4.6: Lesson 3 Grammar - Expressing "and also" with 还 (hái)

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In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate and different thoughts. We can do the same thing in Chinese by using 还 (hái). The adverb 还 (hái) can be used to link two phrases together. In this case, 還 (hái) begins a new phrase or clause.

Subj. + Verb + Obj. 1，还 + Verb + Obj. 2

Examples

她有一个弟弟，还有一个妹妹。
Tā yǒu yī gè dìdi, hái yǒu yī gè mèimei.
She has a younger brother and also has a younger sister.
我老板会说法语，还会说日语。
Wǒ lǎobǎn huì shuō Fǎyǔ, hái huì shuō Rìyǔ.
My boss can speak French and can also speak Japanese.
你要一杯咖啡，还要什么？
Nǐ yào yī bēi kāfēi, hái yào shénme?
You want a cup of coffee, and what else do you want?
我想吃冰淇淋，还想吃汉堡。
Wǒ xiǎng chī bīngqílín, hái xiǎng chī hànbǎo.
I want to eat ice cream and I also want to eat a hamburger.
爸爸有一个小米手机，还有一个 iPhone。
Bàba yǒu yī gè Xiǎomǐ shǒujī, hái yǒu yī gè iPhone.
Dad has a Xiaomi phone and also has an iPhone.
你晚上在家做了作业，还做了什么？
Nǐ wǎnshang zài jiā zuò le zuòyè, hái zuò le shénme?
You did your homework at home tonight, and what else did you do?
他结婚的时候，请了同事，还请了谁？
Tā jiéhūn de shíhou, qǐng le tóngshì, hái qǐng le shéi?
When he got married, he invited his co-workers. Who else did he invite?
生日的时候，我们会吃蛋糕，还要送礼物。
Shēngrì de shíhou, wǒmen huì chī dàngāo, hái yào sòng lǐwù.
During a birthday, we eat cake and also give presents.
去美国要带钱、护照，还要带什么？
Qù Měiguó yào dài qián, hùzhào, hái yào dài shénme?
To go to the USA, you need to take money and a passport. What else do you need to take with you?

The Difference Between 还 (hái) and 也 (yě)

It should be noted that another common way to express "also" is with the word 也 (yě). What's the difference? With 还 (hái), ONE subject is doing TWO different things, whereas when 也 (yě) is used, TWO subjects are doing ONE thing.

It's the difference between these two English sentences:

He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
She washed the dishes too.

If you translated these into Chinese, the first one (one subject, two actions) would use 还 (hái), and the second one (second subject, no new actions) would use 也 (yě). Let's do that!

他做了饭，还洗了碗。
Tā zuò le fàn, hái xǐ le wǎn.
He fixed dinner and also washed the dishes.
她也洗了碗。
Tā yě xǐ le wǎn.
She washed the dishes too.

How about a few more similar examples?

我洗了澡，还洗了衣服。
Wǒ xǐ le zǎo, hái xǐ le yīfu.
I took a shower and also did my laundry.
她也洗了衣服。
Tā yě xǐ le yīfu.
She did her laundry too.
我们今天晚上出去吃饭了，还看了电影。
Wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshang chūqù chīfàn le, hái kàn le diànyǐng.
We went out for dinner tonight and also watched a movie.
他们今天晚上也看了电影。
Tāmen jīntiān wǎnshang yě kàn le diànyǐng.
They watched a movie tonight too.

[adapted from AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki, Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA 3.0]

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Any Questions?

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