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Level Foundations · HSK 1

Verbs and Their Objects: 说中文, 知道 vs 认识, 看 vs 看见, 给 and 告诉

Many everyday Chinese verbs come with an object built in. 吃饭 is "eat (rice)", 说话 is "speak (words)", 睡觉 is "sleep (a sleep)". When you name a specific object you replace the built-in one, rather than adding to it.

This guide also sorts out three pairs where English uses one verb and Chinese uses two.

Verb + object words

说话 (talk), 吃饭 (eat, have a meal), 睡觉 (sleep), 写字 (write), 唱歌 (sing) are verbs with their object already inside. "I'm eating" is 我在吃饭, not just 我在吃. To say what language you speak, swap the object: 说中文, not 说话中文.

  • 他在说话。

    Tā zài shuō huà.

    He's talking.

  • 他说中文。

    Tā shuō Zhōngwén.

    He speaks Chinese.

  • 我们去吃饭吧。

    Wǒmen qù chī fàn ba.

    Let's go and eat.

Three kinds of knowing

知道 (zhīdao) is knowing a fact. 认识 (rènshi) is knowing a person, a place or a character, being acquainted with it. 会 is knowing how to do something. Related verbs: 明白 (understand), 记得 (remember), 忘 (forget).

VerbYou know ...Example
知道a fact我知道他的名字。 I know his name.
认识a person, a character我认识他。 I know him.
会how to do something我会开车。 I can drive.

  • 我不知道。

    Wǒ bù zhīdao.

    I don't know.

  • 你认识这个字吗？

    Nǐ rènshi zhège zì ma?

    Do you know this character?

Look and see: 看 vs 看见

看 (kàn) is the action of looking or watching. 看见 (kànjiàn) is actually seeing: the result. The same split works for 听 / 听到 (listen / hear) and 找 / 找到 (look for / find). Negate the result with 没: 没看见, 没找到.

  • 你看见我的手机了吗？

    Nǐ kànjiàn wǒ de shǒujī le ma?

    Have you seen my phone?

  • 我找了，可是没找到。

    Wǒ zhǎo le, kěshì méi zhǎodào.

    I looked, but I didn't find it.

  • 我听到了。

    Wǒ tīngdào le.

    I heard it.

Two objects: 给, 告诉, 教, 问

A few verbs take a person and a thing, in that order: verb + person + thing. English does the same in "give me a cup of tea", but Chinese never switches to "give a cup of tea to me".

  • 请给我一杯茶。

    Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi chá.

    Please give me a cup of tea.

  • 告诉我你的名字。

    Gàosu wǒ nǐ de míngzi.

    Tell me your name.

  • 王老师教我们中文。

    Wáng lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen Zhōngwén.

    Teacher Wang teaches us Chinese.

  • 我问你一个问题。

    Wǒ wèn nǐ yí ge wèntí.

    Let me ask you a question.

Common mistakes

  • ✗我说话中文。

    ✓我说中文。

    Wǒ shuō Zhōngwén.

    说话 already has its object (话). Replace it with the language instead of adding one.

  • ✗我知道李明。 (meaning you've met him)

    ✓我认识李明。

    Wǒ rènshi Lǐ Míng.

    Knowing a person is 认识. 我知道李明 only means you've heard of him.

  • ✗我看了，可是没看。

    ✓我看了，可是没看见。

    Wǒ kàn le, kěshì méi kànjiàn.

    Looking and seeing are different verbs. What you failed to do was see: 没看见.

  • ✗给一杯茶我。

    ✓给我一杯茶。

    Gěi wǒ yì bēi chá.

    With two objects, the person comes first, then the thing.

Questions learners ask

What's the difference between 看见 and 见?

看见 is seeing something with your eyes. 见 on its own is mostly meeting people: 明天见 (see you tomorrow), 见面 (meet up).

Is 听到 the same as 听见?

Almost. Both mean "hear". 听见 is purely about the sound reaching you; 听到 is a little broader (听到消息, hear the news). Either works in most sentences.

Practice this in lessons

The Foundations lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

Practice this in lessons →

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