把字句
Reach for the 把 sentence when you want to spotlight what happens TO an object — 'I took the cup and broke it,' 'they pushed the door open,' 'she put the keys on the table.' Mandarin pulls the object out from its usual spot after the verb and parks it after 把, then loads the verb with a result, direction, or change. It's the go-to structure for verbs of handling, moving, transforming, finishing, or disposing of something. Without a result on the verb, a 把 sentence sounds broken.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 把 [OBJECT] [VERB] [RESULT/COMPLEMENT/了]
bǎ [OBJECT] [VERB]...
How to Think About It
The 把 is a flag, not a verb. It tells the listener 'I'm about to do something definite to this specific thing — and here's what changed.' Two non-negotiables: the object after 把 must be DEFINITE (the keys, this dog — not just 'keys' or 'a dog'), and the verb must carry a result, complement, 了, or directional ending. Bare verbs like 把书看 break the rule; 把书看完了 satisfies it.
Examples
他把杯子打破了。
Tā bǎ bēizi dǎpò le.
He broke the cup.
请把窗户关上。
Qǐng bǎ chuānghu guānshàng.
Please close the window.
妈妈把孩子送到了学校。
Māma bǎ háizi sòng dào le xuéxiào.
Mom took the child to school.
Common Mistake
Learners write 把 sentences with a bare verb and stop there ('I put the book'). Chinese demands the verb tell you HOW the object ended up — placed where, broken into what, finished by when. Adding a result, 了, or directional complement fixes it.
我把书看。
我把书看完了。
Don't Confuse With
被 + (Agent) + Verb + Result
Use 被 when you want the object to be the subject of the sentence (receiver-focused). 把 keeps the doer as subject (action-focused).
Subject + Verb + Object
Use the plain SVO order when no specific result needs spotlighting. Switch to 把 only when you want to emphasize what happened to a definite object.
将 + Object + Verb + Result
Same disposal structure as 把, but 将 is formal and used in writing, contracts, and news. 把 is the everyday spoken default.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 请 ___ 这本书还给我。
Show answer
把
Fill in the blank: 他把饭吃 ___。 (finished)
Show answer
完了
Arrange: 把 / 打扫 / 干净 / 房间 / 我 / 了
Show answer
我把房间打扫干净了。
Translate: She put the keys on the table.
Show answer
她把钥匙放在桌子上。
Write a sentence describing what you did to your phone today using 把.
Show answer
我把手机充满了电。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 3 Fluentide episodes. Press play to hear the sentence:
他想把这些女孩送给别的人。
He wanted to give these girls to other people.
Epstein, Brunel, and the Fake Modelling Jobs That Trapped Brazilian Girls
特朗普把那个国家的领导人换掉了。
Trump replaced that country's leader.
Is Trump's Next Target Cuba? After Venezuela, Pressure Shifts to HavanaIntermediate
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 把字句 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.