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Level Foundations · HSK 1

Word Order: Time, Place, How and Who With

English piles details up after the verb: "I'm going to school by subway with my friend tomorrow". Chinese puts them all before the verb, and the verb and its object close the sentence: 我明天跟朋友坐地铁去学校.

Learn the slots once and you can build long sentences without guessing.

The slots

Not every sentence uses every slot, but the order stays the same. Time can also go first, before the subject, to set the scene.

SubjectTimeAdverbWith whomHow / whereVerb + object
我明天也跟朋友坐地铁去学校
他每天都在家吃早饭

  • 我明天去北京。

    Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng.

    I'm going to Beijing tomorrow.

  • 明天我去北京。

    Míngtiān wǒ qù Běijīng.

    Tomorrow I'm going to Beijing.

  • 他每天都在家吃早饭。

    Tā měi tiān dōu zài jiā chī zǎofàn.

    He has breakfast at home every day.

也, 都 and how often

也 (also) and 都 (all, both) sit right after the subject, before the verb, never at the start or end. 都 refers back to a plural subject: 我们都 means "we all". When both appear, 也 comes first: 我们也都是学生.

Frequency words do the same: 常常 (often), 有时候 (sometimes), 不常 (not often) go before the verb.

  • 我也是学生。

    Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.

    I'm a student too.

  • 我们都喜欢喝茶。

    Wǒmen dōu xǐhuan hē chá.

    We all like tea.

  • 我常常喝咖啡。

    Wǒ chángcháng hē kāfēi.

    I often drink coffee.

  • 他有时候在家工作。

    Tā yǒu shíhou zài jiā gōngzuò.

    He sometimes works from home.

Going places: 去, 来, 回 and 坐

去 (go), 来 (come) and 回 (return) take the place directly, with no word for "to": 去学校, 回家. How you travel comes first, with 坐 (sit, ride) + vehicle: 坐地铁去学校, "ride the subway, go to school". Why you go comes after: 去超市买东西, "go to the supermarket, buy things".

用 + tool works the same way: 用筷子吃饭 (eat with chopsticks).

  • 我坐地铁去学校。

    Wǒ zuò dìtiě qù xuéxiào.

    I go to school by subway.

  • 我去超市买东西。

    Wǒ qù chāoshì mǎi dōngxi.

    I'm going to the supermarket to do some shopping.

  • 他用筷子吃饭。

    Tā yòng kuàizi chī fàn.

    He eats with chopsticks.

跟…一起: with someone

跟 (or 和) + person + 一起 + verb: "with someone, together, do". Adverbs like 也 and 不 go before 跟, not before the verb.

  • 我跟朋友一起吃饭。

    Wǒ gēn péngyou yìqǐ chī fàn.

    I'm eating with a friend.

  • 我不跟他一起去。

    Wǒ bù gēn tā yìqǐ qù.

    I'm not going with him.

  • 我们一起去吧！

    Wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba!

    Let's go together!

Common mistakes

  • ✗我去北京明天。

    ✓我明天去北京。

    Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng.

    Time words go before the verb (or before the subject), never at the end.

  • ✗也我是学生。

    ✓我也是学生。

    Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.

    也 and 都 are adverbs: they sit after the subject and before the verb.

  • ✗我去学校坐地铁。

    ✓我坐地铁去学校。

    Wǒ zuò dìtiě qù xuéxiào.

    How you travel comes before where you go.

  • ✗我吃饭跟朋友。

    ✓我跟朋友一起吃饭。

    Wǒ gēn péngyou yìqǐ chī fàn.

    "With someone" goes before the verb, like every other detail.

Questions learners ask

Is 我明天去 or 明天我去 better?

Both are correct. Putting the time first sets the scene or contrasts it with another time (明天我去，后天他去). After the subject is the neutral choice.

Why does 都 come after 我们, not before?

都 is an adverb that looks back at the plural before it and says it applies to all of them. Adverbs in Chinese sit before the verb, so 都 lands between the subject and the verb.

Practice this in lessons

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

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