Mandarin Chinese reference
刷牙
shuāyá
to brush teeth
Verb pattern · 11 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) | shuāyábrush teeth |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shuā le yábrushed teeth |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shuā guo yáhave brushed teeth before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài shuāyábe brushing teeth |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shuā zhe yábe brushing teeth |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào shuāyá lebe about to brush teeth |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì shuāyáwill brush teeth |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù shuāyádo not brush teeth |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi shuāyádid not brush teeth |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shuāyá ma?do you brush teeth? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shuā bu shuā yá?do you brush teeth? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.