Although sometimes translated as "in passing" or even "conveniently," the most common way that the idea of adverb 顺便 (shùnbiàn) is expressed in English is "while you're at it" (or "while I'm at it," etc.). It's the idea of doing something at a convenient and logical time to save effort. Now you just have to get used to expressing this concept as an adverb.

你去买早饭的时候顺便帮我带杯咖啡吧。Nǐ chūqù de shíhou shùnbiàn bāng wǒ dài bēi kāfēi ba.Bring me a cup of coffee when you go to buy breakfast.
你去超市能不能顺便帮我买一瓶牛奶？Nǐ qù chāoshì néng bu néng shùnbiàn bāng wǒ mǎi yī píng niúnǎi?Could you please buy me a bottle of milk when you go to the supermarket?
老板去见客户，顺便吃了午饭。Lǎobǎn qù jiàn kèhù, shùnbiàn chī le wǔfàn.The boss went to see the client and also eat lunch with him.
我下周去北京出差，顺便去看一个朋友。Wǒ xià zhōu qù Běijīng chūchāi, shùnbiàn qù kàn yīgè péngyou.I'm going to Beijing on a business trip next week. I'll go to visit a friend while I'm there.
我出门的时候都会顺便扔垃圾。Wǒ chūmén de shíhou dōu huì shùnbiàn rēng lājī.I take out the trash every time I leave the house.
你见他的时候顺便问一下他周末来不来。Nǐ jiàn tā de shíhou shùnbiàn wèn yīxià tā zhōumò lái bu lái.Ask him if he's coming this weekend when you meet him.

Colloquial usage of 顺便

Here 顺便 means by the way.

Common phrases

顺便说一下

顺便问一下

Example

顺便说一下，我最近搬家了。Shùnbiàn huō yīxià, wǒ zuìjìn bān jiā le.By the way, I moved lately.
顺便问一下，你下周什么时候回来？Shùnbiàn wèn yīxià, nǐ xià zhōu shénme shíhou huílái?By the way, when are you coming back next weekend?
顺便说一下，电脑已经修好了。Shùnbiàn huō yīxià, diànnǎo yǐjīng xiū hǎo le.By the way, the computer's been fixed.

General use of 顺便

Structure

Example

Colloquial usage of 顺便

Common phrases

Example

See aslo

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries