“And” in Chinese 2 — 跟 gēn

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OneDotDot Chinese
Grammar · HSK 2
Grammar Point · HSK 2

“And” in Chinese 2 — 跟 gēn

跟 gēn is the casual, everyday “and” you’ll hear all the time in conversation. It also very often means “with.”

跟 gēn and in Chinese

In part 1 we met 和 hé. 跟 gēn does the same job, linking nouns, but it sounds more relaxed and spoken. Once you know 跟 gēn, you’ll also be able to say who you do things with.

1Noun + 跟 gēn + Noun: “and”

Just like 和 hé, 跟 gēn links two nouns or noun phrases.

我wǒ跟gēn我wǒ哥哥gēge都dōu是shì老师lǎoshī
My older brother and I are both teachers.
今天jīntiān的de晚饭wǎnfàn有yǒu鱼yú跟gēn鸡肉jīròu
Tonight’s dinner has fish and chicken.
他tā跟gēn他tā女朋友nǚpéngyou下xià个ge月yuè要yào结婚jiéhūn了le
He and his girlfriend are getting married next month.
牛肉面niúròumiàn跟gēn水饺shuǐjiǎo，你nǐ想xiǎng吃chī哪nǎ个ge？
Beef noodles and dumplings: which one do you want?

2S + 跟 gēn + Someone + (一起 yìqǐ) + V: “with”

This is where 跟 gēn really shines. Put 跟 gēn + a person before the verb to say who you do something with. Adding 一起 yìqǐ (“together”) is very common.

你nǐ想xiǎng跟gēn朋友péngyou一起yìqǐ去qù中国Zhōngguó吗ma？
Do you want to go to China with friends?
我wǒ每天měitiān跟gēn我wǒ的de狗gǒu一起yìqǐ去qù跑步pǎobù
I go running with my dog every day.
周末zhōumò我wǒ常常chángcháng跟gēn家人jiārén出去chūqu吃饭chīfàn
On weekends I often go out to eat with my family.
你nǐ跟gēn谁shéi去qù看kàn电影diànyǐng？
Who are you going to the movies with?
📌 Negation goes before 跟 gēn

To say you’re not doing something with someone, put 不 bù or 没 méi in front of 跟 gēn, not in front of the verb.

我wǒ不bù跟gēn他tā去qù
I’m not going with him.
我wǒ昨天zuótiān没méi跟gēn他们tāmen去qù吃饭chīfàn
I didn’t go eat with them yesterday.

3和 hé vs. 跟 gēn

和 hé跟 gēn
“and” (nouns)✅✅
“with” (before a verb)✅✅ very common
FeelNeutral; common in writing, textbooks, newsCasual; everyday speech
💡 FYI

In most sentences you can swap 和 hé and 跟 gēn without changing the meaning. In conversation, 跟 gēn sounds more natural; in written Chinese, 和 hé is more common. For very formal writing, Chinese uses 与 yǔ instead, which you’ll learn in “And” in Chinese 3.

4Common Mistakes

❌ 我wǒ去qù旅行lǚxíng跟gēn朋友péngyou
✅ 我wǒ跟gēn朋友péngyou去qù旅行lǚxíng
In English, “with friends” comes at the end. In Chinese, 跟 gēn + person always comes before the verb.
❌ 他tā很hěn高gāo跟gēn很hěn帅shuài
✅ 他tā很hěn高gāo，也yě很hěn帅shuài
跟 gēn can’t link adjectives. Use 也 yě (“also”) instead.
❌ 我wǒ喜欢xǐhuan唱歌chànggē跟gēn我wǒ喜欢xǐhuan跳舞tiàowǔ
✅ 我wǒ喜欢xǐhuan唱歌chànggē跟gēn跳舞tiàowǔ
跟 gēn can’t join two full sentences. Keep one 喜欢 xǐhuān and link the two activities.

5Practice

Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.

01Are you going with your older sister or your older brother?
你nǐ要yào跟gēn你nǐ姐姐jiějie还是háishì你nǐ哥哥gēge一起yìqǐ去qù？
👆 Tap to reveal
02My dad and my mom are both doctors.
我wǒ爸爸bàba跟gēn我wǒ妈妈māma都dōu是shì医生yīshēng。
👆 Tap to reveal
03Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?
你nǐ今天jīntiān晚上wǎnshang想xiǎng跟gēn我wǒ一起yìqǐ吃chī晚饭wǎnfàn吗ma？
👆 Tap to reveal
04I bought apples and bananas.
我wǒ买mǎi了le苹果píngguǒ跟gēn香蕉xiāngjiāo。
👆 Tap to reveal
05I don’t want to go with him.
我wǒ不bù想xiǎng跟gēn他tā去qù。
👆 Tap to reveal
06Who do you live with?
你nǐ跟gēn谁shéi一起yìqǐ住zhù？
👆 Tap to reveal
07Do you want to learn Chinese with us?
你nǐ想xiǎng跟gēn我们wǒmen一起yìqǐ学xué中文zhōngwén吗ma？
👆 Tap to reveal
08I want to travel with my best friend.
我wǒ想xiǎng跟gēn我wǒ最zuì好hǎo的de朋友péngyou去qù旅行lǚxíng。
👆 Tap to reveal

Related Grammar

→“And” in Chinese 1 — 和 hé(HSK 1) →“And” in Chinese 3 — 与 yǔ, 以及 yǐjí & 并 bìng(HSK 4)

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