Mandarin Chinese reference
坐牢
zuòláo
to be in prison; to serve time
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) | zuòláoserve time in prison |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò le láoserved time in prison |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò guo láohave served time in prison before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài zuòláobe serving time in prison |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào zuòláo lebe about to serve time in prison |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì zuòláowill serve time in prison |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bú zuòláodo not serve time in prison |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi zuòláodid not serve time in prison |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuòláo ma?do you serve time in prison? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò bu zuò láo?do you serve time in prison? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.