Mandarin Chinese reference
等
děng
to wait
Verb pattern · 13 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) | děngwait |
| how long | wǒ děng le bàn ge xiǎoshíI waited for half an hour |
| with an object | wǒ děng le tā bàn ge xiǎoshíI waited for him for half an hour |
| and still waiting | wǒ děng le bàn ge xiǎoshí leI have been waiting for half an hour |
| how many times | wǒ děng le liǎng cìI waited twice |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | děng lewaited |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | děng guohave waited before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài děngbe waiting |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | děng zhebe waiting |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào děng lebe about to wait |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì děngwill wait |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù děngdo not wait |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi děngdid not wait |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | děng ma?do you wait? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | děng bu děng?do you wait? |
Patterns
Negated
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| how long | wǒ méi děng bàn ge xiǎoshíI did not wait for half an hour |
| with an object | wǒ méi děng tāI did not wait for him |
| and still waiting | wǒ bù děng leI am not waiting anymore |
| how many times | wǒ méi děng guoI have never waited before |
Question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| how long | nǐ děng le duō jiǔ?How long did you wait? |
| with an object | nǐ děng le tā duō jiǔ?How long did you wait for him? |
| and still waiting | nǐ děng le duō jiǔ le?How long have you been waiting? |
| how many times | nǐ děng le jǐ cì?How many times did you wait? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.