Mandarin Chinese reference
猜
cāi
to guess
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) | cāiguess |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | cāi leguessed |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | cāi guohave guessed before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài cāibe guessing |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào cāi lebe about to guess |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì cāiwill guess |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù cāido not guess |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi cāidid not guess |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | cāi ma?do you guess? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | cāi bu cāi?do you guess? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.