When listing nouns belonging to a certain category, 啊 (a) can be added to the end of each noun to give an informal feeling a bit like saying "you know, that kind of thing" after a list of things.

Structure

Examples

我们什么零食都有，花生啊，瓜子啊，薯片啊，你随便吃吧。We have all sorts of snacks: peanuts, roasted seeds, chips, go ahead and eat whatever you want.
椅子啊，桌子啊，电脑啊什么的都买好了，现在办公室只差招员工了！Chairs, tables, computers, and so one have all been bough. Now the office only needs to hire workers!
《发展汉语》啊，《实用汉语课本》啊，我都学过，没用！"Developing Chinese" and "The Practical Chinese Reader," we've studied both of them, they won't help.

As in the first example, the list can be followed by 什么的, but is not generally followed by 等 as this feels too formal.

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and Further Reading