Mandarin Chinese reference
听
tīng
to listen (to)
Verb pattern · 14 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) | tīnghear; listen |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tīng lelistened |
| 懂 dǒng, understand | tīng dǒng leUnderstood what was heard |
| 见 jiàn, perceive | tīng jiàn leHeard it |
| 清楚 qīngchu, clearly | tīng qīngchu leHeard it clearly |
| 完 wán, to the end | tīng wán leListened to the end |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tīng guohave listened before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài tīngbe listening |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tīng zhebe listening |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào tīng lebe about to listen |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì tīngwill listen |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù tīngdo not listen |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi tīngdid not listen |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tīng ma?do you listen? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tīng bu tīng?do you listen? |
Patterns
Negated
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| 懂 dǒng, understand | méi tīng dǒngDid not understand what was heard |
| 见 jiàn, perceive | méi tīng jiànDid not hear it |
| 清楚 qīngchu, clearly | méi tīng qīngchuDid not hear it clearly |
| 完 wán, to the end | méi tīng wánDid not listen to the end |
Can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| 懂 dǒng, understand | tīng de dǒngCan understand what is being said |
| 见 jiàn, perceive | tīng de jiànCan hear it |
| 清楚 qīngchu, clearly | tīng de qīngchuCan hear it clearly |
| 完 wán, to the end | tīng de wánCan listen to the end |
Cannot
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| 懂 dǒng, understand | tīng bu dǒngCannot understand what is being said |
| 见 jiàn, perceive | tīng bu jiànCannot hear it |
| 清楚 qīngchu, clearly | tīng bu qīngchuCannot hear it clearly |
| 完 wán, to the end | tīng bu wánCannot listen to the end |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.