Common sentence word order in Mandarin

The common sentence word order in Mandarin Chinese is Subject + Verb + Object (SVO), similar to English. This means the subject typically comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object. Additionally, time, manner, place, and instrument adverbials usually appear before the verb in a specific order: Time + Manner + Place + Instrument + Verb + Object. Modifiers generally precede the words they modify.

For example:

• 我爱你 (Wǒ ài nǐ) — I love you. (SVO)
• 我昨天开心地在家用手机学中文 (Wǒ zuótiān kāixīn de zàijiā yòng shǒujī xué Zhōngwén) — I yesterday happily at home by using the phone study Chinese (S + Time + Manner + Place + Instrument + V + O).

Mandarin is also a topic-prominent language, where sometimes the subject can be omitted or word order adjusted for emphasis, but SVO remains the fundamental structure.

References

• Mandarin Chinese Word Order

• The Basics of Chinese Sentence Structure & Word Order

• Basic Chinese Grammar // A Simple Guide To …

• Chinese word order - Chinese Grammar Wiki

• Chinese word order with time, place, and attributives

• Chinese grammar

• Word order of Chinese language/beginner’s level/ HSK 1.

• Word order in a sentence : r/ChineseLanguage

• Chinese: Sentence Structures & Exceptions

• Chinese Sentence Structure