Mandarin Chinese reference
忙
máng
busy
Verb pattern · 5 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) | hěn mángbe busy |
| plain | wǒ hěn mángI am busy |
| with a time word | wǒ jīntiān hěn mángI am busy today |
| as a change | wǒ zuìjìn máng leI have gotten busy lately |
| with a degree word | wǒ tèbié mángI am especially busy |
Future
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì mángwill be busy |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù mángnot be busy |
| plain | wǒ bù mángI am not busy |
| with a time word | wǒ jīntiān bù mángI am not busy today |
| as a change | wǒ zuìjìn bù máng leThese days, I am no longer busy |
| with a degree word | wǒ bú tài mángI am not very busy |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | máng ma?are you busy? |
| plain | nǐ máng ma?Are you busy? |
| with a time word | nǐ jīntiān máng ma?Are you busy today? |
| as a change | nǐ zuìjìn máng le ma?Have you gotten busy lately? |
| with a degree word | nǐ tèbié máng ma?Are you especially busy? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | máng bu máng?are you busy? |
| plain | nǐ máng bu máng?Are you busy? |
| with a time word | nǐ jīntiān máng bu máng?Are you busy today? |
| as a change | nǐ zuìjìn shì bu shì máng le?Have you gotten busy lately? |
| with a degree word | nǐ shì bu shì tèbié máng?Are you especially busy? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.