把 (bǎ) Sentence
The 把 sentence is Chinese's way of saying 'do something specific TO a specific thing.' You take an object that already exists in the conversation, front-load it with 把, then say what got done to it and what the outcome was. 'Close the door.' 'Throw away the trash.' 'Eat the apple up.' Any time the focus is what happens to the object — not who did it or where it happened — 把 is the structure you reach for.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 把 [DEFINITE OBJECT] [VERB] [RESULT / LOCATION / COMPLEMENT]
bǎ [OBJECT] [VERB] [RESULT]
How to Think About It
把 promotes the object from the back of the sentence to a starring position before the verb. Because the verb is no longer carrying the object, it must carry something else — a result complement, 了, a directional, or 在/到 + place. A bare verb after 把 is forbidden ('把门关' is broken). The mental check: 'Am I telling someone what HAPPENED to the thing?' If yes, use 把. If you're just naming an action with no specific outcome, plain SVO is fine.
Examples
请把门关上。
Qǐng bǎ mén guān shàng.
Please close the door.
我把电脑修好了。
Wǒ bǎ diànnǎo xiū hǎo le.
I fixed the computer.
他把垃圾扔到外面去了。
Tā bǎ lājī rēng dào wàimiàn qù le.
He threw the trash outside.
Common Mistake
Learners use 把 with indefinite objects ('一本书') or leave the verb bare with no complement. 把 requires a specific, known object AND a verb that lands somewhere — a result, a place, 了, or a complement.
我把一本书看。
我把那本书看完了。
Don't Confuse With
被 + Agent + Verb
被 sentences flip the camera onto the receiver ('门被关上了' — the door was closed). 把 keeps the doer as subject; 被 demotes them.
Subject + Verb + Object
Plain SVO is for non-specific actions or new information ('我吃苹果' — I eat apples). 把 requires the object to be already established AND the action to produce a definite effect.
给 + Recipient
给 marks who receives something. 把 marks what gets acted on. They can co-occur: '把书给我' (give the book to me) uses 把 for the handled thing and 给 for the recipient.
Practice
请你 ___ 这些东西收起来。
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把
我把碗洗 ___ 了。
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干净
Put in order: [关 / 灯 / 我 / 把 / 了]
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我把灯关了。
Translate to Chinese: 'He drank up the cup of coffee.'
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他把那杯咖啡喝完了。
Write a 把 sentence about something you finished today.
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Example answer: 我把今天的作业做完了。 (I finished today's homework.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: