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Beginner

Basic Word Order (SVO)

Subject-verb-object

Subject–Verb–Object

The basic order is SVO, like English.

💬 Examples
我吃饭。
Wǒ chī fàn.
I eat (a meal).
📝 S(我) V(吃) O(饭)
他喝水。
Tā hē shuǐ.
He drinks water.
📝 Same SVO pattern
No conjugation

Verbs never change for person, number or tense.

💬 Examples
我是学生。
Wǒ shì xuésheng.
I am a student.
📝 是 is the same for every subject
他们是学生。
Tāmen shì xuésheng.
They are students.
📝 No plural verb form
Time and place come before the verb

Unlike English, time/place words precede the verb.

💬 Examples
我今天工作。
Wǒ jīntiān gōngzuò.
I work today.
📝 Time (今天) before the verb
我在家吃饭。
Wǒ zài jiā chī fàn.
I eat at home.
📝 Place (在家) before the verb