Spanish 
French 
German 
Italian 
Portuguese 
Russian 
Chinese 
Japanese 
Korean 
Arabic Chinese Verb Usage Guide
Complete usage patterns for the 20 most essential Mandarin Chinese verbs. Unlike European languages, Chinese verbs do not conjugate — instead, aspect markers (了, 过, 着), auxiliary verbs (会, 能, 要), and context express time, completion, and mood.
How Chinese Verbs Work
Chinese verbs never change form — there are no tenses, no person agreement, and no conjugation tables to memorize. Instead, Mandarin uses aspect markers and context to express when and how an action happens:
- 了 (le) — marks a completed action or change of state
- 过 (guò) — indicates past experience ("have done something before")
- 着 (zhe) — marks an ongoing state
- 在 (zài) — indicates an action in progress (similar to English "-ing")
Modal/auxiliary verbs like 会 (huì), 能 (néng), 可以 (kěyǐ), and 要 (yào) are placed before the main verb to express ability, permission, willingness, or future intention. Negation uses 不 (bù) for present/future and 没 (méi) for past actions.
Patterns Covered
Basic Usage
Core sentence patterns and common structures
Completed Action (了)
Past or completed actions using 了
Experience (过)
Life experience using 过
Ongoing Action (在/着)
Actions in progress using 在 or 着
Future / Intent (会/要/想)
Future actions and intentions
Negation (不/没)
Negative forms for present and past