RealHSK

HSK 3Lesson 11 of 15 · 6 grammar points

Affected objects and accompanying actions

把 foregrounds what is affected and usually needs a meaningful outcome; 被 foregrounds the affected participant as subject. An accompanying action marked with 着 overlaps another action. Preserve event roles when rephrasing between constructions.

Learning goals (6)
  • 把 with a location outcome.
  • 把 with transfer.
  • 把 with a complement.
  • Passive with an agent.
  • Passive without an agent.
  • Accompanying action with 着.

把

把 with a location outcome

把 places a definite/recoverable affected object before a verb followed by 在 or 到 and a location.

请把书放在桌子上。

Qǐng bǎ shū fàng zài zhuō zi shàng.

Please put the book on the table.

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Pitfall: A bare isolated verb often fails to provide the required outcome in this pattern.

把

把 with transfer

把 can foreground the thing transferred; the recipient follows the transfer verb, often with 给.

我把书还给老师了。

Wǒ bǎ shū huán gěi lǎo shī le.

I returned the book to the teacher.

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Pitfall: 还 here is huán, return, not hái, still.

把

把 with a complement

After 把+object, provide a result, direction or manner complement showing what happens to the object.

他把门关好了。

Tā bǎ mén guān hǎo le.

He closed the door properly.

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Pitfall: The sentence concerns an affected object, not just an unbounded habit.

被

Passive with an agent

Affected subject+被+agent+predicate presents what happened to the subject.

我的书被弟弟拿走了。

Wǒ de shū bèi dì di ná zǒu le.

My book was taken away by my younger brother.

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Pitfall: The noun before 被 is affected, not the person doing the taking.

主语+被+动词+其他成分

Passive without an agent

被 can directly precede the predicate when the agent is unknown or unimportant.

门被关上了。

Mén bèi guān shàng le.

The door was closed.

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Pitfall: Omitting the agent is possible; it does not imply the event had no cause.

着

Accompanying action with 着

V1+着+V2 presents one activity or posture as accompanying another.

他笑着说谢谢。

Tā xiào zhe shuō xiè xiè.

He smiled as he said thank you.

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Pitfall: The two actions overlap instead of forming a simple completed sequence.

Source details (official syllabus)

  • 把 with a location outcome

    Syllabus item
    （1）主语+把+宾语+动词+在/到+处所
    Category
    “把”字句1
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-067
    PDF page
    394 (printed 391)

  • 把 with transfer

    Syllabus item
    （2）主语+把+宾语1+动词（+给）+宾语2
    Category
    “把”字句1
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-068
    PDF page
    394 (printed 391)

  • 把 with a complement

    Syllabus item
    （3）主语+把+宾语+动词+结果补语/趋向补语/状态补语
    Category
    “把”字句1
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-069
    PDF page
    394 (printed 391)

  • Passive with an agent

    Syllabus item
    （1）主语+被+宾语+动词+其他成分
    Category
    被动句1
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-070
    PDF page
    394 (printed 391)

  • Passive without an agent

    Syllabus item
    （2）主语+被+动词+其他成分
    Category
    被动句1
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-071
    PDF page
    394 (printed 391)

  • Accompanying action with 着

    Syllabus item
    “着”表示动作的伴随：动词1+着+动词2
    Category
    连动句2
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-072
    PDF page
    394 (printed 391)