把 (bǎ) Sentence

One of the most “popular” Chinese grammar is the “把 sentence.” This grammar is confusing for some learners since you can’t find this grammar in English.

The basic Chinese sentence structure is S V O (Subject – Verb – Object).

However, when using a “把 sentence,” you place the Object before the Verb. So the sentence structure becomes S 把 O V. So, at this point, you can see that the S V O structure is not for all situations.

When should you use the “把 sentence?”

• When the situation focuses on the result of an action.
• When the situation focuses on the influence of an action.
• When you would like to describe what happened to the object with more details (The object is already known or have been mentioned before).

Check out the infographic for more details and examples.

Simplified Chinese Version

Traditional Chinese Version