You will often come across 因为……所以…… (yīnwèi... suǒyǐ...) in both
written and spoken Chinese. This pattern will give your Chinese a
clear logical structure, and can help make you more persuasive.
Using 因为
(yīnwèi) by Itself to Explain Causes
A common way to explain causes in Chinese is with 因为 (yīnwèi).
This is equivalent to "because" in English. Usually 因为 (yīnwèi)
will begin a new phrase in a sentence.
Structure
In this structure, we first state the result, and then give the
reason in the next statement after the 因为 (yīnwèi).
Examples
- 他 学 得 很 快， 因为 他 很 聪明。Tā xué de
hěn kuài, yīnwèi tā hěn cōngming.He learns fast because he is smart.
- 我 爱 吃 四川 菜， 因为 很 辣。 Wǒ ài chī
Sìchuān cài, yīnwèi hěn là. I
love eating Sichuan food because it's very spicy.
- 我 在 学习 中文 ， 因为 我 想 去 中国。Wǒ zài
xuéxí Zhōngwén, yīnwèi wǒ xiǎng qù
Zhōngguó.I am studying Chinese because I
want to go to China.
- 我 不 喜欢 她，因为 她 不 友好。Wǒ bù xǐhuan
tā, yīnwèi tā bù yǒuhǎo.I don't
like her because she is very unfriendly.
- 今天 我们 很 忙，因为 有 很 多 工作。Jīntiān
wǒmen hěn máng, yīnwèi yǒu hěn duō gōngzuò.
We are very busy today because we have lots of
work.
Using 所以
(suǒyǐ) by Itself to Explain Results
Just as 因为 (yīnwèi) can be used to explain causes, 所以 (suǒyǐ)
can be used to explain results. This is the equivalent of "so…" or
"therefore…" in English.
Structure
This pattern is similar to the expression using both 因为 (yīnwèi)
and 所以 (suǒyǐ), but it leaves out the beginning 因为 (yīnwèi). This
structure is more informal.
Examples
- 汉字 太 难 了，所以 我 不 想 学 。Hànzì tài
nán le, suǒyǐ wǒ bù xiǎng xué.Chinese characters are too hard, so I don't want to study
them.
- 她 很 漂亮，所以 很 多 男孩 喜欢 她。Tā hěn
piàoliang, suǒyǐ hěn duō nánhái xǐhuan
tā.She is beautiful, so a lot of boys
like her.
- 他 找到 工作 了， 所以 很 高兴。Tā zhǎodào
gōngzuò le, suǒyǐ hěn gāoxìng.He found a job so he's happy.
- 我 太 忙 了，所以 没有 时间 给 你 打 电话。Wǒ tài
máng le, suǒyǐ méiyǒu shíjiān gěi nǐ dǎ
diànhuà.I was too busy, so I didn't have
time to give you a call.
- 我们 公司 有 很 多 外国人，所以 我们 要 说 英文。Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu hěn duō wàiguó rén, suǒyǐ wǒmen
yào shuō Yīngwén.There are a lot of
foreigners in our company, so we need to speak English.
Using 因为 (yīnwèi)
and 所以 (suǒyǐ) Together
The full pattern 因为……所以…… (yīnwèi... suǒyǐ...) is used to
clearly indicate cause and effect. They could be thought of as
equating to: "Since ___ happened, so ___ happened." It sounds weird
to use both "since" and "so" in one sentence in English, but it
makes everything crystal clear in Chinese.
Structure
This expresses that because of cause, therefore there
is a result.
Examples
- 因为 我 有 一个 中国 女朋友，所以 我 要 学 中文。Yīnwèi wǒ yǒu yī gè Zhōngguó nǚpéngyou,
suǒyǐ wǒ yào xué Zhōngwén.Since
I have a Chinese girlfriend, I need to study Chinese.
- 因为 他 生病 了，所以 没 去 上课。 Yīnwèi tā shēngbìng le, suǒyǐ méi qù
shàngkè.Since he was sick, he didn't go
to class.
- 因为 我 很 累，所以 要 休息。Yīnwèi wǒ hěn lèi, suǒyǐ yào
xiūxi.I'm very tired, so I want to
rest.
- 因为 太 远 了，所以 我 不 想 去。Yīnwèi tài yuǎn le, suǒyǐ wǒ bù xiǎng
qù.Since it's too far, I don't want to
go.
- 因为 太 忙， 所以 我们 没有 时间 吃 中饭。 Yīnwèi tài máng, suǒyǐ wǒmen méiyǒu
shíjiān chī zhōngfàn.We were too busy,
so none of us had time to eat lunch.
See also
Sources and further
reading
Books
Websites
Category:A2 grammar points