Common Mandarin Chinese Verbs with Examples

Learning verbs is one of the fastest ways to start forming real sentences in Mandarin Chinese. Verbs help you describe actions, express thoughts, and communicate daily needs. Unlike English, Chinese verbs do not change based on tense or subject. This makes things simpler for beginners, but it also means you rely more on context and time words like “yesterday” or “tomorrow”.

In this post, you will learn some of the most common Mandarin verbs with practical examples that you can start using right away.

1. To Be 是 (shì)

The verb 是 (shì) is used to connect nouns and describe identity or classification. It works like “am”, “is”, or “are” in English.
Example sentences:
我是学生 (wǒ shì xuéshēng) – I am a student
他是老师 (tā shì lǎoshī) – He is a teacher
这是我的朋友 (zhè shì wǒ de péngyou) – This is my friend

2. To Have 有 (yǒu)

有 (yǒu) is used to express possession or existence. It means “to have”.
Example sentences:
我有一本书 (wǒ yǒu yì běn shū) – I have a book
她有一个弟弟 (tā yǒu yí gè dìdi) – She has a younger brother
这里有很多人 (zhèlǐ yǒu hěn duō rén) – There are many people here

3. To Go 去 (qù)

去 (qù) means “to go” and is used when talking about movement to a place like school (学校, xuéxiào) or airport (机场, jī chǎng).
Example sentences:
我去学校 (wǒ qù xuéxiào) – I go to school
我们明天去北京 (wǒmen míngtiān qù Běijīng) – We will go to Beijing tomorrow
他去上班 (tā qù shàngbān) – He goes to work

4. To Come 来 (lái)

来 (lái) means “to come” and indicates movement toward the speaker.
Example sentences:
你来吗 (nǐ lái ma) – Are you coming
他马上来 (tā mǎshàng lái) – He is coming soon
欢迎你来中国 (huānyíng nǐ lái Zhōngguó) – Welcome to come to China

5. To Eat 吃 (chī)

吃 (chī) is a very useful daily verb meaning “to eat”.
Example sentences:
我吃饭 (wǒ chī fàn) – I eat a meal
你吃什么 (nǐ chī shénme) – What do you eat
我们一起吃晚饭 (wǒmen yìqǐ chī wǎnfàn) – Let’s eat dinner together

6. To Drink 喝 (hē)

喝 (hē) means “to drink”.
Example sentences:
我喝水 (wǒ hē shuǐ) – I drink water
他喜欢喝咖啡 (tā xǐhuan hē kāfēi) – He likes to drink coffee
你要喝茶吗 (nǐ yào hē chá ma) – Do you want to drink tea

7. To See/Watch 看 (kàn)

看 (kàn) means “to see” or “to watch”.
Example sentences:
我看电视 (wǒ kàn diànshì) – I watch TV
你看什么 (nǐ kàn shénme) – What are you looking at
我们去看电影 (wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng) – We go watch a movie

8. To Do/Make 做 (zuò)

做 (zuò) means “to do” or “to make”.
Example sentences:
我做作业 (wǒ zuò zuòyè) – I do homework
她做饭 (tā zuò fàn) – She cooks
你在做什么 (nǐ zài zuò shénme) – What are you doing

9. To Like 喜欢 (xǐhuan)

喜欢 (xǐhuan) expresses preference or liking.
Example sentences:
我喜欢中文 (wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngwén) – I like Chinese language
他喜欢音乐 (tā xǐhuan yīnyuè) – He likes music
你喜欢这个吗 (nǐ xǐhuan zhège ma) – Do you like this

10. To Want 要 (yào)

要 (yào) means “to want” or “to need”.
Example sentences:
我要水 (wǒ yào shuǐ) – I want water
你要去吗 (nǐ yào qù ma) – Do you want to go
我要买东西 (wǒ yào mǎi dōngxi) – I want to buy things

11. To Know 知道 (zhīdào)

知道 (zhīdào) means “to know” a fact or information.
Example sentences:
我知道 (wǒ zhīdào) – I know
你知道他的名字吗 (nǐ zhīdào tā de míngzi ma) – Do you know his name
我不知道 (wǒ bù zhīdào) – I don’t know

12. To Speak 说 (shuō)

说 (shuō) means “to speak” or “to say”.
Example sentences:
我说中文 (wǒ shuō Zhōngwén) – I speak Chinese
他说得很好 (tā shuō de hěn hǎo) – He speaks very well
你在说什么 (nǐ zài shuō shénme) – What are you saying

13. To Learn 学 (xué)

学 (xué) means “to learn” or “to study”.
Example sentences:
我学中文 (wǒ xué Zhōngwén) – I learn Chinese
他在学英语 (tā zài xué Yīngyǔ) – He is learning English
我们一起学习 (wǒmen yìqǐ xuéxí) – Let’s study together

14. To Work 工作 (gōngzuò)

工作 (gōngzuò) means “to work”.
Example sentences:
我在公司工作 (wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò) – I work at a company
他每天工作 (tā měitiān gōngzuò) – He works every day
你在哪里工作 (nǐ zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò) – Where do you work

15. To Buy 买 (mǎi)

买 (mǎi) means “to buy”.
Example sentences:
我买东西 (wǒ mǎi dōngxi) – I buy things
她买衣服 (tā mǎi yīfu) – She buys clothes
我们去商店买东西 (wǒmen qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi) – We go to the store to buy things

Tips for Using Chinese Verbs Naturally

Chinese verbs stay the same regardless of subject. Instead of changing the verb, you add time words like 今天 (jīntiān) for today or 昨天 (zuótiān) for yesterday. You can also add 在 (zài) before a verb to show an ongoing action. For example 我在吃饭 (wǒ zài chī fàn) means I am eating. Learning verbs together with common objects and places like restaurant (餐厅, cān tīng) or school (学校, xuéxiào) helps you form real-life sentences much faster.

Vocabulary

1. 是 (shì) – to be
2. 有 (yǒu) – to have
3. 去 (qù) – to go
4. 来 (lái) – to come
5. 吃 (chī) – to eat
6. 看 (kàn) – to see/watch
7. 喜欢 (xǐhuan) – to like
8. 知道 (zhīdào) – to know
9. 学 (xué) – to learn
10. 买 (mǎi) – to buy