The Prepositions 在，给，and 跟

Prepositions

Prepositions are used to specify things like Time, Place, Manner, Scope, Object and the like.

在

在 (zai4) indicates locality, it tells you where one is while completing an action

Example: 我在宿舍学习。 → I am in the dormitory to study.

跟

跟 (gen1) introduces a second person to an action.

Example: 我跟朋友聊天儿。→ I am chatting with a friend.

给

给 (gei3) indicates an active object.

Example：我给你打电话。→ I give you a phone call.

Some additional rules

In the prepositional phrase, these words are the adverb. They are then followed by the verb of the sentence. Be careful! The verb is always after the prepositional phrase! That means, the sentence 我给你电话 cannot be rephrased to 我电话给你。Pay close attention to this!

或者和还是

Both 或者 (huo4zhe3) and 还是 (hai2shi4) mean “or”, but they do so in different contexts.

或者 means “or” in a statement, while 还是 mean “or“ in a question.

Examples：

我六点或者六点半起床。→ I get up at 6 or 6:30.

你喝茶还是咖啡? → Do you drink coffee or tea?

喂

There are different types of greeting in Chinese，just as in English. One specific type of greeting not yet mentioned is the greeting used when on the phone. This greeting is 喂（wei). The tone depends on the which person in the call you are. Usually, 喂(wei2) is used when you answer the call, 喂(wei4) is used when you are the caller.

The use of 些

些 (xie1) is a word that, translated by itself, means “some”. It has a few different applications, though.

一些

一些 also means “some”, and is used to point out an indiscriminate amount of something. Remember, Chinese is a language that really enjoys two-syllable words, thus, when you want to say “some”, you want to say 一些.

Example:

一些的苹果 → some apples

这些和那些

这些 (zhe4xie1) and 那些 (na4xie1) are the words used for these and those.

Examples：

这些是我的朋友。 → These are my friends.

那些是你的朋友。 → Those are your friends.

These words are the plurals for 这个 (zhe4ge) and 那个(na4ge).

帮

帮 (bang1) is the word for “help” in Chinese. There are a few different ways to ask for help.

帮我一下儿？→ Can you help me for a little bit?

帮帮我！→ Help me!

The first one is a polite way of asking for help, while the second one is a more frantic and informal way of doing so. The latter can come off as rude when said to a stranger or a person you are not close with.

看

看 (kan4) is the word for “to see” and also doubles for “to watch” or “to perceive” and is the verb used in contexts where you look at things.

Examples:

看书 → to read a book

看电视 → to watch TV

看电影 → to watch a film/movie

想

想 (xiang3) is a word with many functions. It has a few different uses depending on its function in the sentence. The more detailed rundown of this will follow in Chapter 14, but suffice to say for now it means “to miss” if it is used as a verb in conjunction with a noun, and “to think” on its own.

Examples:

你想家吗？→ Do you miss home?

我想想。→ I am thinking about it. (very informal, used mostly between good friends)

Structure of long sentences

If you are trying to build a sentence with a lot of information, you need to adhere to a order in which the different parts of the sentence have to be.

The order is: Time - Subject - Place - Action OR Subject - Time - Place - Action