Basic Word Order
Basic Subject-Verb-Object word order in Chinese
I can form basic SVO sentences
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
我喝水。
I drink water.
他今天学中文。
He studies Chinese today.
我们吃米饭。
We eat rice.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Basic SVO Word Order
Chinese uses Subject + Verb + Object order, just like English. Verbs never change form. Time expressions go before the verb.
Time expressions go BEFORE the verb, not after. Verbs never conjugate.
我喝水。
I drink water.
我 (S) + 喝 (V) + 水 (O) — classic SVO, same as English/German.
他今天学中文。
He studies Chinese today.
Time word 今天 goes BEFORE the verb: 他今天学中文 (not *他学中文今天).
我们吃米饭。
We eat rice.
我们吃米饭 — same verb 吃 for all persons. No conjugation ever!
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is 基本语序 used?
- Chinese uses Subject + Verb + Object order, just like English.
- How is 基本语序 formed?
- No conjugation! Verbs never change form. No tense endings, no person agreement: 我吃, 你吃, 他吃 — always 吃. Time before verb: Time words go before the verb: 我 今天 吃苹果 (I eat apples today ). Adverbs also precede the verb.
- What are common mistakes with 基本语序?
- The biggest advantage: SVO is natural for English speakers. The main pitfall is placing time expressions — they go BEFORE the verb, not after. English speakers: May put time at the end ('I eat apples today') instead of before the verb (我今天吃苹果). Russian speakers: Russian's flexible word order may cause hesitation about strict SVO; Chinese word order is relatively fixed. Czech speakers: Czech's free word order contrasts with Chinese's fixed SVO; time expressions must precede the verb.