Basic Declarative Sentences in Chinese
陈述句
A declarative sentence presents information, describes a situation, or states a judgment with statement intonation. It may be affirmative or negative and can use different predicate types. What makes it declarative is its communicative purpose, not one fixed verb pattern, so a statement does not require 是 in every sentence.
Published July 30, 2026
Reviewed July 30, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + Predicate + 。
Read the structure
A declarative sentence presents information, describes a situation, or states a judgment with statement intonation. It may be affirmative or negative and can use different predicate types. What makes it declarative is its communicative purpose, not one fixed verb pattern, so a statement does not require 是 in every sentence. Keep the model Subject + Predicate + 。 visible while you compare each sentence.
妈妈做晚饭。
Mom makes dinner.
Choose the right context
State a fact or ordinary situation. Give an affirmative or negative description. Answer a question by supplying information.
我不喜欢看电视。
I do not like watching television.
Respect the boundary
Do not add 吗 when the sentence is meant as a statement. Do not insert 是 before every verb or adjective. Do not use question punctuation for a neutral assertion.
妈妈做晚饭吗。
(Does Mom make dinner.)
Repair the pattern
A yes-no particle turns the statement into a question: Sentence-final 吗 marks a yes-no question and cannot remain in a neutral declarative sentence. 是 is inserted before an ordinary action verb: The action predicate 喜欢 does not take the copula 是 in this basic declarative pattern.
妈妈做晚饭。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
妈妈做晚饭。
Mom makes dinner.
妈妈
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
做
Predicate
This part occupies the Predicate position in the model pattern.
晚饭
。
This part occupies the 。 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
妈妈做晚饭。
Mom makes dinner.
我不喜欢看电视。
I do not like watching television.
今天天气很好。
The weather is good today.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- State a fact or ordinary situation.
- Give an affirmative or negative description.
- Answer a question by supplying information.
Do not use it when
- Do not add 吗 when the sentence is meant as a statement.
- Do not insert 是 before every verb or adjective.
- Do not use question punctuation for a neutral assertion.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
妈妈做晚饭吗。
妈妈做晚饭。
A yes-no particle turns the statement into a question
Sentence-final 吗 marks a yes-no question and cannot remain in a neutral declarative sentence.
我是喜欢看电视。
我喜欢看电视。
是 is inserted before an ordinary action verb
The action predicate 喜欢 does not take the copula 是 in this basic declarative pattern.
妈妈做晚饭吗。
Sentence-final 吗 marks a yes-no question and cannot remain in a neutral declarative sentence.
我是喜欢看电视。
The action predicate 喜欢 does not take the copula 是 in this basic declarative pattern.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 陈述句.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 陈述句. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Basic Declarative Sentences Questions
Can a declarative sentence be negative?
Yes. A sentence such as 我不喜欢看电视 still states information and remains declarative.
Does every statement end with a full stop?
In ordinary writing it usually does, while conversational transcripts may reflect intonation and context differently.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 1 item 【一32】, PDF p. 181
Lists declarative sentences at Level 1 with affirmative and negative examples.
Official source现代汉语语法课程讲义
包头师范学院 · 包头师范学院 · 2024
Locator: Course PDF pp. 40–41, sentence classes and declarative sentences
Defines declaratives by statement intonation and distinguishes sentence class from structural sentence type.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
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动词谓语句Basic Subject-Verb-Object Order
A basic subject-verb-object clause is one common declarative structure, but declarative force is broader than this word order.
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是字句是 Sentences: Identification
Compare ordinary declarative force with the narrower copular pattern used for identification.
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非主谓句Non-Subject-Predicate Sentences
A complete statement can use a subject-predicate structure or a contextually complete non-subject-predicate form.
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形容词谓语句Adjective Predicate Sentence
Apply declarative force to a clause whose predicate directly describes a gradable quality.
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