Chinese grammar – 把 bǎ 1

Grammar Point:
There are 3 functions of 把 bǎ in Chinese. Determination, command, and doing a movement on something that makes a change to it. And since 把 bǎ cannot be translated into English, many English speakers feel awkward using it. But it is a piece of grammar that Chinese native speakers use a lot in daily conversation. So if you used to be confused about how to use it, just forget everything you have learned before. Let’s start it again with me!

Difference between with 把 and without 把

The short answer is to emphasize the object. Unlike in English, in Chinese, the most important information is usually provided at the beginning of a sentence. Therefore, we tend to place time and people at the beginning. But what if we want to emphasize a particular object that is very important? Easy! Just move it to the beginning. This will change “an object” to “the object.” Then, we can keep the verb at the end of the sentence, which makes it easy to add more explanations or further information to support it. And these explanations and information are called complements.

When Do We Use It

Action that produces a change in something: This is the most common sentence pattern. We use it when referring to something that has happened to a ‘known object,’ similar to how English uses ‘the’ for a known object.

Before We Start

1. It is only used for something that both the listener and the speaker know.
2. We cannot use it for feelings: love, feel, hate, like, loss, etc.
3. It always needs something after the verb.
4. All negation words and adverbs should be put in front of 把 bǎ.

Structure

First, you need to know about 把 bǎ, which changes the order of Chinese sentences. We have learned Chinese sentence’s structure is subject + verb + object, but with this 把 bǎ, it becomes subject + 把 bǎ + object + verb + something. (That something is necessary and very important in the 把 bǎ structure.)

S + 把 bǎ + O + Verb + 了 (Result Complements)

我wǒ把bǎ蛋糕dàngāo吃chī了le我wǒ把bǎ蛋糕dàngāo吃chī了le
I ate the cake.

他tā把bǎ書shū丟diū了le他tā把bǎ书shū丢diū了le
He threw away the book.

你nǐ別bié把bǎ我wǒ的de頭髮tóufǎ剪jiǎn了le你nǐ别bié把bǎ我wǒ的de头发tóufa剪jiǎn了le
Don’t cut my hair.

出去chūqù玩wán前qián， 你nǐ應該yīnggāi把bǎ你nǐ的de作業zuòyè寫xiě了le出去chūqù玩wán前qián， 你nǐ应该yīnggāi把bǎ你nǐ的de作业zuòyè写xiě了le
Before going out to play, you should finish your homework.

你nǐ把bǎ藥yào吃chī了le嗎ma？ 你nǐ把bǎ药yào吃chī了le吗ma？
Did you take your medicine?

誰shéi把bǎ我的wǒde信xìn打dǎ開kāi了le？谁shéi把bǎ我的wǒde信xìn打dǎ开kāi了le？
Who opened my letter?

Differences

誰shéi吃chī了le蛋糕dàngāo？谁shéi吃chī了le蛋糕dàngāo？
Who ate cakes?
(This is a straightforward question that focuses on who did the action. The cake itself isn’t emphasized; instead, the main point is identifying who ate it. It’s more about finding out who has already eaten the cake, without paying much attention to the result.)

誰shéi把bǎ蛋糕dàngāo吃chī了le？ 谁shéi把bǎ蛋糕dàngāo吃chī了le？
Who ate the cake (up)?
(This sentence uses the “把 bǎ” construction, which emphasizes the impact on the object—in this case, the cake. It suggests the cake was completely eaten or dealt with. The focus is more on the result of the action rather than just identifying who did it. It’s more likely asking why the cake is missing—who ate it. The “把 bǎ” structure highlights the outcome (the cake being eaten), implying it’s gone, and you’re asking who’s responsible.)

A：你nǐ吃chī了le什麼shénme？ 你nǐ吃chī了le什么shénme？ (What did you eat?)
B：我wǒ吃chī了le蛋糕dàngāo我wǒ吃chī了le蛋糕dàngāo (I ate cake).
In this conversation, the focus is on what you ate. The question is general, asking for information about the food, and the answer simply states what was eaten, without emphasizing the result of the action on the cake.

A：蛋糕dàngāo呢ne？ 蛋糕dàngāo呢ne？ (Where’s the cake?)
B：我wǒ把bǎ蛋糕dàngāo吃chī了le我wǒ把bǎ蛋糕dàngāo吃chī了le (I ate the cake).
Here, the focus shifts to the cake itself. The question implies that something has happened to the cake (it might be missing). The use of the “把 bǎ” construction in the response emphasizes that the cake has been eaten entirely or dealt with in some way, explaining its absence or the result of the action.