我喝茶
who (+ when) + does + what
Structure
主语 （+ 时间） + 动词 + 宾语
What it means
The basic sentence: who + does + what, in the same order as English. A time word, if there is one, goes before the verb.
How it is built
Subject (+ time) + verb + object: 我喝茶 (I drink tea). With a time word: 我们明天去长城 (We're going to the Great Wall tomorrow).
When to use it
Subject, verb, object work just like English. The difference is the time word: put it right after the subject (我们明天去) or at the very start (明天我们去).
Watch out
Never put the time at the end as in English: ✗ 我们去长城明天 ✓ 我们明天去长城.
Examples
我喝茶。
I drink tea.
他学习中文。
He studies Chinese.
我们明天去长城。
We’re going to the Great Wall tomorrow.
明天我们去长城。
Tomorrow we’re going to the Great Wall.
Learn this in 启蒙 · Lesson 7: 我喝茶 (How a sentence works)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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