Mandarin Chinese reference
看
kàn
to look at; to watch
Verb pattern · 14 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) | kànlook at; watch |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kàn lewatched |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kàn guohave watched before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài kànbe watching |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kàn zhebe watching |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào kàn lebe about to watch |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì kànwill watch |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bú kàndo not watch |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi kàndid not watch |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kàn ma?do you watch? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | kàn bu kàn?do you watch? |
Patterns
Affirmative
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| plain | wǒ kàn diànshìI watch TV |
| completed | wǒ kàn le nà ge diànyǐngI watched that movie |
| experienced | wǒ kàn guo nà ge diànyǐngI have seen that movie before |
| in progress | wǒ zài kàn diànshìI am watching TV |
| holding, alongside another action | wǒ kàn zhe diànshì chī fànI eat while watching TV |
| about to | wǒ yào kàn diànshì leI am about to watch TV |
Negated
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| plain | wǒ bú kàn diànshìI do not watch TV |
| completed | wǒ méi kàn nà ge diànyǐngI did not watch that movie |
| experienced | wǒ méi kàn guo nà ge diànyǐngI have never seen that movie |
| in progress | wǒ méi zài kàn diànshìI am not watching TV |
| holding, alongside another action | wǒ méi kàn diànshìI did not watch TV |
| about to | wǒ hái bú kàn diànshìI am not going to watch TV yet |
Question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| plain | nǐ kàn diànshì ma?Do you watch TV? |
| completed | nǐ kàn le nà ge diànyǐng ma?Did you watch that movie? |
| experienced | nǐ kàn guo nà ge diànyǐng ma?Have you ever seen that movie? |
| in progress | nǐ zài kàn diànshì ma?Are you watching TV? |
| holding, alongside another action | nǐ kàn zhe diànshì chī fàn ma?Do you eat while watching TV? |
| about to | nǐ yào kàn diànshì le ma?Are you about to watch TV? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.