Introduction
和 (hé) joins nouns: tea and coffee, my mum and my dad. It looks like the English "and", but it is much narrower — 和 cannot join two verbs, two adjectives, or two whole sentences. Learning what it cannot do saves more errors than learning what it can.
Overview
Structure: Noun 1 + 和 (hé) + Noun 2
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| N1 + 和 + N2 | 我和他 (wǒ hé tā) | he and I |
| N1、N2 + 和 + N3 | 苹果、香蕉和橘子 (píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo hé júzi) | apples, bananas and oranges |
| N1 + 和 + N2 + V | 我和朋友去看电影。(Wǒ hé péngyǒu qù kàn diànyǐng.) | My friend and I are going to a film. |
| V + N1 + 和 + N2 | 我喜欢茶和咖啡。(Wǒ xǐhuan chá hé kāfēi.) | I like tea and coffee. |
| N1 + 和 + N2 + 都 + V | 他和我都是学生。(Tā hé wǒ dōu shì xuéshēng.) | He and I are both students. |
和 (hé) joins nouns — nothing else:
- ✓ Nouns: 我和你 (wǒ hé nǐ) — you and I.
- ❌ Verbs: 我吃饭和看电视。(Wǒ chī fàn hé kàn diànshì.) → just run them together: 我吃饭，看电视。(Wǒ chī fàn, kàn diànshì.)
- ❌ Adjectives: 又便宜和好吃 → use 又……又…… (yòu … yòu …): 又便宜又好吃。(Yòu piányi yòu hǎochī.) — cheap and tasty.
- ❌ Sentences: "I'm tired and I want to go home" is two clauses: 我累了，想回家。(Wǒ lèi le, xiǎng huí jiā.)
Examples
我和他是朋友。
Wǒ hé tā shì péngyǒu.
He and I are friends.
我喜欢茶和咖啡。
Wǒ xǐhuan chá hé kāfēi.
I like tea and coffee.
我买了苹果和香蕉。
Wǒ mǎi le píngguǒ hé xiāngjiāo.
I bought apples and bananas.
爸爸和妈妈都在家。
Bàba hé māma dōu zài jiā.
Mum and Dad are both at home.
我和朋友一起去。
Wǒ hé péngyǒu yìqǐ qù.
My friend and I are going together.
这是我和我姐姐的房间。
Zhè shì wǒ hé wǒ jiějie de fángjiān.
This is my older sister's and my room.
Usage Notes
- With three or more items, use a Chinese enumeration comma 、 between the earlier ones and 和 only before the last: 中文、英文和法文。(Zhōngwén, Yīngwén hé Fǎwén.)
- 和 often pairs with 都 (dōu) — "both / all": 他和我都喜欢。(Tā hé wǒ dōu xǐhuan.)
- Chinese politeness puts yourself first, unlike English: 我和他 (wǒ hé tā) is the normal order for "he and I".
- 跟 (gēn) is an everyday spoken alternative to 和 — 我跟你一起去。(Wǒ gēn nǐ yìqǐ qù.) — and 与 (yǔ) is its formal written cousin.
- 和 has a second, unrelated reading — hè — but at this level it is always hé.