Everyday Verbs (Part 1) in Chinese 常用动词一
chángyòng dòngcí yī
Verb in Chinese is 动词 (dòng cí).
Also searched for as: common verbs, basic verbs, action words, verbs.
What do you do all day? 15 essential everyday verbs 1 words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Chinese verbs never change their form, so 去 (qù) can mean 'go', 'goes', 'went' or 'going' depending on context. That makes this list of everyday verbs instantly usable: 吃 (chī), 喝 (hē), 买 (mǎi), 看 (kàn) and 要 (yào) combine with a few nouns to describe your day from morning to night. The tricky part is choosing the right verb, especially between 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 去 | qù | to go |
| 来 | lái | to come |
| 看 | kàn | to look; to watch; to read |
| 听 | tīng | to listen |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 喝 | hē | to drink |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy |
| 做 | zuò | to do; to make |
| 要 | yào | to want; to need |
| 想 | xiǎng | to want to; to think |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know |
| 在 | zài | to be at; (doing) now |
| 住 | zhù | to live (somewhere) |
Usage tips
- 要 (yào) is direct, 'I want' or 'I'll have', and is normal when ordering; 想 (xiǎng) is softer, 'I'd like to', and sounds more polite in requests.
- 看 (kàn) covers watching TV, reading and even seeing a doctor: 看电视 (kàn diàn shì), 看书 (kàn shū), 看病 (kàn bìng).
- 在 (zài) before a verb shows an action in progress: 我在看电视 (wǒ zài kàn diàn shì), 'I'm watching TV'.
Common mistakes
- Putting the place at the end, as in 我吃饭在家: 在 plus the place comes before the verb, so say 我在家吃饭 (wǒ zài jiā chī fàn).
- Using 知道 (zhī dào) for knowing a person: for people, use 认识 (rèn shi), as in 我认识他 (wǒ rèn shi tā).
- Leaving 吃 and 说 without an object: Chinese usually adds a general one, so 'eat' is 吃饭 (chī fàn) and 'talk' is 说话 (shuō huà).
Mini dialogue
- A你吃饭了吗？Nǐ chī fàn le ma?Have you eaten?
- B还没。我想去吃面条，你去吗？Hái méi. Wǒ xiǎng qù chī miàn tiáo, nǐ qù ma?Not yet. I fancy some noodles; are you coming?
- A去！我知道一家很好的店。Qù! Wǒ zhī dào yī jiā hěn hǎo de diàn.Yes! I know a really good place.
- B太好了，走吧！Tài hǎo le, zǒu ba!Great, let's go!
Example sentences
- 我明天去北京。I'm going to Beijing tomorrow.
- 你什么时候来？When are you coming?
- 我在看电视。I'm watching TV.
- 我喜欢听音乐。I like listening to music.
- 他说什么？What did he say?
- 你吃饭了吗？Have you eaten?
- 我想喝水。I want to drink some water.
- 我去超市买东西。I'm going to the supermarket to buy things.
- 你在做什么？What are you doing?
- 我要一杯咖啡。I want a cup of coffee.
- 我想去中国。I want to go to China.
- 我喜欢吃中国菜。I like Chinese food.
- 你知道他的名字吗？Do you know his name?
- 我在家。I'm at home.
- 你住在哪儿？Where do you live?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Everyday verbs 1 speaking island has 8 everyday questions about everyday verbs 1 to prepare your own answers to.