A clause is a small sentence that functions as a component within a sentence and can serve as a subject, object, attribute, or adverbial. A clause usually has its own subject and predicate. In Chinese, the structures "的", "是……的", "因为……所以" and other forms are commonly used to introduce different types of clauses. Understanding the essence of clauses helps analyze complex sentences.

Conditional sentences express the relationship “If … then …”, commonly led by words like "如果", "要是", or "只要". The word "就" is often placed in the consequent part, though it can be omitted. A conditional clause can appear at the front or the back. The conditional part generally does not co-occur with a definite future tense.

An object clause functions as the object of a verb, commonly following verbs such as “say”, “feel”, “know”, “hope”, “believe”, etc. They often directly introduce content with "...", or can be introduced by "whether/if/why/how". Chinese object clauses are more concise than English and do not require an extra conjunction. The tense of the object clause mirrors the main clause for declarative sentences.

A relative clause modifies a noun, commonly connected to the modified noun by the particle 的. In Chinese, relative clauses usually come before the noun; information inside the clause is presented first, then 的 introduces the head noun. Structures like “the person I know” or “the thing that happened yesterday” illustrate this. A relative clause can contain its own subject and predicate.

An adverbial clause functions as an adverb, indicating time, reason, purpose, result, concession, etc. Common patterns include “当…”, “因为…所以…”, “为了…”, “以免…”. Adverbial clauses can be fronted to improve coherence. The causal relationship is often expressed as “因为…所以…”, but you can also have just “因为” or just “所以” as standalone parts.

Interrogative clauses typically appear after verbs like “know”, “ask”, or “be unsure”, and contain an interrogative word. “是否” introduces yes/no questions, equivalent to the yes/no structure in English. “谁”“什么”“哪里”“怎么”“为什么” introduce content question clauses. The internal word order of interrogative clauses remains declarative, without inversion.

The “是……的” construction can highlight details such as time, manner, or reason, and is often used to emphasize a part of a completed action. In complex sentences, the “是……的” construction often pairs with relative clauses or adverbial clauses to highlight information. The part after “是” is the element being emphasized, and the part after “的” is the verb phrase or supplement. This structure does not stress the completion of the action itself, but the detail.

Chinese clauses can be fronted or postposed depending on information focus and conversational habits. Conditional and temporal adverbial clauses are often fronted to emphasize the main clause. In a relative clause, the clause must stay tightly attached to the modified noun and cannot be moved after it. Object clauses usually follow the verb, in a stable position.

In spoken Chinese, the “jiu” in conditional sentences can be omitted; within short clauses, repeated components are often omitted. Causality can sometimes be stated by only “because” or only the result, without pairing. Relative clauses can be replaced by a short “de” phrase to keep things concise. Omissions should ensure that meaning remains clear and does not affect the main framework.

Common Chinese conjunctions include “如果”, “要是”, “只要”, “因为”, “所以”, “当”, “为了”, “以免”, “是否”, and “的”. Mastering these words lets you quickly build common clauses. Different conjunctions correspond to different semantic relations and should not be mixed. The choice of conjunction determines the logical direction of the clause.