In Mandarin, verbs often pair with specific kinds of objects or complements that shape meaning and highlight the result of an action. This guide covers common patterns so you can express things like giving someone something, learning an activity, or seeing a result clearly.
Give / Show / Send: Verb + Recipient + Something
Verbs like gěi (给) require you to mention who gets the thing and what is given or shown. The typical order is Verb + Recipient + Thing to keep the meaning clear.
Examples
I give the book to Teacher Li.
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌿 他给我了一把新剪刀。 | Tā gěi wǒ le yī bǎ xīn jiǎndāo. | He gave me a new pair of pruning shears. | |
| 🍓 她给邻居送了一篮草莓。 | Tā gěi línjū sòng le yī lán cǎoméi. | She sent the neighbor a basket of strawberries. | |
| 🌼 我给朋友展示了花坛的设计。 | Wǒ gěi péngyǒu zhǎnshì le huātán de shèjì. | I showed my friend the flower bed design. | |
| 🍞 他给我们带来了新烤的面包。 | Tā gěi wǒmen dàilái le xīn kǎo de miànbāo. | He brought us freshly baked bread. | |
| ☕ 我给客人倒了一杯花茶。 | Wǒ gěi kèrén dào le yī bēi huāchá. | I poured a cup of flower tea for the guest. |
More Verbs Like 给
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 送 | sòng | to send / to deliver | |
| 展示 | zhǎnshì | to show / to display | |
| 带来 | dàilái | to bring | |
| 倒 | dào | to pour | |
| 交给 | jiāo gěi | to hand over |
Learn / Practice / Teach: Verb + Activity + (Object)
When learning or doing activities, the object is often an action expressed with a noun, phrase, or sometimes omitted. Verbs like xué (学) and liàn (练) focus on the activity more than a concrete thing.
Examples
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📖 我在学习果树的修剪技巧。 | Wǒ zài xuéxí guǒshù de xiūjiǎn jìqiǎo. | I am learning pruning techniques for fruit trees. | |
| 🛠️ 她每天练习绑枝的方法。 | Tā měitiān liànxí bǎng zhī de fāngfǎ. | She practices branch tying methods every day. | |
| 👩🏫 老师教我们识别常见的病虫害。 | Lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen shíbié chángjiàn de bìng chónghài. | The teacher taught us to identify common pests. | |
| 💻 我们通过视频学习土壤改良。 | Wǒmen tōngguò shìpín xuéxí tǔrǎng gǎiliáng. | We are learning soil improvement through videos. | |
| 🧑🌾 她教邻居怎样制作堆肥。 | Tā jiāo línjū zěnyàng zhìzuò duīféi. | She taught the neighbor how to make compost. |
More Verbs Like 学 and 练
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 读 | dú | to read / to study | |
| 预习 | yùxí | to preview (study) | |
| 复习 | fùxí | to review | |
| 试验 | shìyàn | to experiment / to test | |
| 指导 | zhǐdǎo | to guide / to coach |
See / Find / Hear: Verb + Result / Object
Verbs such as kàn (看) and zhǎo (找) can be followed by what you perceive or obtain. Sometimes the object is a result or a specific item, depending on the verb.
Examples
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 👀 我看到远处的滴灌水光。 | Wǒ kàn dào yuǎnchù de dī guàn shuǐ guāng. | I saw the glimmer of drip irrigation in the distance. | |
| 🔍 她找到了缺水的田块。 | Tā zhǎo dào le quē shuǐ de tián kuài. | She found the water-deficient plot. | |
| 🎧 农夫听见了风吹动风铃的声音。 | Nóngfū tīngjiàn le fēng chuī dòng fēnglíng de shēngyīn. | The farmer heard the sound of wind chimes swaying. | |
| 🗺️ 他们看到地图上的水源标记。 | Tāmen kàn dào dìtú shàng de shuǐyuán biāojì. | They saw the water source marked on the map. | |
| 🐦 我听到鸟儿在灌溉管旁唱歌。 | Wǒ tīng dào niǎo er zài guàngài guǎn páng chànggē. | I heard birds singing near the irrigation pipe. |
More Verbs Like 看 and 找
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 瞧 | qiáo | to glance / to look | |
| 发现 | fāxiàn | to discover / to find | |
| 注意 | zhùyì | to notice | |
| 寻找 | xúnzhǎo | to search for | |
| 观察 | guānchá | to observe |
Verb + Complement: Result / Direction / Manner
Some verbs pair with complements that show the result of the action, direction, or how it is done. These small additions change meaning and add detail to what happened.
Result Complements
Direction Complements
Manner Complements
Summary
Mandarin verb-object patterns follow intuitive orders: give-show-send verbs take a recipient and thing, learn-practice-teach verbs focus on activities, see-find-hear verbs take perceptual objects, and complements add concrete results or directions. Mastering these patterns makes your speech clear and precise.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025