和
hé
The Chinese word for 'with' is 和 (hé).
In many contexts, 和 can mean both 'with' and 'and'.
Meaning: with (prep)
Which one should you use?
The word 跟 is a common alternative to 和 when expressing 'with' in spoken Chinese.
How do you pronounce it?
hé
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use 和 as a preposition at the end of a sentence like 'I went with him', but in Chinese, the 'with someone' phrase must precede the verb.
Did you know?
- The alternative word for 'with', 跟, literally means 'heel'. It evokes the image of someone following closely behind another person's heels.
- The core concept of 和 is 'harmony' rather than just 'togetherness'. Its ancient form included a radical related to musical instruments, suggesting that being 'with' someone is as much about balance as it is about accompaniment.
- The character 和 can also mean 'Japanese' when used as a prefix or suffix in words like 和食, meaning 'Japanese food'.
Examples in context
- 和我唱首歌。Sing a song with me.This sentence shows how to use 和 to mean 'with' in the context of performing an action together.Tatoeba #5723950 by xjjAstrus, translation #249616 by CM
- 我和他认识。I am acquainted with him.This sentence demonstrates using 和 to express being acquainted with someone.Tatoeba #8888035 by crescat, translation #260219 by CH
- 我和汤姆住。I live with Tom.This sentence illustrates using 和 to indicate living with another person.Tatoeba #11282484 by biscotto, translation #2261961 by CK
- 我和我的家人去旅行。I am traveling with my family.
- 我想和你一起工作。I want to work with you.
- 请跟我来。Please come with me.
- 你要不要跟我们一起出去？Do you want to go out with us?
- 我们一起学习中文。Let's study Chinese together.
- 我们一起玩游戏吧！Let's play games together!
- 我和朋友去。I go with friends.
- 549 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen and Junjie are discussing their plans for the weekend.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你想和我去公园吗？Nǐ xiǎng hé wǒ qù gōngyuán ma?Do you want to go to the park with me?
- 俊杰 Junjie好啊，我和你一起去。Hǎo a, wǒ hé nǐ yìqǐ qù.Sure, I will go with you.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们可以和朋友们见面。Wǒmen kěyǐ hé péngyǒumen jiànmiàn.We can meet with our friends.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，明天见。Méi wèntí, míngtiān jiàn.No problem, see you tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 和, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
