Subject + 把 + Object + Verb
Reach for 把 when you want to say what was done TO a specific object — moved it, finished it, broke it, handed it over. The pattern pulls the object out of its usual spot (after the verb) and places it before the verb, after 把. This forces you to add a result, direction, or completion marker to the verb, because 把 sentences are always about how the object ended up. Used constantly in everyday speech for cleaning, cooking, giving, putting, fixing.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 把 [OBJECT] [VERB]+[RESULT]
[SUBJECT] bǎ [OBJECT] [VERB]+[RESULT]
How to Think About It
把 marks the object as something getting acted on with a real outcome. The verb in a 把 sentence can almost never stand alone — it needs a tail (了, 完, 给他, 在桌子上, 干净) telling you what happened to the object. A bare verb like 把书看 sounds incomplete; 把书看完 finishes the thought. The object also has to be specific, not generic.
Examples
我把作业写完了。
Wǒ bǎ zuòyè xiě wán le.
I finished writing my homework.
请把门关上。
Qǐng bǎ mén guān shàng.
Please close the door.
她把钱给了妈妈。
Tā bǎ qián gěi le māma.
She gave the money to her mom.
Common Mistake
Learners use 把 with a bare verb and no result complement, producing sentences that feel cut off to a native ear. Every 把 sentence needs to tell the listener what state the object ended up in.
我把书看。
我把书看完了。
Don't Confuse With
Subject + Verb + Object
Normal SVO is for general statements ('I read books'). Use 把 when one specific object gets a specific outcome.
被 (passive)
把 keeps the subject as the doer ('I broke the cup'). 被 flips it ('The cup was broken by me').
给 + Object
给 marks a recipient ('give it TO him'). 把 marks the thing being moved or handled. Often they appear together: 把书给他.
Practice
我____作业写完了。
Show answer
把
请把门关____。
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上
Arrange: 把 / 妈妈 / 给了 / 她 / 钱
Show answer
她把钱给了妈妈。
The doctor needs to take Dad's liver and give it to the baby.
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医生要把爸爸的肝给宝宝。
Write a sentence using 把 to describe something you did to a specific object today.
Show answer
我把咖啡喝完了。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: