Mandarin Chinese reference
谈话
tánhuà
to talk; conversation
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) | tánhuàtalk |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán le huàtalked |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán guo huàhave talked before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài tánhuàbe talking |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán zhe huàbe talking |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào tánhuà lebe about to talk |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì tánhuàwill talk |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù tánhuàdo not talk |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi tánhuàdid not talk |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tánhuà ma?do you talk? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | tán bu tán huà?do you talk? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.