Mandarin Chinese reference
扫地
sǎodì
to sweep the floor
Verb pattern · 11 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) | sǎodìsweep the floor |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | sǎo le dìswept the floor |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | sǎo guo dìhave swept the floor before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài sǎodìbe sweeping the floor |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | sǎo zhe dìbe sweeping the floor |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào sǎodì lebe about to sweep the floor |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì sǎodìwill sweep the floor |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù sǎodìdo not sweep the floor |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi sǎodìdid not sweep the floor |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | sǎodì ma?do you sweep the floor? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | sǎo bu sǎo dì?do you sweep the floor? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.