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Mandarin Chinese 2 Unit 7: The 把 Construction

The 把 construction moves a specific object in front of the verb to stress what happens to it: 我把作业写完了 (I finished the homework). It is essential for giving instructions and describing where things are put.

Covers: Basic 把 word order, Specific objects with 把, What must follow the verb, 把 with 在, 到, 给 and 成, Negatives and modal verbs with 把, Verbs that cannot use 把

Study guide

In a 把 sentence, the object comes before the verb, introduced by 把: Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + Other element. 我把门关上了 means "I closed the door." The construction focuses on how the object is handled, moved or changed, so it is sometimes called the disposal construction. It is especially common in instructions: 请把书打开 (Please open your book), 把手机关了 (Turn off your phone). The object of 把 must be specific or known to the listener: 把这本书, 把我的钥匙, 把作业. You cannot say 我把一本书看完了 when you mean any book at all.

The verb in a 把 sentence cannot stand alone. It needs something after it that shows a result or change. This can be 了 (我把药吃了), a resultative complement (把衣服洗干净), a directional complement (把椅子搬进来), a duration or frequency (把课文念一遍), a reduplicated verb (把房间打扫打扫), or a phrase with 在, 到, 给 or 成. A sentence like 我把书看 is incomplete. Placement phrases are some of the most frequent uses: 把车停在门口 (park the car at the entrance), 把行李送到房间 (take the luggage to the room), 把这封信交给老师 (hand this letter to the teacher), 把美元换成人民币 (change dollars into RMB).

Negative words, modal verbs and time words go before 把, not before the verb. 我没把作业做完 (I didn't finish the homework), 别把钱包忘在出租车上 (Don't leave your wallet in the taxi), 你能把窗户开开吗? (Can you open the window?), 他昨天把车卖了 (He sold his car yesterday). Putting these after 把, as in 我把作业没做完, is a typical error. Adverbs like 已经 and 都 also usually precede 把: 我已经把饭做好了. Note that 都 referring to the object can come after it: 他把钱都花了 (He spent all the money).

Some verbs never take 把 because they do not act on an object in a way that changes it. These include 是, 有, 在, 喜欢, 爱, 知道, 认识, 觉得, 希望, and verbs of perception like 看见 and 听见. 我把他认识了 is wrong; say 我认识他. Also, 来 and 去 by themselves do not take 把. Finally, when a verb is followed by 在, 到, 给 or 成 plus a location or recipient and there is also an object, 把 is usually required: 我把书放在桌子上 is correct, while 我放书在桌子上 is wrong.

Key ideas

• 把 moves a specific, known object before the verb.
• The verb after 把 must be followed by another element, such as 了 or a complement.
• 把 sentences emphasize what happens to the object: moved, changed, finished.
• Negatives, modal verbs and time words go before 把.
• Verb + 在/到/给/成 + place or person with an object usually requires 把.
• Verbs of state, emotion, knowledge and perception cannot use 把.
• 把 is common in commands: 请把…V + complement.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Ending a 把 sentence with a bare verb, as in 我把作业做.
• Using 把 with an indefinite object, as in 我把一个苹果吃了 meaning "some apple."
• Putting 没 or 能 after 把, as in 我把门没关.
• Using 把 with 是, 有, 喜欢, 知道 or 看见.
• Writing 放书在桌子上 instead of 把书放在桌子上.

Before the test, make sure you can

• Rewrite an ordinary sentence as a 把 sentence.
• Add the required element after the verb in a 把 sentence.
• Use 把 with 在, 到, 给 and 成 phrases for placement, delivery and change.
• Place 没, 别, 能 and time words before 把.
• Identify verbs that cannot take 把.
• Judge whether an object is specific enough for 把.
• Give classroom and household instructions with 请把…

Words to know

打扫

to clean (dǎsǎo)

放

to put (fàng)

搬

to move (something heavy) (bān)

关上

to close (guānshang)

打开

to open (dǎkāi)

擦

to wipe (cā)

交

to hand in (jiāo)

还

to return (something) (huán)

送

to deliver; to give; to see off (sòng)

换

to change, exchange (huàn)

翻译

to translate (fānyì)

窗户

window (chuānghu)

桌子

table, desk (zhuōzi)

箱子

box, suitcase (xiāngzi)

垃圾

trash (lājī)

钱包

wallet (qiánbāo)

伞

umbrella (sǎn)

在…上

on ... (zài…shang)

在…里

in ... (zài…li)

忘

to forget (wàng)

停

to park, stop (tíng)

Sample practice questions

30 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.