Mandarin Chinese reference
努力
nǔlì
to work hard; hard working
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) | nǔlìwork hard |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | nǔlì leworked hard |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | nǔlì guohave worked hard before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài nǔlìbe working hard |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào nǔlì lebe about to work hard |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì nǔlìwill work hard |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù nǔlìdo not work hard |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi nǔlìdid not work hard |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | nǔlì ma?do you work hard? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | nǔlì bu nǔlì?do you work hard? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.