Library · Introduction to Chinese grammar
9 And, also, all, again
What you'll learn How to say and, also, all and again, how to put two sentences together, and how to suggest something with 吧.
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9.1 And between two things: 和
和 joins two things, or two people, as and does.
王明和李月是同学。王明和李月是同學。
Wang Ming and Li Yue are classmates.
我买了面包和牛奶。我買了麵包和牛奶。
I bought bread and milk.
我喜欢包子和饺子。我喜歡包子和餃子。
I like buns and dumplings.
With more than two, 和 goes before the last, and the others have 、 between them.
桌子上有苹果、鸡蛋和面包。桌子上有蘋果、雞蛋和麵包。
There are apples, eggs and bread on the table.
和 never joins two sentences, as and can in English. Two sentences stand side by side, or the second takes 也 or 还還.
✗我是学生和他是老师。我是學生和他是老師。
I'm a student, and he's a teacher.
9.6 Two sentences side by side, 9.4 And also: a second thing, with 也 or 还
9.2 All, both: 都
都 says that what is said is true of all of them, or of both. It goes before the verb, after the people or things it is about.
他们都是张老师的学生。他們都是張老師的學生。
They're all Teacher Zhang's students.
王明和李月都喜欢小白。王明和李月都喜歡小白。
Wang Ming and Li Yue both love Xiaobai.
这些苹果都很好吃。這些蘋果都很好吃。
These apples are all lovely.
✗都他们是学生。都他們是學生。
They're all students.
With 不 after it, it says none of them, or neither.
我爸爸妈妈都不喝茶。我爸爸媽媽都不喝茶。
Neither my dad nor my mum drinks tea.
这些衣服我都不喜欢。這些衣服我都不喜歡。
I don't like any of these clothes.
9.3 Too, also: 也 before the verb
也 says too, or also. It goes before the verb, as 都 does, and never at the end of the sentence, where English puts too.
李月是大学生，王明也是。李月是大學生，王明也是。
Li Yue is at university, and so is Wang Ming.
大卫也会说汉语。大衛也會說漢語。
David can speak Chinese too.
王明也是张老师的学生。王明也是張老師的學生。
Wang Ming is one of Teacher Zhang's students too.
我也很喜欢小白。我也很喜歡小白。
I love Xiaobai too.
✗大卫会说汉语也。大衛會說漢語也。
David can speak Chinese too.
With 不 after it, it says not either.
李月不喝茶，我也不喝。
Li Yue doesn't drink tea, and nor do I.
9.4 And also: a second thing, with 也 or 还還
To say that someone does one thing and another as well, put the second after a comma, with 也 before its verb. Who does it needn't be said again.
王明喜欢看书，也喜欢看电影。王明喜歡看書，也喜歡看電影。
Wang Ming likes reading, and he likes films too.
大卫会说汉语，也会写汉字。大衛會說漢語，也會寫漢字。
David can speak Chinese, and write characters too.
还還 does the same: one thing more, as well.
我们吃了饺子，还吃了面条儿。我們吃了餃子，還吃了麵條兒。
We had dumplings, and noodles as well.
李月买了一个手机，还买了两本书。李月買了一個手機，還買了兩本書。
Li Yue bought a phone, and two books as well.
王明有一个哥哥，还有一个妹妹。王明有一個哥哥，還有一個妹妹。
Wang Ming has an older brother, and a younger sister as well.
和 is for two things, never for two things someone does.
✗大卫会说汉语和会写汉字。大衛會說漢語和會寫漢字。
David can speak Chinese, and write characters too.
9.1 And between two things: 和, 9.3 Too, also: 也 before the verb
9.5 Again, and later: 再
再 before a verb says again, or one more, of something still to come.
我想再吃一个包子。我想再吃一個包子。
I'd like another bun.
我再看一下。
Let me have another look.
It also says later, and not now: the thing waits until then.
今天太晚了，我们明天再去。今天太晚了，我們明天再去。
It's too late today: we'll go tomorrow.
我现在很忙，下午再给你打电话。我現在很忙，下午再給你打電話。
I'm busy just now: I'll ring you this afternoon.
再见再見, goodbye, is literally "again see".
张老师，再见！張老師，再見！
Goodbye, Teacher Zhang.
再 and 在 are both zài. Only the written word tells them apart: 再 is again, 在 is at, or in the middle of.
8.4 Going on right now: 在, 正在 and 呢, 6.2 Where, with 在, comes before it too
9.6 Two sentences side by side
Where English puts and or but between two sentences, Chinese often puts nothing: the two stand side by side, with a comma between them.
王明在家，李月在学校。王明在家，李月在學校。
Wang Ming's at home, and Li Yue's at school.
我爱吃饺子，我妹妹爱吃面条儿。我愛吃餃子，我妹妹愛吃麵條兒。
I love dumplings, and my sister loves noodles.
我妈妈正在做饭，我爸爸在看电视。我媽媽正在做飯，我爸爸在看電視。
My mum's cooking, and my dad's watching TV.
What English joins with but stands side by side too.
我想去，他不想去。
I want to go, but he doesn't.
我有一个哥哥，没有妹妹。我有一個哥哥，沒有妹妹。
I have an older brother, but no younger sister.
9.7 Let's, and suggesting: 吧
吧 at the end of a sentence makes it a suggestion. With 我们我們, it says let's.
我们喝茶吧。我們喝茶吧。
Let's have some tea.
太晚了，我们回家吧。太晚了，我們回家吧。
It's late: let's go home.
我们坐出租车去吧。我們坐出租車去吧。
Let's get a taxi.
Said to someone else, it asks them gently, more softly than an order.
你坐吧。
Have a seat.
你休息一下吧。
Have a little rest.
In a question, it asks someone to agree with a guess.
你是大卫吧？你是大衛吧？
You must be David.
9.8 Hello on the phone: 喂
喂 is hello on the phone: to answer it, and to start a call. Face to face it is a blunt hey, so there it's 你好.
喂，你好，我是李月。
Hello, it's Li Yue.
喂，是王明吗？喂，是王明嗎？
Hello, is that Wang Ming?
喂，张老师，您好！喂，張老師，您好！
Hello, Teacher Zhang.
喂，你在哪儿呢？喂，你在哪兒呢？
Hello? Where are you?