Expressing "and" with "he"

When listing out multiple nouns, 和 (hé) is there to help you out. Just remember that 和 (hé) isn't a word you can use to translate just any usage of the English word "and."

Structure

The most common way to express "and" in Chinese is with 和 (hé). It's important to note that 和 (hé) is mainly used to link nouns. This is how you should use it exclusively as you get used to it. Don't try to link verbs (or whole sentences) with 和 (hé).

Examples

你和我
nǐ hé wǒ
you and I
老板喜欢咖啡和茶。
Lǎobǎn xǐhuan kāfēi hé chá .
The boss likes coffee and tea.
我的爷爷和奶奶都 70 岁。
Wǒ de yéye hé nǎinai dōu qīshí suì.
My grandpa and grandma are both 70 years old.
他和他女朋友都喜欢中国菜。
Tā hé tā nǚpéngyou dōu xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.
His girlfriend and he both like Chinese food.
你爸爸和你妈妈都是美国人吗？
Nǐ bàba hé nǐ māma dōu shì Měiguó rén ma?
Are your father and your mother both Americans?
手机和电脑都很贵。
Shǒujī hé diànnǎo dōu hěn guì.
Cell phones and computers are both expensive.
德语和法语都很难吗？
Déyǔ hé Fǎyǔ dōu hěn nán ma?
Are both German and French difficult?
今天和明天都可以吗？
Jīntiān hé míngtiān dōu kěyǐ ma?
Are today and tomorrow both OK?

(If you're unclear why the 都 (dōu) is used in the sentences about, see our article on the adverb 都 (dōu).)

Just to be absolutely clear what we mean by using 和 (hé) with nouns only, here are two English examples of what you should and shouldn't try to express with 和 (hé):

I went to the store and bought some gum. Don't use 和 (hé) for this "and"! "Went to the store" and "bought some gum" are both verb phrases, not nouns.
I like to eat cucumbers and cheese. This one is good! "Cucumbers" and "cheese" are both nouns, so you can use 和 (hé) here.

Expressing "and" with "hé"

Contents

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books