In English we use "and also" when we want to connect separate
and different thoughts. We can do the same thing in Chinese by
using 还 (hái).
Structure
The adverb 还 (hái) can be used to link two phrases together, in
a similar way to "and also" in English. In this case, 还 (hái)
begins a new phrase or clause.
Subj. + Verb + Obj. 1， 还 + Verb + Obj. 2
Examples
- 她 有 一 个 弟弟，还 有 一 个 妹妹。Tā yǒu yī
gè dìdi, hái yǒu yī gè mèimei.She has a younger brother and also has a younger
sister.
- 我 老板 会 说 法语，还 会 说 日语。Wǒ lǎobǎn
huì shuō Fǎyǔ, hái huì shuō Rìyǔ.My boss can speak French and can also speak
Japanese.
- 你 要 一 杯 咖啡，还 要 什么？ Nǐ yào yī bēi
kāfēi, hái yào shénme?You want
a cup of coffee, and what else do you want?
- 我 想 吃 冰淇淋，还 想 吃 汉堡。Wǒ xiǎng chī
bīngqílín, hái xiǎng chī hànbǎo.I want to eat ice cream and I also want to eat a
hamburger.
- 爸爸 有 一个 小米 手机，还 有 一个 iPhone。Bàba
yǒu yī gè Xiǎomǐ shǒujī, hái yǒu yī gè
iPhone.Dad has a Xiaomi phone and also
has an iPhone.
- 你 晚上 在家 做 了 作业，还 做 了 什么？Nǐ
wǎnshang zài jiā zuò le zuòyè, hái zuò le shénme?
You did your homework at home tonight, and what
else did you do?
- 他 结婚 的 时候，请 了 同事，还 请 了 谁？Tā
jiéhūn de shíhou, qǐng le tóngshì, hái qǐng le
shéi?When he got married, he invited his
co-workers. Who else did he invite?
- 生日 的 时候，我们 会 吃 蛋糕，还 要 送 礼物。Shēngrì de shíhou, wǒmen huì chī dàngāo, hái yào
sòng lǐwù.During a birthday, we eat cake
and also give presents.
- 去 美国 要 带 钱、护照，还 要 带 什么？Qù Měiguó
yào dài qián, hùzhào, hái yào dài
shénme?To go to the USA, you need to
take money and a passport. What else do you need to take with
you?
The Difference
Between 还 (hái) and 也 (yě)
It should be noted that another common way to express "also" is
with the word 也 (yě). What's the difference? With 还 (hái), ONE
subject is doing TWO different things, whereas when 也
(yě) is used, TWO subjects are doing ONE thing.
It's the difference between these two English sentences:
- He fixed dinner and also washed the
dishes.
- She washed the dishes too.
If you translated these into Chinese, the first one (one
subject, two actions) would use 还 (hái), and the second one (second
subject, no new actions) would use 也 (yě). Let's do that!
- 他 做 了 饭 ， 还 洗 了 碗。Tā zuò le fàn,
hái xǐ le wǎn.He fixed dinner
and also washed the dishes.
- 她 也 洗 了 碗。Tā yě xǐ le
wǎn.She washed the dishes
too.
How about a few more similar examples?
- 我 洗 了 澡， 还 洗 了 衣服。Wǒ xǐ le zǎo,
hái xǐ le yīfu. I took a shower
and also did my laundry.
- 她 也 洗 了 衣服。Tā yě xǐ le
yīfu.She did her laundry
too.
- 我们 今天 晚上 出去 吃饭 了，还 看 了 电影 。Wǒmen
jīntiān wǎnshang chūqù chīfàn le, hái kàn le
diànyǐng.We went out for dinner tonight
and also watched a movie.
- 他们 今天 晚上 也 看 了 电影 。 Tāmen jīntiān
wǎnshang yě kàn le diànyǐng.They watched a movie tonight too.
See Also
Sources and further
reading
Books
Category:A2 grammar points Category: Adverbs