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Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 19

CEFR A2-B1

3 min read

Test yourself (20 questions)

Mandarin Serial Verbs: 我去商店买东西 and Verb Order

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

Mandarin lines verbs up with nothing between them: (wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi), I'm going to the shop to buy things. English needs a "to" or an "and"; Mandarin needs only the right order, and the right order is the order things happen.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the Mandarin for the English. The first verb is what happens first.

  1. I'm going to Beijing by train.

  2. I'm going to Beijing to catch a train there.

  3. She went home to sleep.

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

the first verb (where you go or how)the next verb (what you do)What do the colours mean?

One subject, two verb phrases, no glue:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi.I'm going to the shop to buy things
。Tā lái Zhōngguó xué Zhōngwén.He came to China to study Chinese
。Wǒ zuò huǒchē qù Běijīng.I'm going to Beijing by train
。Tā yòng Zhōngwén xiě xìn.She writes letters in Chinese
Subject
First verb + object
Next verb + object

The chain does two jobs: going somewhere to do something (the first two rows), and saying how you do it (the last two). Each verb keeps its own object beside it.

Verb order is event order

the first verb (where you go or how)the next verb (what you do)What do the colours mean?

Swap the verbs and you swap the events. Same words, two different journeys:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ zuò huǒchē qù Běijīng.I'm going to Beijing by train
。Wǒ qù Běijīng zuò huǒchē.I'm going to Beijing to catch a train
。Tā huíjiā shuìjiào le.She went home to sleep

In the first row the train takes you to Beijing. In the second you get to Beijing first, then board a train. When you build a chain, ask what happens first in real life, and say that first.

Going somewhere to do something: 去 (qù) and 来 (lái)

the first verb (where you go or how)the next verb (what you do)What do the colours mean?

(qù) or (lái), then the place, then what you do there. English says "to"; Mandarin says nothing:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ qù túshūguǎn jiè shū.I'm going to the library to borrow books
。Wǒmen chūqù chīfàn ba.Let's go out to eat
。Nǐ lái wǒ jiā wán ba.Come round to mine
。Wǒ qù mǎi dōngxi.I'm going shopping

The place can drop out when it is obvious, as in the last row. (lái) is the same pattern pointing towards the speaker: (tā lái Zhōngguó xué Zhōngwén), he came to China to study Chinese.

Purpose with (lái) and (qù), and verbs of motion with transport, are on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Foundation and Higher tier.

How you do it: 坐 (zuò), 用 (yòng), 走路 (zǒulù)

the first verb (where you go or how)the next verb (what you do)What do the colours mean?

When the first verb is the means, it still comes first: you get on the train before it takes you anywhere.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ zuò fēijī qù Běijīng.I'm flying to Beijing
。Tā zuò chē huíjiā le.He went home by car
。Wǒmen zǒulù qù xuéxiào.We walk to school
。Tā yòng Zhōngwén xiě xìn.She writes letters in Chinese

(zuò) is "sit", so (zuò fēijī) is "sit on a plane": by plane. (yòng) is "use". Words like these, which slide towards being prepositions, are also called co-verbs; the order is the same either way.

Marking the whole chain: 了 (le) and 没 (méi)

the first verb (where you go or how)the next verb (what you do)What do the colours mean?

The chain is one event, so it is marked once. (le) goes on the last verb or at the very end; (méi) and (bù) go before the first verb:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā zuò chē huíjiā le.He went home by car
。Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi le yì běn shū.I went to the shop and bought a book
。Tā méi qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi.He didn't go to the shop to buy anything
。Wǒ bú zuò fēijī qù.I'm not flying there

A (le) on the first verb, as in (tā zuò le chē huíjiā), splits the chain into two steps and sounds clumsy. Mark the end instead.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。 (hé) joins nouns; nothing goes between the verbs
。。each verb keeps its own object
。。 (zuò chē) and (huíjiā) are two separate units
。。for "I'm flying to Beijing": how you travel comes first

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Say where you go each week and why: …… (wǒ qù… mǎi…), …… (wǒ zuò… qù…).
  3. Then read co-verbs for (zài), (cóng) and (gěi) before the verb.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/6

What does the first verb say: where you go, or how?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the Mandarin for the English. The first verb is what happens first.

  1. I'm going to Beijing by train.

  2. I'm going to Beijing to catch a train there.

  3. She went home to sleep.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. wǒ qù shāng diàn hé mǎi dōng xi 。

  2. wǒ qù mǎi dōng xi shāng diàn 。

  3. tā zuò huí jiā chē 。

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. I'm going to the shop to buy a book.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. He came to China to study Chinese.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. We walk to school.

    Your sentence is empty.

Matching

0/5

Match each sentence to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a serial verb construction in Mandarin?
Two or more verb phrases in a row with one subject and nothing joining them: (wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi), I'm going to the shop to buy things. Each verb keeps its own object, and the verbs follow the order of events.
How do you say 'go somewhere to do something' in Chinese?
(qù) + place + what you do there: (wǒ qù túshūguǎn jiè shū), I'm going to the library to borrow books. (lái) works the same way: (tā lái Zhōngguó xué Zhōngwén), he came to China to study Chinese.
Can I swap the verbs round in a serial verb sentence?
Only if you mean different events. (wǒ zuò huǒchē qù Běijīng) is going to Beijing by train; (wǒ qù Běijīng zuò huǒchē) is going to Beijing to catch a train there. The first verb is what happens first.
Do I need (hé) between the two verbs?
No. (hé) joins nouns, as in (wǒ hé nǐ), you and me. Between a verb and its purpose Mandarin puts nothing: , not .
Where does (le) go in a serial verb sentence?
On the last verb or at the end, so the whole chain is marked once: (tā zuò chē huíjiā le), he went home by car; (wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi le yì běn shū), I went to the shop and bought a book. (méi) goes before the first verb: (tā méi qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi).