24 Essential Chinese Verbs For Beginners To Start Speaking

When you start learning Chinese, it’s vital to build up your stock of basic vocabulary to allow yourself to be able to express the widest range of ideas as quickly as possible.

All types of words are important, but verbs are especially vital since they allow you to talk about actions that take place.

So to help you get speaking right from the start, here’s a list of essential Chinese verbs that will be useful to you as a beginner.

1. 是 Shì (To Be)

Probably the first of these essential Chinese verbs you will learn is 是 shì, meaning “to be”. 

However, it’s important to understand that this verb doesn’t work in the same way as its counterpart in English.

In Chinese, 是 shì is used to define things rather than to describe things. This means you can use it to state somebody’s job or somebody’s nationality, but not, for example, to describe somebody’s height.

This is because, in Chinese, adjectives carry the inherent meaning of ‘being’ something, so they don’t need the verb 是 shì, and using it with an adjective would be wrong.

Don’t worry if this sounds a little strange – it’s something you’ll quickly get used to as your Chinese progresses!

Examples

• 她是老师 tā shì lăoshī (She’s a teacher)
• 我不是英国人 wŏ bú shì yīngguórén (I’m not English*)

BUT

• 他很高 tā hĕn gāo (He’s (very) tall)

*In Chinese, 英国人 yīngguórén literally means “England person”, so it’s not an adjective

2. 有 Yŏu (To Have, There Is)

The second of the essential Chinese verbs you’ll probably learn is 有 yŏu, which can mean either “to have” or “there is/are”, depending on the context.

In Chinese, to make a negative sentence, you usually use the negative particle 不 bù (not) before the verb. The exception to this rule is with 有 yŏu – with this verb, you use 没 méi instead.

Examples

• 我有两个妹妹 wŏ yŏu liăng ge mèimei (I have two younger sisters)
• 我没有钱 wŏ méi yŏu qián (I don’t have (any) money)
• 在外面有三只狗 zài wàimian yŏu sān zhī gŏu (Outside, there are three dogs)

3. 要 Yào (To Want, Must, Future Marker, Negative Imperative)

The main use of 要 yào is to express wanting something or wanting to do something. However, it also has some other uses.

It can be used as a marker to express the future, and it can also be used to mean “must”. In the second person, it always expresses obligation.

In the negative, it’s also one way to tell someone not to do something – a kind of negative imperative.

This flexibility of meaning can take a little getting used to, but it’s usually obvious how it is being used from the context.

Examples

• 我要四个 wŏ yào sì ge (I want four)
• 我要喝一瓶啤酒 wŏ yào hē yì píng píjiŭ (I want to drink a bottle of beer)
• 我要去 wŏ yào qù (I want to go OR I must go)
• 我明天要去 wŏ míngtiān yào qù (I will go tomorrow OR I must go tomorrow)
• 你明天要去 nĭ míngtiān yào qù (Tomorrow, you must go)
• 不要打我！ bú yào dă wŏ! (Don’t hit me!)

4. 想 Xiăng (To Want, To Think, Ponder, To Miss)

The first meaning of 想 xiăng is “to want (to do something)” – but unlike 要 yào, you can’t use 想 xiăng to say you want a thing.

想 xiăng can also mean “to think”, most frequently in the sense of “to ponder” but also in the sense of “to think something”.

Finally, its third meaning is “to miss”, as in to feel a yearning for something.

Examples

• 我想去/我不想去 wŏ xiăng qù/wŏ bù xiăng qù (I want to go/I don’t want to go)
• 等会儿，我想想 dĕng huìr, wŏ xiăngxiăng (Wait a moment, I’m thinking)
• 我想他已经走了 wŏ xiăng tā yĭjīng zŏu le (I think he’s already left)
• 你想家，是吧？ nĭ xiăng jiā, shì ba? (You miss home, right?)

5. 觉得 Juéde (To Think, Consider)

The most common way to say what you think is to use the verb 觉得 juéde. It works just like the English verb “to think” when used to express this idea – but not in the sense of “to ponder”, unlike 想 xiăng.

Example

• 我觉得他不是美国人 wŏ juéde tā bú shì mĕiguórén (I think he’s not American)

6. 会 Huì (To Know (How To Do Something), Future marker)

The primary meaning of 会 huì is to express knowing how to do something. It can also be used as a future marker, similar to 要 yào.

Examples

• 你会游泳吗？ Nĭ huì yóuyŏng ma? (Do you know how to swim? (Can you swim?))
• 他明天会回来 tā míngtiān huì huí lái (He will come back tomorrow)

7. 认识 Rènshi (To Know (Somebody, A Subject))

Chinese distinguishes between knowing how to do something, knowing a person or subject and knowing a fact. To express knowing a person or a subject, the verb to use is 认识 rènshi.

Examples

• 我不认识他们 wŏ bú rènshi tāmen (I don’t know them)
• 化学？我都不认识! huàxué? wŏ dōu bú rènshi! (Chemistry? I know nothing about it!)

8. 知道 Zhīdào (To Know (Facts))

The Chinese word to express knowing facts is 知道 zhīdào. It works much like its English counterpart.

Example

• 我的钱包在哪里？你知道吗？wŏ de qiánbāo zài nălĭ? nĭ zhīdào ma? (Where is my wallet? Do you know?)

9. And 10. 能/可以 Néng/Kĕyĭ (Can)

Both 能 néng and 可以 kĕyĭ mean “can”, and often, they can be used interchangeably. However, there is a subtle difference in that 可以 kĕyĭ implies permission from an outside source while 能 néng refers to an ability to do something.

Examples

• 在这儿不可以游泳zài zhèr bù kĕyĭ yóuyŏng (you/one/we can’t swim here)

(Here, the meaning is ‘not allowed’ to swim – contrast with the meaning in the example in #6 above, which expresses the ability to swim)

• 我下个星期不能陪你去参加颐和园 wŏ xià ge xīngqī bù néng péi nĭ qù cānjiā yíhéyuán (Next week, I can’t go with you to visit the Summer Palace (in Beijing))

(The idea here is that the person can’t go because some other circumstance prevents it – for example, the person can’t go because they already have other plans)

11. And 12.去/来 Qù/Lái (To Go/To Come)

As your Chinese progresses, you will learn more complex ways to use 去 qù and 来 lái, for example, with complements of direction.

However, the easiest way to use them for beginners is just to place them directly before the destination – with no prepositions required.

Note that Chinese is stricter about direction than English – 去 qù is always used to indicate direction away from the subject and 来 lái is used to indicate direction towards the subject.

For example, in the English sentence, “I’m coming to see you”, the implication is that the direction is relative to the person you’re talking to rather than to you. But in Chinese, this doesn’t work. You would have to say the equivalent of “I’m going to see you” instead.

Another meaning of 来 lái is “to bring”, and it’s a common word to use when asking a waiter to bring something.

Examples

• 我下个月要去昆明 wŏ xià ge yuè yào qù kūnmíng (I’m going to Kunming next month)
• 星期一她要来北京 xīngqīyī tā yào lái bĕijīng (She’s coming to Beijing on Monday*)

*The speaker is already in Beijing

• 也来三碗米饭吧 yĕ lái sān wăn mĭfàn ba (Also bring (us) three bowls of rice)

13. And 14. 买/卖 Măi/Mài (To Buy/To Sell)

These two words work in much the same way as in English. However, be careful since the only difference between “buy” and “sell” in Chinese is the tone.

买 măi (buy) is third tone, the tone that falls and then rises again, while 卖 mài (sell) is fourth tone, the falling tone.

Also, notice how similar the characters are – pay attention to this when writing them.

Examples

• 我要买新的手机 wŏ yào măi xīn de shŏujī (I must/want to buy a new mobile phone)
• 卖烟吗？ mài yān ma? ((Do you) sell cigarettes?)

15. 学习 Xuéxí (To Study)

This is the Chinese verb “to study”. Often, it can just be shortened to 学 xué.

Example

• 我在学习中文 wŏ zài xuéxí zhōngwén (I’m studying Chinese)

16. 喜欢 Xĭhuān (To Like)

This is the verb used to say you like something or that you like doing something.

In Chinese, it’s more common than in English to include a verb to say what you like doing rather than just saying you like a thing.

For example, in English, we might say “I like chocolate”, but in Chinese, a more normal way to express it would be to say “I like eating chocolate”.

However, that’s not to say it’s incorrect to simply say you like a thing – it’s just a less common way to express things in Chinese.

Examples

• 我很喜欢吃巧克力 wŏ hĕn xĭhuān chī qiăokèlì (I like (eating) chocolate)
• 我很喜欢这个地方 wŏ hĕn xĭhuān zhè ge dìfang (I like this place)

17. 爱 Aì (To Love)

Stronger than 喜欢 xĭhuān, 爱 aì can be used in Chinese to talk about things or people you love in both the romantic and the non-romantic sense. 

It’s a useful verb to know – and of course, everyone wants to know how to say “I love you” in any new language they’re learning!

Examples

• 我爱吃四川菜 wŏ aì chī sìchuān cài (I love (eating) Sichuan food (or “dishes”))
• 我爱你 wŏ aì nĭ (I love you)

18. 做 Zuò (To Make, Do)

In Chinese, one word, 做 zuò, is used to cover the meaning of both “do” and “make” in English. 

It's a common word that can be used for lots of things, but also be aware that many expressions use more specific words, and 做 zuò can’t be used. 

For example, for “make tea” you can say 泡茶 pào chá or 沏茶 qī chá – but not *做茶 zuò chá, which is incorrect.

Also, don’t confuse the character 做 with 作. They are both pronounced the same, and the meanings are related, but the second is usually found in combination with other characters such as 作业 zuòyè (homework), 作家 zuòjiā (author, writer) or 工作 gōngzuò (work).

Examples

• 你在做什么？ nĭ zài zuò shénme? (What are you doing?)
• 你会做东北菜吗？ nĭ huì zuò dōngbĕi cài ma? (Can you cook Dongbei (Northeastern) food/dishes?)

19. 玩 Wán (To Play, Have Fun)

A word in Chinese that’s more widespread than in English. Its primary meaning is “to play” as in “play a game”. It can also be used for video games.

However, it also has a wider meaning simply of “having fun”, and in Chinese, it’s often used when talking about things like going out with friends.

In English, the fact that you are going out with your friends to “have fun” is implicit, but in Chinese, it is explicitly stated.

This can sometimes lead to adult Chinese speakers making statements in English like “I’m going out to play with my friends” which, needless to say, sounds a bit strange in English – and also quite cute! 

Note that 玩 wán is not used for sports, musical instruments or games like cards or chess – for those, other more specific verbs are used instead.

Examples

• 我特别喜欢玩电子游戏 wŏ tèbié xĭhuān wán diànzi yóuxì (I really like playing computer games)
• 我今天晚上跟我的朋友一起出去玩 wŏ jīntiān wănshàng gēn wŏ de péngyŏu yīqĭ chūqù wán (Tonight, I’m going out (together) with my friends (to have fun))

20. 给 Gĕi (To Give)

The basic meaning of 给 gĕi is “to give”, and when used like this, it is quite similar to its English counterpart.

However, it has another separate meaning that indicates “doing something for someone”, making it an extremely important grammatical word in Chinese too (although it’s not really a verb when used in this way).

Examples

• 给我一个例子 gĕi wŏ yí gè lìzi (Give me an example)
• 我给你一个礼物 wŏ gĕi nĭ yí gè lĭwù (I give you a present)
• 我给你介绍一下我新的女朋友 wŏ gĕi nĭ jièshào yíxià wŏ xīn de nǚpéngyou (I’ll introduce my new girlfriend to you (for you))

Essential Chinese Verbs: Verb-Object Verbs In Chinese

Some essential Chinese verbs are closely associated with a particular object, and the verb-object combination is almost considered a verb in its own right.

One example is 吃饭 chī fàn. The first character, 吃 chī, means “to eat” while the second, 饭 fàn, means “cooked rice”.

Literally translated, this means “to eat cooked rice”, but the true meaning is something more like “to eat a meal” or simply “to eat”. 

吃 chī can be used with other objects, but it’s not usually used alone – except where the thing being eaten is implied.

Let’s have a look at just four examples of these verb-object combinations to give you the basics of how it works – but bear in mind that there are quite a few others.

21. 吃饭 Chī Fàn (To Eat (Cooked Rice, A Meal))

As explained above, the verb 吃 chī is normally encountered with an object telling you what is being eaten, and unless you’re talking specifically about eating something else, the object is 饭 fàn, even if you don’t literally mean “cooked rice”.

Examples

• 我很饿了， 我要吃饭 wŏ hĕn è le, wŏ yào chī fàn (I’m hungry, I want to eat)
• 我很饿了， 我要吃点东西 wŏ hĕn è le, wŏ yào chī diăn dōngxi (I’m hungry, I want to eat something)
• 哦！饺子！我也想吃！ ò! jiaozi! wŏ yĕ xiăng chī! (Oh! Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings)! I want to eat (some/them) too)

(Here, the object, jiaozi is understood, so it doesn’t need to be repeated)

• 你吃饭了吗？ nĭ chī fàn le ma? (Have you eaten?)

(In Chinese, this is a common way to greet people, and although the literal translation is “have you eaten”, a more accurate rendering would be “how’s it going?” or even just “hello”)

22. 说话 Shuō Huà (To Speak (Words))

说 shuō alone means “to speak”, but it’s most often used with 话 huà (words) to mean “speak”.

Examples

• 别说话吧！ bié shuō huà ba! (Don’t speak!)
• 你说吧！ nĭ shuō ba! (You speak! You say!)
• 我不会说吴语 wŏ bú huì shuō wúyŭ (I can’t speak Wu Chinese) (a variety of Chinese spoken mainly in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces)

23. 走路 Zŏu Lù (To Walk (Road))

走 zŏu means “to walk”, but it is often encountered with 路 lù (road), with the same meaning.

走 zŏu alone can also be used to mean “to leave”.

Examples

• 我要走路回家 wŏ yào zŏu lù huí jiā (I’m going to walk home)
• 我要走了 wŏ yào zŏu le (I have to go/leave)

24. 开车 Kāi Chē (To Drive (Vehicle))

开 kāi is a useful verb with several meanings but when combined with 车 chē (vehicle), it means “to drive”.

In other contexts, 开 kāi alone can mean “to open” or “to turn on, switch on”.

Examples

• 你开车开得很好 nĭ kāi chē kāi de hĕn hăo (You drive very well)
• 开门 kāi mén (to open (a/the) door)
• 开电脑 kāi diànnăo (to turn on (a/the) computer)
• 开灯 kāi dēng (to turn on (a/the) light)

Essential Chinese Verbs: Different From English, But Not So Different

As you’ve probably noticed, essential Chinese verbs and English verbs don’t often correspond exactly, and the Chinese versions often function differently from their English equivalents.

However, don’t let this put you off since the differences are not that huge. And once you start practising these essential Chinese verbs and using them, you’ll see that most of the confusion and difficulties simply begin to fade away.

And to make that process even easier, apply the rules of StoryLearning® and read books in Chinese. As you immerse yourself in the Chinese language by reading, these essential Chinese verbs will quickly become second nature and you'll be using them with ease!