Mandarin Chinese reference
上菜
shàngcài
to serve the dishes
Verb pattern · 10 form tables
Mandarin verbs do not change for tense. These tables show aspect, negation, questions and sentence patterns. Short phrases omit the subject; full examples retain theirs.
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Aspect
Plain statement
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shàngcàiserve the dishes |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shàng le càiserved the dishes |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shàng guo càihave served the dishes before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài shàngcàibe serving the dishes |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào shàngcài lebe about to serve the dishes |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì shàngcàiwill serve the dishes |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bú shàngcàido not serve the dishes |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi shàngcàidid not serve the dishes |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shàngcài ma?do you serve the dishes? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shàng bu shàng cài?do you serve the dishes? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.