The word “and” can be translated into Mandarin in many ways, depending on the context in which it is used.
| Mandarin word for "and" | Used to connect... |
|---|---|
和 transcribed hé, 跟 transcribed gēn, 与 transcribed yǔ, 及 transcribed jí | nouns (e.g. "teacher," "table,"...) pronouns (e.g. "I," "you," "that,"...) |
又 … 又 transcribed yòu... yòu, 既 … 又/也 transcribed jì... yòu/yě | verbs adjectives |
也 transcribed yě, 还 transcribed hái, 而且 transcribed érqiě, 并且 transcribed bìngqiě | complete sentences |
The English word “and” is one-size-fits-all: it can link nouns, verbs, adjectives, or even sentences. But as you can see, in Mandarin things work a bit differently! In this post, we'll go over all the different ways to say "and" in Mandarin, and when you should use each one.
Excited for the challenge? Let’s dive in!
Linking nouns and pronouns: "and" or "with"
In Mandarin Chinese, the words 和 transcribed hé, 跟 transcribed gēn, 与 transcribed yǔ, and 及 transcribed jí, can all be used to mean "and" or "with," if you're linking nouns or pronouns.
Noun A
Noun B
How should you choose between the linkers? Follow the tips below:
Use 和 transcribed hé with longer lists of nouns
When making a list of three or more nouns or pronouns, you should always use 和 transcribed hé. Like when you make a list with "and" in English, 和 transcribed hé will only be used once, before the final noun in the list.
- 我买了苹果、梨和葡萄。Transcription: Wǒ mǎi le píngguǒ, lí, hé pútáo.Translation: I bought apples, pears, and grapes.
- 小王、老张、和老李都来了。Transcription: Xiǎo Wáng, Lǎo Zhāng, hé Lǎo Lǐ doū lái le.Translation: Xiao Wang, Lao Zhang, and Lao Li all came.
Use 与 transcribed yǔ or 及 transcribed jí in formal situations
In formal contexts, you're more likely to use the linkers 与 transcribed yǔ and 及 transcribed jí.
请写上你的地址及电话。Transcription: Qǐng xiě shàng nǐ de dìzhǐ jí diànhuà.Translation: Please write down your address and phone number.
How to connect verbs and adjectives in Mandarin Chinese?
又 transcribed yòu...又 transcribed yòu, together with 既 transcribed jì)…又/也 transcribed yě…, connect verbs and adjectives. When using 又... 又, no degree words (e.g. 很 transcribed hěnmeaning very) can be used. When there are degree words, we use 也. 既 … 又/也… tends to link adjectives.
Now, let’s take a look at how these words can connect actions and descriptors (verbs and adjectives). Check out this helpful diagram below:
Let’s see it in practice.
What to keep in mind
When connecting verbs and adjectives, keep the following key points in mind:
When connecting verbs, one-syllable verbs are preferred over two-syllable verbs.
When verbs consist of two syllables, we add a comma in between, for example:
他唱歌、跳舞。Transcription: Tā chànggē, tiàowǔ.Translation: He sings and dances.There is no syllable requirement when connecting adjectives.
When connecting adjectives, both adjectives should be either positive or negative; they cannot be mixed. Otherwise, we say:
她聪明, 但不用功。Transcription: Tā cōngmíng, dàn bù yònggōng.Translation: She is intelligent, but not working hard.When using the
又...又... structure to connect adjectives, we can't add degree words, e.g.,很 transcribed hěnmeaning very:⨯他又很聪明又很能干。
BUT if you want to use degree words, you need to use 也 (yě) instead of 又.
For example,
他很聪明，也很能干。Transcription: Tā hěn cōngmíng, yě hěn nénggàn.Translation: He is very intelligent and very capable.既 (jì) … 又 (yòu) or 也 (yě)… tend to connect adjectives only:
他既聪明又/也能干。Transcription: Tā jì cōngmíng yòu / yě nénggàn.Translation: She is intelligent as well as capable.You can also use 和 (hé) to connect verbs. In this case though, verbs are often not used alone. For example, we can say:
关于这个问题，我会进一步了解和说明。Transcription: Guānyú zhègè wèntí, wǒ huì jìn yībù liǎojiě hé shuōmíng.Translation: I will get to know this issue better and explain it further.
However, we don’t say,
In the first example, 了解和说明 meaning get to know and explain are used together with 会进一步 meaning will further which is another element that modifies 了解和说明, so 和 (hé) can be used here. But the second example is not okay because the verbs are not used with any other elements.
How to connect sentences in Mandarin Chinese?
也 transcribed yě, 还 transcribed hái, 而且 transcribed érqiě, and 并且 transcribed bìngqiě connect sentences when their subjects are the same. When the subjects are different, 也 is the only suitable option, the other three are not.
We’ve connected the various parts of a sentence with conjunctions. Now, let’s try connecting whole sentences together! There are plenty of options for which kind of Mandarin “and” we can use — take a look at the construction below:
What to keep in mind
When connecting sentences in Mandarin Chinese, keep the following grammar points in mind:
When used to connect two sentences with the same subject, 也/还/而且/并且 are preceded by a comma in writing.
When two sentences share the same subject, the second subject can be dropped.
When used to connect two sentences with different subjects, only 也 is used and it is placed after the subject of the second sentence.
Can “and” be left out in Mandarin Chinese?
You can actually drop “and” altogether, especially in informal and spoken Mandarin Chinese, including text messages, group chats, emails, twitter, etc.
| “and” dropped | “and” added | Punctuation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
你我一起去吧。 transcribed Nǐ wǒ yīqǐ qù ba. | 你和我一起去吧。 transcribed Nǐ hé wǒ yīqǐ qù ba. | 你、我一起去吧。 transcribed Nǐ, wǒ yīqǐ qù ba. | I think you and I can go together. |
他唱歌跳舞。 transcribed Tā chànggē tiàowǔ. | 他唱歌、跳舞。 transcribed Tā chànggē, tiào wǔ. | He sings and dances. | |
小王聪明能干。 transcribed Xiǎo Wáng cōng míng nénggān. | 小王(又)聪明又能干。 transcribed Xiǎo wáng (yòu) cōngmíng yòu nénggān. | 小王聪明、能干。 transcribed Xiǎo Wáng cōng míng, nénggān. | Xiao Wang is intelligent and capable. |
Below are the patterns to follow when you use the Mandarin Chinese “and” along with some tips:
Noun A + 和/跟/与/及 + Noun B
又 transcribed yòu + verb/adjective A + 又 transcribed yòu verb/adjective B
既 transcribed jì + adjective A + 又/也 transcribed yě adjective B
Sentence A, 也/还/而且/并且 + sentence B
When the subjects of the two sentences are the same, the second one can be omitted
You can drop “and” altogether in some situations
Ready to give it a try? Here are some practice exercises on the Mandarin conjunction “and,” which will help you revise and reinforce your knowledge about “and” in Mandarin Chinese.
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