Level 3 · Intermediate
把 sentences
Subj. + 把 + Obj. + Verb + …
把 (bǎ) pulls the object up in front of the verb to say what you DID to it: 我把作业做完了 "I finished the homework" — literally "I take homework do-finish". Use it when you handle, move, or change something and want to spotlight the result.
The rule that trips everyone up: the verb after 把 can never stand bare. 我把门开 is unfinished — something has to follow the verb, usually 了 or a result: 我把门开了, 请把门关上.
Examples
我把作业做完了。
我把作業做完了。
wǒ bǎ zuò yè zuò wán le
I finished my homework.
请把门关上。
請把門關上。
qǐng bǎ mén guān shàng
Please close the door.
他把我的咖啡喝了。
tā bǎ wǒ de kā fēi hē le
He drank my coffee.
别把手机忘在家里。
別把手機忘在家裡。
bié bǎ shǒu jī wàng zài jiā lǐ
Don't leave your phone at home.
Common mistakes
✗ 我把门开。
✓ 我把门开了。
The verb after 把 can't be bare — it needs 了 or a complement after it.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like The Big Move (Part 2), Packing Up (Part 1), The Broken Bowl (Part 3) inside the Literate Chinese app.
