Level Everyday Chinese · HSK 2
把 Sentences: Doing Something to Something
Normally the object follows the verb: 我关了门. With 把 (bǎ), the object moves up front: 我把门关上了, "I took the door and shut it". The focus shifts to what happened to the door.
把 isn't just an alternative word order. It's the natural choice whenever you handle something and it ends up in a new state or a new place, and some sentences can only be said with 把.
Subject + 把 + object + verb + result
The object after 把 is specific, something both speakers can identify (the door, my phone). The verb can't stand alone: it needs something after it that says what happened, such as a result, a direction, a place, 了, or a repeated verb.
我把门关上了。
Wǒ bǎ mén guānshang le.
I shut the door.
他把咖啡喝完了。
Tā bǎ kāfēi hēwán le.
He finished the coffee.
请把手机拿出来。
Qǐng bǎ shǒujī ná chūlai.
Please take out your phones.
别把我的书弄坏了。
Bié bǎ wǒ de shū nònghuài le.
Don't damage my book.
Moving things: 把 + object + verb + 在 / 到 + place
When you put something somewhere, 把 is required: the object comes before the verb and the destination after it.
我把书放在桌子上了。
Wǒ bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shang le.
I put the book on the table.
请把行李拿到房间里。
Qǐng bǎ xíngli ná dào fángjiān li.
Please take the luggage to the room.
When to use 把
Reach for 把 in instructions (put it here, close the window) and when telling what happened to something. Don't use it with verbs that don't affect their object: 喜欢, 知道, 看见, 有, 是 never take 把.
| Plain order | With 把 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 我关了门。 | 我把门关上了。 | both fine; 把 stresses the result |
| (no plain order) | 我把书放在桌子上。 | putting something somewhere needs 把 |
| 我喜欢他。 | (no 把) | 喜欢 doesn't act on its object |
Common mistakes
✗我把门关。
✓我把门关上了。
Wǒ bǎ mén guānshang le.
The verb in a 把 sentence can't stand bare; it needs a result, direction, place or 了 after it.
✗我放书在桌子上。
✓我把书放在桌子上。
Wǒ bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shang.
Verb + object + 在 + place doesn't work. Move the object in front with 把.
✗我把一本书看完了。
✓我把那本书看完了。
Wǒ bǎ nà běn shū kànwán le.
The object of 把 must be something specific that the listener can identify, not "a book".
Questions learners ask
Where do 不, 没 and 要 go in a 把 sentence?
Before 把: 我没把门关上 (I didn't shut the door), 你要把作业做完. This is covered in detail at B1.
Is 把 formal?
Not at all. It's everyday spoken Chinese, especially in instructions: 把门关上, 把手机给我.
Practice this in lessons
The Everyday Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.
Practice this in lessons →Related grammar guides
- Result Complements: 看完, 听懂, 找到, 做好 and 变成 · Everyday Chinese
- Direction Complements: 来, 去, 拿出来, 走进去 and 送给 · Everyday Chinese
- 把 in Depth: 把…成, 把…到, Negatives, Breaking Things and 买大了 · Independent Chinese
- 被, 受, 由 and 使: Passives and Making Someone Feel · Independent Chinese