Mandarin Chinese reference
谈恋爱
tán liàn'ài
to date; to be in a romantic relationship
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) | tán liàn'àidate |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán le liàn'àidated |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán guo liàn'àihave dated before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài tán liàn'àibe dating |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào tán liàn'ài lebe about to date |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì tán liàn'àiwill date |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù tán liàn'àido not date |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi tán liàn'àidid not date |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán liàn'ài ma?do you date? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán bu tán liàn'ài?do you date? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.