The differences between ‘gen’ and ‘ye’

Some people learning Mandarin Chinese can get the words 跟 (gēn) and 也 (yě) confused, or use them incorrectly. The two words have related meanings and functions, but they're used quite differently.

有些人学习中文时会把"跟"和"也混淆起来，或使用不当。这两个词有着相关的意思和功能，但是它们的使用方式不大一样。

跟 (gēn): "and", "with" (conjunction)

跟 is a conjunction. As with 和, you can't use 跟 to link verbs or verb phrases. This is an important point, and using 跟 or 和 to link verbs is a common mistake that people learning Mandarin often make.

"跟"是个连词。与"和"一样，你不能用"跟"连接动词或动词词组。这是很重要的一点，而且用"跟"或者"和"去连接动词是学习中文的人常犯的错误。

Always remember that you can only use 跟 to link nouns together. That is, it links things not actions.

时刻记住！你只能用"跟"去连接名词，也就是说，它连接的不是动作。

Have a look at some example sentences for 跟:

看看一些"跟"的例句：

我跟我男朋友去北京的。

wǒ gēn wǒ nánpéngyǒu qù Běijīng de.

I went to Beijing with my boyfriend.

我跟我爸爸都是老师。

wǒ gēn wǒ bàba dōu shì lǎoshī.

My father and I are both teachers.

你跟你的室友合得来吗？

nǐ gēn nǐ de shìyou hédelái ma?

Do you get on well with your flat mates?

我喜欢学中国的历史跟文学。

wǒ xǐhuan xué Zhōngguó de lìshǐ gēn wénxué.

I like studying Chinese history and literature.

As you can see, 跟 is simply used to link nouns together, where "with" or "and" might be used in English.

如你所见，"跟"仅是用于连接名词，这里可能会用到英语中的"with"或"and"。

也 (yě): "also" (adverb)

也 is an adverb meaning "also", "too", "as well", "either" etc. Unlike 跟, it links verbs, verb phrases and adjectives. That's the most important difference between 跟 and 也.

"也"是副词，意思是"also"、"too"、"as well"、"either"等。与"跟"不同的是，它可连接动词、动词词组和形容词，这是"跟"和"也"之间最重要的不同。

Have a look at some example sentences for 也:

看看一些"也"的例句：

我爸爸是老师，我也是老师。

wǒ bàba shì lǎoshī, wǒ yěshì lǎoshī.

My father is a teacher; I am also a teacher.

我去问她了，她也不知道怎么办。

wǒ qù wèn tā le, tā yě bù zhīdào zěnme bàn.

I went to ask her, and she didn't know what to do either.

他也很帅。

tā yě hěn shuài.

He is also good-looking.

A: 我喜欢炒饭。

wǒ xǐhuan chǎofàn.

I like fried rice.

B: 我也喜欢。

wǒ yě xǐhuan.

I like it too.

Notice how 也 always links verbs or adjectives, and 跟 always links nouns.

注意"也"总是连接动词或形容词，而"跟"总是连接名词。

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