Mandarin Chinese reference
开口
kāikǒu
to speak up; to open one's mouth
Verb pattern · 9 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) | kāikǒuspeak up |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kāi le kǒuspoke up |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kāi guo kǒuhave spoken up before |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào kāikǒu lebe about to speak up |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì kāikǒuwill speak up |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù kāikǒudo not speak up |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi kāikǒudid not speak up |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kāi le kǒu ma?did you speak up? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yǒu méiyǒu kāikǒu?did you speak up? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.