In English, the and conjunction can be used to link parallel words, phrases, and clauses. On the other hand, there are various ways to say and in Chinese depending on the context.

 

 和 (HÉ) – THE NOUNS LINKER

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Probably the most common way to say and is by using 和 (hé). However, please note that 和 (hé) is only used for linking nouns.

Structure: Noun 1 + 和 + Noun 2

 

Examples:

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我   喜欢   樱桃  和   桃子。

Wǒ xǐhuān yīngtáo hé táozi.

I like cherries and peaches.

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爷爷和奶奶都去了德国。

Yéyé hé nǎinai dōu qùle déguó.

Grandpa and grandma went to Germany.

 

For your information, 都 (dōu), which is placed after the subject of the sentence, is used to indicate everyone in the subject are included in the verb action.

 

In the middle way of your Chinese learning, you might find 和 (hé) as the adjectives- or verbs-linker. They are not wrong, but there are some requirements that you need to meet in order to be applicable in the sentences.

 

跟 (GĒN) – ANOTHER NOUNS LINKER

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跟 (gēn), which is literally translated as with, works as the nouns linker – just like 和 (hé).

Structure: Noun 1 + 跟 + Noun 2

 

Examples:

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中午我跟他一起去吃饭了。

Zhōngwǔ wǒ gēn tā yīqǐ qù chīfànle.

He and I had lunch together at noon, or

I had lunch with him at noon.

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我跟我好朋友上同一所大学。

Wǒ gēn wǒ hǎo péngyǒu shàng tóngyī suǒ dàxué.

My friend and I go to the same university, or

I attend the same university with my good friend.

 

Read: 10 Common Ways to say YES in Chinese

 

又 (YÒU) – THE ADJECTIVES LINKER

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又 (yòu) is the adjectives linker of and. In this case, both of the adjectives must be equal – both are bad or both are good.

Structure: Subject + 又 + Adjective 1 + 又 + Adjective 2

 

Examples:

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这个小女孩又聪明又可爱。

Zhège xiǎo nǚhái yòu cōngmíng yòu kě’ài.

This little girl is smart and cute.

 

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那家餐厅又贵又难吃。

Nà jiā cāntīng yòu guì yòu nán chī.

That restaurant is expensive and unsavory.

 

并 (BÌNG) / 并且 (BÌNG QIĚ) – THE VERBS LINKER

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For the verbs linker, we can use 并 (bìng) or 并且 (bìng qiě).

Structure: Verb 1 / Verb Phrase 1 + 并 / 并且 + Verb 2 / Verb Phrase 2

 

Examples:

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我相信并且坚持我的判断。

Wǒ xiāngxìn bìngqiě jiānchí wǒ de pànduàn.

I believe and stick on my judgment.

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他会做饭并且做得特别好。

Tā huì zuò fàn bìngqiě zuò dé tèbié hǎo.

He can cook and do it very well.