I can say in 3–5 sentences how my weekend went — what I did, what I didn't do, and how it was — and ask a friend about theirs.
My weekend: 也 and 还
My weekend: 也 and 还
This lesson is for saying how your weekend went and asking a friend about theirs. The question “你周末做了什么？” (Nǐ zhōumò zuòle shénme?) means “What did you do on the weekend?”
也 — “too, also”: another person does the same thing, or you add a similar action: 我喜欢运动，我妹妹也喜欢。(Wǒ xǐhuan yùndòng, wǒ mèimei yě xǐhuan.)
还 — “and also, as well”: the same person adds one more action: 她买了一件衣服，还买了两本书。(Tā mǎile yí jiàn yīfu, hái mǎile liǎng běn shū.) English “also” covers both words. Both go after the subject and before the verb, never at the end like English “too”.
和 joins only words — things and people (超市和书店 chāoshì hé shūdiàn, 我和雨涵 wǒ hé Yǔhán) — never two actions or two sentences, as English “and” can.
A story goes like this: when → where → what you did (了) → what you didn't do (没) → how it was. 跑步 (pǎobù) and 聊天儿 (liáotiānr) are whole words: 了 goes after them, at the end.
Common mistakes:
• ×我看了一个电影和吃了很多饺子。→ 我看了一个电影，还吃了很多饺子。(Wǒ kànle yí gè diànyǐng, hái chīle hěn duō jiǎozi.)
• ×也我去了书店。→ 我也去了书店。(Wǒ yě qùle shūdiàn.)
也, 还, 和
和 joins only words, not actions and not sentences.
| Word | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 也 | too: another person does the same | 我喜欢运动，我妹妹也喜欢。(Wǒ xǐhuan yùndòng, wǒ mèimei yě xǐhuan.) |
| 还 | also: the same person adds an action | 她买了一件衣服，还买了两本书。(Tā mǎile yí jiàn yīfu, hái mǎile liǎng běn shū.) |
| 和 | only between things and people | 面包和牛奶 (miànbāo hé niúnǎi) · 我和你 (wǒ hé nǐ) |
A plan for talking about your weekend
Five steps — no full sentences, just cues.
| Step | Example cue |
|---|---|
| when | 星期六上午 (xīngqīliù shàngwǔ) |
| where | 在公园 (zài gōngyuán) |
| what you did | …了… (…le…) |
| what you didn't do | 没… (méi…) |
| how it was | 很高兴 (hěn gāoxìng) / 很忙 (hěn máng) |
Lesson notes
My weekend: 也 and 还
This lesson is for saying how your weekend went and asking a friend about theirs. The question “你周末做了什么？” (Nǐ zhōumò zuòle shénme?) means “What did you do on the weekend?”
也 — “too, also”: another person does the same thing, or you add a similar action: 我喜欢运动，我妹妹也喜欢。(Wǒ xǐhuan yùndòng, wǒ mèimei yě xǐhuan.)
还 — “and also, as well”: the same person adds one more action: 她买了一件衣服，还买了两本书。(Tā mǎile yí jiàn yīfu, hái mǎile liǎng běn shū.) English “also” covers both words. Both go after the subject and before the verb, never at the end like English “too”.
和 joins only words — things and people (超市和书店 chāoshì hé shūdiàn, 我和雨涵 wǒ hé Yǔhán) — never two actions or two sentences, as English “and” can.
A story goes like this: when → where → what you did (了) → what you didn't do (没) → how it was. 跑步 (pǎobù) and 聊天儿 (liáotiānr) are whole words: 了 goes after them, at the end.
Common mistakes:
• ×我看了一个电影和吃了很多饺子。→ 我看了一个电影，还吃了很多饺子。(Wǒ kànle yí gè diànyǐng, hái chīle hěn duō jiǎozi.)
• ×也我去了书店。→ 我也去了书店。(Wǒ yě qùle shūdiàn.)