Lesson 7. A Simple Guide to Chinese Adverbs Word Order

In the previous post, we have learned how to construct a basic Chinese sentence. Today, we will learn how to build up other information using adverbs.

1. Basic Sentence Structure

The basic form of Chinese sentence structure is Subject + Verb + Object.

Subject	Verb	Object
我	吃	火鍋。
我	吃	火锅。
Wǒ	chī	huǒguō.
I	eat	hotpot.

2. Adverb of Time

Adverb of time is generally placed right after the subject. Sometimes you might find them in the beginning, but not at the end of the sentence.

Subject	Adverb of Time	Verb Phrase
我	昨天	吃火鍋。
我	昨天	吃火锅。
Wǒ	zuó tiān	chī huǒguō.
I	ate hotpot yesterday.

3. Adverb of Place

Adverb of place is usually written after the subject and before the verb phrase. There is an exception for some verbs (e.g. 坐，住，走，躺，站), which come after the verb phrases.

Subject	Adverb of Time	Adverb of Place	Verb Phrase
我	昨天	在家裡	吃火鍋。
我	昨天	在家里	吃火锅。
Wǒ	zuó tiān	zài jiālǐ	chī huǒguō.
I	ate hotpot at home yesterday.

4. Adverb of Manner

Adverb of manner refers to how an action in performed. Note that you can also form adverbs by adding 地 and 得 beside the adjectives.

Subject	Adverb of Time	Adverb of Manner	Adverb of Place	Verb Phrase
我	昨天	高高興興地	在家裡	吃火鍋。
我	昨天	高高兴兴地	在家里	吃火锅。
Wǒ	zuó tiān	gāo gāoxìng xìng de	zài jiālǐ	chī huǒguō.
I	ate hotpot happily at home yesterday.

5. Adverb of Frequency

Just like adverb of time, we put the adverb of frequency after the subject.

Subject	Adverb of Frequency	Adverb of Place	Verb Phrase
我	偶爾	在家裡	吃火鍋。
我	偶尔	在家里	吃火锅。
Wǒ	ǒu’ěr	zài jiālǐ	chī huǒguō.
I	occasionally eat hotpot at home.

6. Duration of Time

Last but not least, we can add the duration of time after the verb phrase to indicate the length of time that an action occurs.

Subject	Adverb of Time	Adverb of Place	Verb Phrase	Duration of Time
我	昨天	在家裡	吃火鍋吃了	三個小時。
我	昨天	在家里	吃火锅吃了	三个小时。
Wǒ	zuó tiān	zài jiālǐ	chī huǒguō chīle	sān gè xiǎoshí.
I	ate hotpot at home yesterday			for three hours.