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