Mandarin Chinese reference
告诉
gàosu
to tell
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) | gàosutell |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | gàosu letold |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | gàosu guohave told before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài gàosube telling |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào gàosu lebe about to tell |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì gàosuwill tell |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bú gàosudo not tell |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi gàosudid not tell |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | gàosu ma?do you tell? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | gàosu bu gàosu?do you tell? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.