Level 2 · Elementary
Actions in a row: serial verbs
Subj. + V1 (+ Obj.) + V2 (+ Obj.)
Chinese chains verb phrases directly, with no connector: 我去商店买东西 "I'm going to the store to buy things" — literally "I go store buy things". The first action leads into the second; no "to" or "and" is needed.
The same pattern covers HOW something is done: 用筷子吃饭 "eat with chopsticks" (use chopsticks, eat), 坐火车去北京 "go to Beijing by train" (sit train, go). Just line the actions up in the order they happen.
Examples
我去商店买东西。
我去商店買東西。
wǒ qù shāng diàn mǎi dōng xi
I'm going to the store to buy some things.
他用筷子吃饭。
他用筷子吃飯。
tā yòng kuài zi chī fàn
He eats with chopsticks.
我们去咖啡店喝咖啡吧。
我們去咖啡店喝咖啡吧。
wǒ men qù kā fēi diàn hē kā fēi ba
Let's go to the coffee shop for a coffee.
他坐火车去北京。
他坐火車去北京。
tā zuò huǒ chē qù běi jīng
He's taking the train to Beijing.
Common mistakes
✗ 我去商店和买东西。
✓ 我去商店买东西。
Verb phrases chain directly — no 和 between actions.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like The Library, It's Cold Today, The Blue Star (Part 13) inside the Literate Chinese app.
