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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? 

    If you have any questions about this grammar point, please ask in the class forums!

    This page titled 4.6: Lesson 3 Grammar - Expressing "and also" with 还 (hái) was last modified on Wed, 12 Aug 2020 22:08:22 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Carl Polley (裴凯).