How to Build a Basic Chinese Sentence
Basic Chinese sentences are Subject + Verb + Object — the same order as English. The catch: everything you add later (time, place, 也) goes BEFORE the verb.
Why this trips learners up
Here's the good news that surprises most beginners: basic Chinese word order is the same as English. Subject, then verb, then object — 我喝咖啡 is literally “I drink coffee”, word for word. For your very first sentences you can think in English order and you'll be right.
The trap is assuming it stays that easy. The moment you add when, where, or “also”, Chinese stops matching English — those pieces go before the verb, not after. “I eat at home” is 我在家吃饭 (I + at-home + eat), not 我吃饭在家. Nail the simple subject-verb-object core first; this page shows you exactly where English will start to mislead you.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
tāmen 他们 Subject chūfā 出发 Verb le 了 Function word
They've set off.
wǒ 我 Subject hē 喝 Verb kāfēi 咖啡 Object
I drink coffee.
nǐ 你 Subject yǎng 养 Verb māo 猫 Object ma 吗 Question
Do you have a cat?
wǒ 我 Subject xiǎng 想 Function word xué 学 Verb gāngqín 钢琴 Object
I want to learn the piano.
nǐmen 你们 Subject xiǎng 想 Function word chī 吃 Verb shénme 什么 Object
What do you want to eat?
wǒ mèimei 我妹妹 Subject tèbié 特别 Adverb xǐhuan 喜欢 Verb chī 吃 Verb là de 辣的 Object
My little sister absolutely loves eating spicy food.
Common mistakes
Why it happens: English yanks the question word to the front — “What do you eat?” Chinese leaves it exactly where the answer would go: 你吃什么 (you eat what). Don't move 什么; it stays in the object slot.
Why it happens: “At home” feels like it belongs at the end, English-style. But a location goes before the verb in Chinese: 我在家吃饭 (I at-home eat). Putting it after the verb is the single most common word-order slip.
Why it happens: Time words work the same way — they come before the verb, not at the end. “I'm going tomorrow” is 我明天去 (I tomorrow go), never 我去明天.
Compare & contrast
| Same as English | Different from English | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 我喝茶。wǒ hē chá. | 我也喝茶。wǒ yě hē chá. | Plain subject-verb-object matches English exactly. Add “also” and 也 jumps in before the verb — never floating at the end like English “too”. |
| 她买菜。tā mǎi cài. | 她下午买菜。tā xiàwǔ mǎi cài. | The core order is identical; add a time word and it lands before the verb, not after it. |
Try it yourself
Say “I watch movies on weekends” — tap the words into the right order.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Build a Basic Chinese Sentence grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.