Languages 1001

The Mighty Predicate!
Let’s talk about the engine of every sentence: the predicate! In Chinese, the predicate (谓语 / wèiyǔ) tells us what the subject is doing or what the subject is like. If a sentence is a car, the predicate is the engine. Without it, you’d just be sitting there making “vroom vroom” noises.

What can be a predicate? 🚦

• Verbs or verb phrases (doing something)
• Adjectives or adjective phrases (describing something)

Examples:

• 他病了。
  tā bìng le.
  He is sick.
  (“病了” is the predicate: it tells us what’s wrong with him!)
• 我们学中文。
  wǒmen xué zhōngwén.
  We study Chinese.
  (“学中文” is the predicate: what are we doing? Studying Chinese!)
• 今天不冷。
  jīntiān bù lěng.
  Today is not cold.
  (“不冷” is the predicate: it describes today.)
• 这个菜很好吃。
  zhège cài hěn hǎochī.
  This dish is delicious.
  (“很好吃” is the predicate: how is the dish? Delicious!)

Remember:

• No need for “is/are” – adjectives can be predicates by themselves in Chinese! It’s very “zen.”
• Often you’ll see “很 (hěn)” before adjectives, but it doesn’t always mean “very”; it just smooths things out.
• Verbs make sentences:
我们工作。(wǒmen gōngzuò.) = We work.

Quick Recap:

• Subject + Predicate = Complete sentence
• The predicate can be a verb/verb phrase OR an adjective/adjective phrase.

(BONUS: No need to add “is/are/am” between the subject and adjective just because you feel lonely. “很 (hěn)” keeps good company!)

Fill in the blank with the proper predicate. (Try using the word bank if you need a friendly assist!)
Word bank: 吃饭, 喜欢你, 很漂亮, 不累, 很忙, 是老师 (not needed! it's a trick!), 很高兴

1. 张莉莉 。
(Zhāng Lìlì _____ .)   [Lili is busy.]

2. 王建国 。
(Wáng Jiànguó _____ .)   [Jianguo is happy.]

3. 小彤 。
(Xiǎotóng _____ .)   [Xiaotong is pretty.]

4. 浩然 。
(Hàorán _____ .)   [Haoran is not tired.]

5. 我们 。
(Wǒmen _____ .)   [We are eating.]

6. 我 。
(Wǒ _____ .)   [I like you.]

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