Some English words have several possible Mandarin translations. Learning when to use the correct word is one of the challenges for Mandarin students.
For example, the English can has at least three possible Mandarin translations: néng, kěyǐ, and huì, which respectively mean “ability” “permission” and “skill”.
Another English word with multiple translations is “and”. You may think that “and” is “and” and there can be no possible variations on it, but read on and discover the nuances of this simple word.
Joining Nouns
In sentences which combine nouns or noun phrases, there are three ways to say and. All three of these connectors are interchangeable and commonly used. They are:
hé - 和
hàn - 和
gēn - 跟
Note that hé and hàn are the same character. The hàn pronunciation is most commonly heard in Taiwan.
Examples of Joining Nouns
He and I are colleagues.
Wǒ hàn tā shì tóngshì.
我和他是同事｡
Both pineapple and mango are good to eat.
Fènglí hé mángguǒ dōu hěn hǎo chī.
(trad) 鳳梨和芒果都很好吃｡
(simp) 凤梨和芒果都很好吃｡
She and mom went for a walk.
Tā gēn māma qù guàng jiē.
(trad) 她跟媽媽去逛街｡
(simp) 她跟妈妈去逛街｡
This pair of shoes and that pair of shoes are the same price.
Zhè shuāng xié gēn nà shuāng xié jiàqian yíyàng.
(trad) 這雙鞋跟那雙鞋價錢一樣｡
(simp) 这双鞋跟那双鞋价钱一样｡
Joining Verbs
The Mandarin yě 也 is used to join verbs or verb phrases. It translates as either “and” or “also”.
Examples of Yě to Join Verbs
I like to watch movies and listen to music.
Wǒ xǐhuan kàn diànyǐng yě xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.
(trad) 我喜歡看電影也喜歡聽音樂｡
(simp) 我喜欢看电影也喜欢听音乐｡
He doesn’t like to go for walks and he doesn’t like to exercise.
Tā bù xǐhuan guàng jiē yě bù xǐhuan yùndòng.
(trad) 他不喜歡逛街也不喜歡運動｡
(simp) 他不喜欢逛街也不喜欢运动｡
Furthermore
There are a few Mandarin words that can be translated as “and”, but which more accurately mean “furthermore” or “moreover”. They are sometimes used to show a cause and effect relationship between the two phrases.
Words which mean "and/furthermore" are:
ér qiě - 而且
bìng qiě - 並且
rán hòu - 然後
yǐ hòu - 以後
Examples of Furthermore
This is a very good movie and (moreover) the music is very nice.
Zhè bù diànyǐng hěnhǎokàn érqiě yīnyuè hěnhǎo tīng.
(trad) 這部電影很好看而且音樂很好聽｡
(simp) 这部电影很好看而且音乐很好听｡
This knapsack is very practical and (furthermore) the price is reasonable.
Zhègè fángshuǐ bēibāo hěn shíyòng bìngqiě jiàgé hélǐ.
(trad) 這個防水背包很實用並且價格合理｡
(simp) 这个防水背包很实用并且价格合理｡
We can first go have dinner and then see a movie.
Wǒmen xiān qù chī wǎncān ránhòu zài qù kàn diànyǐng.
(trad) 我們先去吃晚餐然後再去看電影｡
(simp) 我们先去吃晚餐然后再去看电影｡
