Verbs are the backbone of any language, and learning them is crucial for forming sentences, expressing actions, and communicating effectively in Chinese.
This blog post is a comprehensive guide to 100 essential Chinese verbs for beginners, complete with example sentences in Chinese, pinyin, and English.
We’ll also include practical usage tips, common verb combinations, and patterns to make learning easier and more memorable.
Common Everyday Verbs
These verbs are used daily and are indispensable for beginners:
To be (是, shì) – 我是学生 (wǒ shì xuéshēng) – I am a student.
To have (有, yǒu) – 我有一本书 (wǒ yǒu yī běn shū) – I have a book.
To go (去, qù) – 我去学校 (wǒ qù xuéxiào) – I go to school.
To come (来, lái) – 他来办公室 (tā lái bàngōngshì) – He comes to the office.
To do (做, zuò) – 我做作业 (wǒ zuò zuòyè) – I do homework.
To say / speak (说, shuō) – 他在说话 (tā zài shuōhuà) – He is speaking.
To ask (问, wèn) – 我问老师问题 (wǒ wèn lǎoshī wèntí) – I ask the teacher a question.
To answer (回答, huídá) – 她回答得很快 (tā huídá de hěn kuài) – She answers quickly.
To see / look at (看, kàn) – 我在看电影 (wǒ zài kàn diànyǐng) – I am watching a movie.
To listen (听, tīng) – 我在听音乐 (wǒ zài tīng yīnyuè) – I am listening to music.
Verbs for Daily Life
These verbs describe common actions we perform every day:
To eat (吃, chī) – 我吃早餐 (wǒ chī zǎocān) – I eat breakfast.
To drink (喝, hē) – 他喝水 (tā hē shuǐ) – He drinks water.
To sleep (睡觉, shuìjiào) – 我晚上十点睡觉 (wǒ wǎnshàng shí diǎn shuìjiào) – I go to sleep at 10 p.m.
To wake up (起床, qǐchuáng) – 我每天六点起床 (wǒ měitiān liù diǎn qǐchuáng) – I wake up at six every day.
To sit (坐, zuò) – 我坐在椅子上 (wǒ zuò zài yǐzi shàng) – I sit on the chair.
To stand (站, zhàn) – 他站在门口 (tā zhàn zài ménkǒu) – He stands at the doorway.
To walk (走, zǒu) – 我们一起走回家 (wǒmen yīqǐ zǒu huí jiā) – We walk home together.
To run (跑, pǎo) – 小狗在公园跑 (xiǎo gǒu zài gōngyuán pǎo) – The puppy runs in the park.
To buy (买, mǎi) – 我买了水果 (wǒ mǎi le shuǐguǒ) – I bought some fruit.
To sell (卖, mài) – 他在市场卖蔬菜 (tā zài shìchǎng mài shūcài) – He sells vegetables at the market.
Verbs for Communication
Chinese is all about expressing yourself clearly. These verbs help in communication:
To tell / inform (告诉, gàosù) – 我告诉他明天的计划 (wǒ gàosù tā míngtiān de jìhuà) – I told him tomorrow’s plan.
To call / phone (打电话, dǎ diànhuà) – 我给朋友打电话 (wǒ gěi péngyǒu dǎ diànhuà) – I call my friend.
To write (写, xiě) – 我写了一封信 (wǒ xiě le yī fēng xìn) – I wrote a letter.
To read (读, dú) – 她在读书 (tā zài dú shū) – She is reading a book.
To explain (解释, jiěshì) – 老师解释了语法 (lǎoshī jiěshì le yǔfǎ) – The teacher explained the grammar.
To translate (翻译, fānyì) – 我在翻译中文文章 (wǒ zài fānyì zhōngwén wénzhāng) – I am translating a Chinese article.
To understand (明白, míngbái) – 我明白你的意思 (wǒ míngbái nǐ de yìsi) – I understand your meaning.
To forget (忘记, wàngjì) – 我忘记带钥匙了 (wǒ wàngjì dài yàoshi le) – I forgot to bring my keys.
To remember (记得, jìde) – 我记得他的名字 (wǒ jìde tā de míngzì) – I remember his name.
To learn / study (学习, xuéxí) – 我在学习中文 (wǒ zài xuéxí zhōngwén) – I am learning Chinese.
Verbs for Work and School
These verbs are especially useful for office or classroom conversations:
To work (工作, gōngzuò) – 我在公司工作 (wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò) – I work at a company.
To meet (见面, jiànmiàn) – 我们下午见面 (wǒmen xiàwǔ jiànmiàn) – We meet in the afternoon.
To teach (教, jiāo) – 老师教数学 (lǎoshī jiāo shùxué) – The teacher teaches math.
To study (学习, xuéxí) – 学生在学习历史 (xuéshēng zài xuéxí lìshǐ) – Students study history.
To write a report (写报告, xiě bàogào) – 我写报告写了两个小时 (wǒ xiě bàogào xiě le liǎng gè xiǎoshí) – I wrote the report for two hours.
To attend a meeting (开会, kāi huì) – 我今天下午开会 (wǒ jīntiān xiàwǔ kāi huì) – I attend a meeting this afternoon.
To send email (发邮件, fā yóujiàn) – 我发邮件给客户 (wǒ fā yóujiàn gěi kèhù) – I send email to the client.
To answer phone calls (接电话, jiē diànhuà) – 他在接电话 (tā zài jiē diànhuà) – He is answering the phone.
To prepare (准备, zhǔnbèi) – 我准备明天的演讲 (wǒ zhǔnbèi míngtiān de yǎnjiǎng) – I prepare tomorrow’s presentation.
To discuss (讨论, tǎolùn) – 我们讨论了计划 (wǒmen tǎolùn le jìhuà) – We discussed the plan.
Verbs for Travel and Movement
These verbs are useful for exploring China or talking about travel:
To travel (旅行, lǚxíng) – 我想去中国旅行 (wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó lǚxíng) – I want to travel to China.
To visit (参观, cānguān) – 我参观了博物馆 (wǒ cānguān le bówùguǎn) – I visited the museum.
To arrive (到, dào) – 我到火车站了 (wǒ dào huǒchēzhàn le) – I arrived at the train station.
To leave / depart (离开, líkāi) – 我们明天离开酒店 (wǒmen míngtiān líkāi jiǔdiàn) – We leave the hotel tomorrow.
To drive (开车, kāi chē) – 他开车去上班 (tā kāi chē qù shàngbān) – He drives to work.
To take a bus / train (坐, zuò) – 我坐地铁去学校 (wǒ zuò dìtiě qù xuéxiào) – I take the subway to school.
To wait (等, děng) – 我在车站等你 (wǒ zài chēzhàn děng nǐ) – I wait for you at the station.
To pack (打包, dǎbāo) – 我打包行李准备旅行 (wǒ dǎbāo xínglǐ zhǔnbèi lǚxíng) – I pack my luggage to prepare for the trip.
To explore (探索, tànsuǒ) – 我想探索这个城市 (wǒ xiǎng tànsuǒ zhège chéngshì) – I want to explore this city.
To rent (租, zū) – 我们租了一辆自行车 (wǒmen zū le yī liàng zìxíngchē) – We rented a bicycle.
New Words from This Blog-Post
- 是 (shì) – To be
- 有 (yǒu) – To have
- 去 (qù) – To go
- 来 (lái) – To come
- 做 (zuò) – To do
- 说 (shuō) – To say / speak
- 问 (wèn) – To ask
- 回答 (huídá) – To answer
- 看 (kàn) – To see / look at
- 听 (tīng) – To listen
- 吃 (chī) – To eat
- 喝 (hē) – To drink
- 睡觉 (shuìjiào) – To sleep
- 起床 (qǐchuáng) – To wake up
- 坐 (zuò) – To sit
- 站 (zhàn) – To stand
- 走 (zǒu) – To walk
- 跑 (pǎo) – To run
- 买 (mǎi) – To buy
- 卖 (mài) – To sell
- 告诉 (gàosù) – To tell / inform
- 打电话 (dǎ diànhuà) – To call / phone
- 写 (xiě) – To write
- 读 (dú) – To read
- 解释 (jiěshì) – To explain
- 翻译 (fānyì) – To translate
- 明白 (míngbái) – To understand
- 忘记 (wàngjì) – To forget
- 记得 (jìde) – To remember
- 学习 (xuéxí) – To learn / study
This selection of verbs is a strong foundation for beginners to construct sentences, express actions, communicate clearly, and engage in daily conversations in Chinese. Once mastered, you’ll find forming sentences and understanding spoken Chinese much easier.
