Level 1 · Beginner
Basic word order
Subj. + Verb + Obj.
Chinese sentences follow the same basic order as English: subject first, then the verb, then the object. 我喝茶 maps word-for-word to "I drink tea."
The good news: Chinese verbs never change form. There is no -s, -ed, or -ing. 我喝茶, 他喝茶, and 我们喝茶 all use exactly the same 喝. Things like tense are expressed with extra words and context, not by changing the verb.
Examples
我喝茶。
wǒ hē chá
I drink tea.
他看书。
他看書。
tā kàn shū
He reads books.
妈妈做饭。
媽媽做飯。
mā ma zuò fàn
Mom cooks.
我们学习中文。
我們學習中文。
wǒ men xué xí zhōng wén
We study Chinese.
Common mistakes
✗ 我茶喝。
✓ 我喝茶。
The object comes after the verb, just like in English.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: The Kitten and the Puppy · The Kitten Likes Fish, the Puppy Likes Meat — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
