\t"Separable verbs," called \u79bb\u5408\u8bcd (líhécí) in Chinese, get their name from their ability to "separate" into two parts (a verb part and an object part), with other words in between. Separable verbs are an important concept to master in Chinese, and are also the source of many beginner mistakes. Mastering separable verbs is an essential objective of the intermediate (B1) level learner of Chinese.<\/p>\n
\tWhat they are <\/strong> \tCheck out my new computer. \tDo you see what happened there? The verb "check out" can split into two parts, and other words can go in between those two parts. Separable verbs work much the same way in Chinese.<\/p>\n \tLet's look at a typical example in Chinese, using the verb \u89c1\u9762, meaning "to meet."<\/p>\n \t\u6211\u4eec \u660e\u5929 \u89c1\u9762\uff08w\u01d2 men mín\u0261 ti\u0101n jiàn miàn\uff09 \u3002(no separating) \tBelow we will introduce separable verbs in more detail, provide more examples, and also offer more specific cases of where separable verbs can get tricky.<\/p>\n \tWhy use them? <\/strong> \tHow to use them <\/strong> \tMany separable verbs can't be easily translated into other languages in a way that makes both the verb and the object part clear. For example, \u7761\u89c9 (to sleep), \u6e38\u6cf3 (to swim), or \u7ed3\u5a5a (to get married). In these examples, it's just not easy to think of the objects as an object.<\/p>\n \tThe relationship between the verb and the object in a separable verb pair is very close; adding the object to the verb is sort of the "default form" of the verb, even if the verb part can be used without the object. \tThe key to using separable verbs correctly is to remember that they are "Verb + Object" constructs. The verb alone must be treated as a verb, and the object cannot be treated as a verb. It's from this essential relationship that the following principles flow:<\/p>\n \tSeparable verbs already have an object<\/strong><\/p>\n \tRemember, these are "Verb + Object" constructs. So even when a verb like \u89c1\u9762 (to meet) seems like it can take an object, it can't (\u9762 is already the object of \u89c1 in this case), so you can't put an additional object after the verb. In cases like this, you usually need to use a prepositional phrase before the verb.<\/p>\n \t√\u6211 \u60f3 \u8ddf \u4f60 \u89c1\u9762 (w\u01d2 xi\u01cen\u0261 \u0261\u0113n n\u01d0 jiàn miàn )\u3002(the prepositional phrase, literally "with you," comes before the verb) \tPut aspectual particles \u4e86, \u7740, \u8fc7 after the verb \tPut measure words after the verb \tWhen reduplicating, only reduplicate the verb<\/p>\n \tReduplication is a way to express the casual nature of a verb, or that it happened only briefly. When it comes to separable verbs, only the verb part reduplicates.<\/p>\n \t√\u89c1\u89c1\u9762 (jiàn jiàn miàn)\u3002 (the proper reduplication repeats only the verb \u89c1)
\tMandarin's separable verbs have a counterpart in English: phrasal verbs (also called two-word verbs). While the structure of English's phrasal verbs is different, the "separable" quality works in a very similar way. Take the phrasal verb "check out" for example:<\/p>\n
\tCheck my new computer out.<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u4eec \u6628\u5929 \u89c1 \u4e86 \u9762 (w\u01d2 men zuó ti\u0101n jiàn le miàn )\u3002(separated, \u4e86 inserted)
\t\u6211\u4eec \u89c1 \u8fc7 \u4e09 \u6b21 \u9762(w\u01d2 men jiàn \u0261uò s\u0101n cì miàn ) \u3002(separated, \u8fc7, \u4e09\u6b21 inserted)<\/p>\n
\tSeparable verbs are just one of those things you can't avoid. Many extremely common verbs, such as "to sleep" (\u7761\u89c9) or "to meet" (\u89c1\u9762) are separable verbs, and until you understand which verbs are separable verbs and how they work, you'll forever be making mistakes with these verbs, even in very basic sentences.<\/p>\n
\tFirst, you need to understand the structure of separable verbs. Most separable verbs are a "Verb + Object" (the object is a noun) construct. One might wonder, then, why there needs to be a separate category called "separable verbs" instead of just thinking of them as a verb and an object. There are several reasons to think of them as special verbs:<\/p>\n
\tSeparable verbs are a source of frequent errors from learners of Chinese. No matter how you think of them, it's good to give these "words" or "phrases" extra attention to make your Chinese more natural.<\/p>\n
\t×\u6211 \u60f3 \u89c1\u9762 \u4f60(w\u01d2 xi\u01cen\u0261 jiàn miàn n\u01d0 ) \u3002(\u4f60 is an extra object; \u9762 is already the object)<\/p>\n
\t\u89c1 \u4e86 \u9762 (jiàn le miàn )
\t\u5f00 \u7740 \u4f1a (k\u0101i zhe huì )
\t\u89c1 \u8fc7 \u9762 (jiàn \u0261uò miàn )
\tNote: unlike the particles \u8fc7 and \u7740, the particle \u4e86 is especially tricky, and it can also appear after the object. So it can be correct in multiple places.<\/p>\n
\t\u89c1 \u4e00 \u6b21 \u9762 (\u6b21 is a verbal measure word)
\t\u89c1 \u4e2a \u9762 (\u4e2a is a general measure word for nouns)<\/p>\n
\t×\u89c1\u9762\u89c1\u9762(jiàn miàn jiàn miàn ) (\u9762 is the object; it should not be repeated.)
\t×\u89c1\u89c1\u9762\u9762(jiàn jiàn miàn miàn) (\u9762 is the object; it should not be repeated.)
\t <\/p>\n