say / to speak | |
| 学习 | xuéxí | to study / to learn | |
| 做 | zuò | to do / to make | |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think / to want | |
| 会 | huì | can / to be able to |
I'm going to Beijing tomorrow.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐉 开门了。 | kāi mén le. | The door opened. | |
| 🚪 门开了。 | mén kāi le. | The door is open. | |
| 🧹 他打扫街道。 | tā dǎsǎo jiēdào. | He sweeps the street. | |
| 🗑️ 街道很干净。 | jiēdào hěn gānjìng. | The street is very clean. | |
| 🚗 车停在门口。 | chē tíng zài ménkǒu. | The car stopped at the doorway. | |
| 🏃 孩子们跑进院子。 | háizi men pǎo jìn yuànzi. | The children ran into the yard. | |
| 🥡 我买了饭。 | wǒ mǎi le fàn. | I bought food. | |
| 🍜 饭做好了。 | fàn zuò hǎo le. | The food is ready. |
Usage
Mandarin verbs generally do not change form for tense, number, or person. Time is indicated by context, particles, or time expressions. Verbs can be followed by complements, objects, or modifiers.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧑🌾 农夫每天浇水。 | nóngfū měitiān jiāoshuǐ. | The farmer waters every day. | |
| 🌱 花儿长得很快。 | huā er zhǎng de hěn kuài. | The flowers grow very fast. | |
| 🌧️ 昨晚下雨了。 | zuó wǎn xià yǔ le. | It rained last night. | |
| 🌈 地上有彩虹。 | dìshàng yǒu cǎihóng. | There is a rainbow on the ground. | |
| 🧹 阿姨正在扫地。 | āyí zhèngzài sǎo dì. | Auntie is sweeping the floor. | |
| 🧺 篮子里装满了菜。 | lánzi lǐ zhuāng mǎn le cài. | The basket is full of vegetables. |
Aspect Particles
Aspect particles like 了, 着, and 过 show whether an action is completed, ongoing, or experienced. They attach after the verb or verb phrase and help signal time and meaning.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥬 我买了很多菜。 | wǒ mǎi le hěn duō cài. | I bought a lot of vegetables. | |
| 🍞 面包做好了。 | miànbāo zuò hǎo le. | The bread is done. | |
| 🏃♂️ 他正在搬箱子。 | tā zhèngzài bān xiāngzi. | He is moving boxes. | |
| 📦 箱子搬到了门口。 | xiāngzi bān dào le ménkǒu. | The boxes were moved to the door. | |
| 🌅 我每天早上跑步。 | wǒ měitiān zǎoshang pǎobù. | I run every morning. |
Resultative Complements
Resultative complements follow a verb and show the outcome or result of an action, such as finishing, obtaining, or understanding. They turn abstract actions into concrete results.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧼 花盆洗干净了。 | huā pén xǐ gān jìng le. | The flower pot was washed clean. | |
| 🔌 灯打开了。 | dēng dǎ kāi le. | The light was turned on. | |
| 📬 信放进去了吗？ | xìn fàng jìn qù le ma? | Was the letter put inside? | |
| 🔒 门锁好了。 | mén suǒ hǎo le. | The door was locked securely. | |
| 🧴 水洒出来了。 | shuǐ sǎ chū lái le. | The water spilled out. |
Common Verbal Constructions
Mandarin uses structures like 把, 被, and 让 to highlight different aspects of an action and its effect on objects or people. These constructions change the sentence focus and voice.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧑🍳 妈妈给我做了饭。 | māma gěi wǒ zuò le fàn. | Mom made food for me. | |
| 🧑🏫 老师教我们种菜。 | lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen zhòng cài. | The teacher teaches us to plant vegetables. | |
| 🏃♀️ 孩子们跑来拿球。 | háizi men pǎo lái ná qiú. | The children ran over to get the ball. | |
| 🗣️ 他让我帮忙搬箱子。 | tā ràng wǒ bāngmáng bān xiāngzi. | He asked me to help move boxes. | |
| ❌ 请别踏坏花坛。 | qǐng bié tà huài huā tán. | Please don't step on the flower bed. |
Summary
Verbs name actions or states and Mandarin relies on particles and context to show time. Learn common verbs, aspect particles, and resultative complements to express precise meaning in everyday situations.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025