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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