Verb-Predicate Sentences
动词谓语句
Make basic action sentences
The most common sentence type in Chinese. A verb carries the predicate, optionally followed by an object. Add 不 or 没 for negation.
This is the bread and butter of Chinese — master this pattern and you can say almost anything!
Lesson Targets
Podcast
Podcast: Verb-Predicate Sentences (动词谓语句)
Listen to Jason & Amy explain the 动词谓语句 pattern
New here?
Understanding 动词谓语句
Verb-predicate sentences are the workhorses of Chinese. They follow a beautifully simple formula: someone does something. Subject + Verb, and optionally + Object. Want to say "I eat rice"? 我吃米饭。Want to say "He doesn't go to the hospital"? 他不去医院。It's that straightforward. No conjugation, no tense changes — just plug and play! Imagine how much easier your life would be if English verbs never changed: "I eat, he eat, they eat, yesterday I eat." That's exactly how Chinese works, and it's one of the best things about learning this language. The verb stays the same no matter who does it or when it happened.
Key Points
- Basic pattern: 我买一个面包。(Wǒ mǎi yī gè miànbāo.) — I buy a piece of bread.
- Negate with 不: 他不去医院。(Tā bù qù yīyuàn.) — He doesn't go to the hospital.
- Negate past actions with 没: 我没吃早饭。(Wǒ méi chī zǎofàn.) — I didn't eat breakfast.
- Verbs don't change form — no past tense, no plural, no conjugation!
- Add 了 after the verb for completed actions: 我买了一个面包。
- Auxiliary verbs (想, 要, 能, 可以, 会) go before the main verb: 我想去 (I want to go), 他会说 (he can speak).
- You can chain verbs together: 我去买东西 (I go buy things). The second verb explains the purpose of the first.
- The particle 过 marks past experience: 我去过中国 (I have been to China). It's different from 了 which marks completion.
Chinese is wonderfully efficient — the same verb form works for past, present, and future. Context and time words do the heavy lifting. Yesterday I eat, today I eat, tomorrow I eat — 我吃 never changes!
Key Vocabulary
Example Sentences
我买一个面包。
I buy a piece of bread.
Basic verb + object
他不去医院。
He doesn't go to the hospital.
Negation with 不
我们喝茶。
We drink tea.
Simple action sentence
她没吃早饭。
She didn't eat breakfast.
Past negation with 没
我想学开车。
I want to learn to drive.
Verb chain — auxiliary + main verb
你看这本书吗？
Are you reading this book?
Verb-predicate question with 吗
服务员，我要点菜。
Waiter, I'd like to order.
Auxiliary verb 要 + verb — ordering at a restaurant
我昨天去超市买了很多水果。
I went to the supermarket and bought lots of fruit yesterday.
Verb chain with 了 — shopping trip
她每天跑步锻炼身体。
She runs every day to exercise.
Verb chain — running for exercise
我没去过日本，但是我很想去。
I've never been to Japan, but I really want to go.
Past experience negation with 没…过 — talking about travel
Common Mistakes
To negate completed actions, use 没 (not 不). 不 is for habitual or future negation; 没 is for things that didn't happen.
不 goes before the verb, not after it. Subject + 不 + Verb + Object.
没 and 了 don't mix. When using 没 for negation, drop the 了.
Practice Exercises
Tips & Tricks
Use 不 for "don't / won't" (habits, future). Use 没 for "didn't" (past). That's the key distinction!
Chinese verbs never change form — no -ed, no -ing, no -s. Celebrate this simplicity!
Practice by narrating what you do each day: 我起床, 我吃饭, 我去学校, 我学习...
Memory trick for 不 vs 没: 不 looks at the future (I won't), 没 looks at the past (I didn't). One faces forward, one faces back.
Remember: 没 and 了 are like oil and water — they never mix in the same clause! If you use 没, drop the 了.
Homework
Write eight verb-predicate sentences about your weekend. Include at least three negative sentences using 不 and 没: 我星期六去超市。我没买很多东西。我不想做作业。