和 · 跟
and: joins two nouns or people
Structure
名词1 + 和／跟 + 名词2
What it means
和 and 跟 both mean “and”, but only between nouns or people, never between two sentences.
How it is built
Noun 1 + 和/跟 + noun 2: 爸爸和妈妈 (Mum and Dad), 我跟我妹妹 (my younger sister and I). With 都 for “both”: 王明和李月都是中国人.
When to use it
和 is the standard word; 跟 is more casual and very common in speech, especially in the north. A 和 B 都 … means “both A and B …”. To join two sentences, just use a comma.
Watch out
✗ 我是大卫和我是英国人 ✓ 我是大卫，我是英国人。 和 never joins two sentences.
Examples
我爸爸和妈妈都是老师。
My mum and dad are both teachers.
我跟我妹妹都是学生。
My younger sister and I are both students.
王明和李月都是中国人。
Wang Ming and Li Yue are both Chinese.
Learn this in HSK 1 · Lesson 3: 这是我姐姐 (Family photos)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
Open the lesson →