Mandarin Chinese reference
建
jiàn
to build; to establish
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) | jiànbuild |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | jiàn lebuilt |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | jiàn guohave built before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài jiànbe building |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào jiàn lebe about to build |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì jiànwill build |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bú jiàndo not build |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi jiàndid not build |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | jiàn ma?do you build? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | jiàn bu jiàn?do you build? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.