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Intermediate

Serial Verb Constructions

How multiple verbs combine in a single clause in Spanish, English and Chinese.

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Chinese uses serial verb constructions extensively, stringing verbs together without conjunctions. Spanish and English typically require conjunctions, prepositions, or infinitive markers between verbs.

Overview

Serial verb constructions (SVCs) place multiple verbs together in a single clause without explicit conjunctions or infinitive markers.

Spanish: Does not allow true serial verbs. Requires prepositions (ir a), conjunctions (ir y), or different structures. Multiple verbs must be linked grammatically.
English: Limited serial verbs. Some constructions allow bare infinitives (go get, come see), but most require “and” or “to.”
Chinese: Extensive serial verb system. Verbs are concatenated freely to express sequence, purpose, direction, result, and giving.

Spanish

No true serial verbs

Spanish requires explicit markers between verbs:

Infinitive with preposition:

Voy a comer. (I’m going to eat.)
Empiezo a trabajar. (I start working.)
Acabo de comer. (I’ve just eaten.)
Trato de entender. (I try to understand.)

Conjunctions:

Voy y vengo. (I go and come back.)
Entró y se sentó. (He entered and sat down.)

Different structures:

Dame el libro. (Give me the book. — one verb, indirect object)
Sal corriendo. (He left running. — gerund, not serial verb)

Perception verb + infinitive

Spanish allows infinitive after perception verbs:

Vi caer la hoja. (I saw the leaf fall.)
Oí llorar al niño. (I heard the child cry.)

Causative + infinitive

Me hizo reír. (He made me laugh.)
Dejó salir a los niños. (He let the children leave.)

English

Limited serial verbs

English allows some bare verb sequences in informal registers:

Go get your coat.
Come see me sometime.
Go ask your mother.
Run tell him. (Southern US)

More common: conjunction or infinitive required

Go and get your coat. (British)
Come to see me.
Try to understand.

Verb + preposition/gerund

English often uses prepositional phrases instead of serial verbs:

Take out the trash. (phrasal verb)
Put on your shoes. (phrasal verb)
Look after the children. (prepositional verb)

Causative + bare infinitive

He made me laugh.
She let him go.
I watched him leave.
I heard her sing.

Coordinate structure

Go and buy some milk.
Come and see.
Wait and see.

Note: In informal American English, “and” is often dropped: Go buy some milk.

Chinese

Core serial verb patterns

Chinese concatenates verbs freely:

Sequence (do A then B):

去qù买mǎi菜cài (go buy vegetables)
跑pǎo去qù告gào诉su他tā (run go tell him)
走zǒu过guò来lái看kàn看kan (walk over come look-look)

Purpose (do A in order to B):

去qù医yī院yuàn看kàn病bìng (go hospital see illness = go to the hospital to see a doctor)
来lái北běi京jīng学xué中zhōng文wén (come Beijing study Chinese = come to Beijing to study Chinese)

Direction (move + path):

跑pǎo进jìn来lái (run enter come = run in [toward speaker])
走zǒu出chū去qù (walk exit go = walk out [away])
拿ná回huí来lái (take return come = bring back)

Giving (give + recipient + object):

给gěi我wǒ一yì本běn书shū (give me one [CL] book)
借jiè给gěi他tā钱qián (lend give him money = lend him money)
送sòng给gěi她tā花huā (give give her flowers = give her flowers)

Resultative (verb + result complement):

打dǎ开kāi (hit open = open)
吃chī完wán (eat finish = finish eating)
做zuò好hǎo (do well = do well / finish doing)
看kàn见jiàn (look perceive = see)
听tīng懂dǒng (listen understand = understand by hearing)

Multiple verb stacking

Chinese can stack many verbs in one clause:

跑pǎo去qù医yī院yuàn看kàn病bìng (run go hospital see illness)
拿ná出chū来lái给gěi我wǒ看kàn看kan (take out come give me look-look = take it out and show me)

Verb + 来lái/去qù (purpose)

来lái and 去qù can indicate purpose:

我wǒ来lái学xué习xí (I come study = I came to study)
他tā去qù工gōng作zuò (He go work = He went to work)

Coverbs

Chinese has “coverbs” that function like prepositions but originated as verbs:

Coverb	Origin	Function
在zài	at (verb)	at, in
给gěi	give (verb)	to, for
对duì	face (verb)	toward, to
跟gēn	follow (verb)	with
比bǐ	compare (verb)	than

Comparison at a glance

Pattern	Spanish	English	Chinese
Go eat	Voy a comer	Go eat / Go and eat	去qù吃chī
Come see	Ven a ver / Ven y mira	Come see / Come and see	过guò来lái看kàn
Give me	Dame	Give me	给gěi我wǒ
Run in	Corre hacia adentro	Run in	跑pǎo进jìn来lái
Take out	Saca	Take out	拿ná出chū来lái
Verb linkage	Preposition/conjunction	And / to / bare verb	Direct concatenation
Multiple verbs	Rare	Rare	Very common
Coverbs	No	No	Yes (在zài, 给gěi, 对duì, 跟gēn, 比bǐ)

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
Voy a comprar algo.	I’m going to buy something. / Go buy something.	去qù买mǎi点diǎn东dōng西xī。
Ven a ver.	Come and* see.* / Come see.	过guò来lái看kàn看kàn。
Le presté dinero. / Presté dinero a él.	I lent him money.	借jiè给gěi他tā钱qián。

Common mistakes

Spanish/English speakers learning Chinese: Adding conjunctions: 去qù和hé买mǎi → 去qù买mǎi
Spanish speakers learning Chinese: Adding 要yào before purpose verbs: 我wǒ要yào去qù去qù医yī院yuàn → 我wǒ去qù医yī院yuàn
Chinese speakers learning English: Dropping “and” in formal contexts: Go buy is okay in US English but Go and buy is preferred formally
English speakers learning Spanish: Using serial verb logic: Voy comprar → Voy a comprar

Directional Verbs: How direction combines with main verbs
Causatives: How causative verbs interact with serial constructions
Word Order: How multiple verbs fit into sentence structure
Prepositions: How prepositions replace serial verbs in Spanish and English

Examples

Go buy something

Voy a comprar / Voy y compro

Come take a look

Ven a ver / Ven y mira

Give him a book

Le doy un libro

Run into the room

Corre hacia la habitación

Take out money

Saca dinero

Verb linkage required

Yes (a, y, prepositions)

Examples

Go buy something

Go and buy / Go buy

Come take a look

Come and see / Come see

Give him a book

I give him a book

Run into the room

Take out money

Verb linkage required

Usually (and, to, bare infinitive)

Examples

Go buy something

去qù买mǎi

Come take a look

过guò来lái看kàn看kàn

Give him a book

给gěi他tā一yī本běn书shū

Run into the room

跑pǎo进jìn房fáng间jiān

Take out money

取qǔ钱qián出chū来lái

Verb linkage required

No (direct concatenation)

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
Go buy something	Voy a comprar / Voy y compro	Go and buy / Go buy	去qù买mǎi
Come take a look	Ven a ver / Ven y mira	Come and see / Come see	过guò来lái看kàn看kàn
Give him a book	Le doy un libro	I give him a book	给gěi他tā一yī本běn书shū
Run into the room	Corre hacia la habitación	Run into the room	跑pǎo进jìn房fáng间jiān
Take out money	Saca dinero	Take out money	取qǔ钱qián出chū来lái
Verb linkage required	Yes (a, y, prepositions)	Usually (and, to, bare infinitive)	No (direct concatenation)

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
Go buy something	Voy a comprar / Voy y compro	Go and buy / Go buy	去qù买mǎi
Come take a look	Ven a ver / Ven y mira	Come and see / Come see	过guò来lái看kàn看kàn
Give him a book	Le doy un libro	I give him a book	给gěi他tā一yī本běn书shū
Run into the room	Corre hacia la habitación	Run into the room	跑pǎo进jìn房fáng间jiān
Take out money	Saca dinero	Take out money	取qǔ钱qián出chū来lái
Verb linkage required	Yes (a, y, prepositions)	Usually (and, to, bare infinitive)	No (direct concatenation)

Examples in context

Go buy something

Spanish

Voy a comprar / Voy y compro

English

Go and buy / Go buy

Chinese

去qù买mǎi

Come take a look

Spanish

Ven a ver / Ven y mira

English

Come and see / Come see

Chinese

过guò来lái看kàn看kàn

Give him a book

Spanish

Le doy un libro

English

I give him a book

Chinese

给gěi他tā一yī本běn书shū

Run into the room

Spanish

Corre hacia la habitación

English

Run into the room

Chinese

跑pǎo进jìn房fáng间jiān

Take out money

Spanish

Saca dinero

English

Take out money

Chinese

取qǔ钱qián出chū来lái

Verb linkage required

Spanish

Yes (a, y, prepositions)

English

Usually (and, to, bare infinitive)

Chinese

No (direct concatenation)

Key Takeaways

Spanish: Does not allow true serial verbs. Requires prepositions (ir a), conjunctions (ir y), or different structures. Multiple verbs must be linked. Spanish and English typically require conjunctions, prepositions, or infinitive markers between verb

English: Limited serial verbs. Some constructions allow bare infinitives (go get, come see), but most require "and" or "to."

Chinese: Extensive serial verb system. Verbs are concatenated freely to express sequence, purpose, direction, result, and giving.

Key concepts compared: Go buy something, Come take a look, Give him a book.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Chinese allow multiple bare verbs in sequence while Spanish and English require prepositions, conjunctions, or infinitive markers?

Chinese concatenates verbs freely to express sequence, purpose, or manner: <ruby>去<rt>qù</rt></ruby><ruby>买<rt>mǎi</rt></ruby><ruby>菜<rt>cài</rt></ruby> (go buy vegetables — no marker). Spanish requires a preposition or conjunction: *Voy a comprar verduras* (I go to buy vegetables) or *Voy y compro verduras* (I go and buy vegetables). English also requires a marker: 'I go TO buy vegetables' or 'I go AND buy vegetables.' An English speaker learning Chinese will insert unnecessary conjunctions or prepositions: <ruby>去<rt>qù</rt></ruby><ruby>和<rt>hé</rt></ruby><ruby>买<rt>mǎi</rt></ruby><ruby>菜<rt>cài</rt></ruby> (go and buy vegetables — unnatural). A Chinese speaker learning English or Spanish will omit the required markers: 'I go buy vegetables' (ungrammatical in standard English, though used in colloquial American English).

How does Chinese use serial verbs for giving and direction that English and Spanish express with prepositional phrases?

Chinese uses a serial verb for giving: <ruby>给<rt>gěi</rt></ruby><ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>看<rt>kàn</rt></ruby> (give me see = show me). English requires a single verb or a prepositional phrase: 'Show me' or 'Let me see.' Spanish requires *mostrar* or *dejar ver.* Chinese also uses directional complements: <ruby>走<rt>zǒu</rt></ruby><ruby>出<rt>chū</rt></ruby><ruby>来<rt>lái</rt></ruby> (walk exit come = come out walking). English uses phrasal verbs: 'walk out.' Spanish uses prepositional phrases: *salir caminando.* An English speaker learning Chinese will use single verbs where Chinese requires serial constructions: <ruby>展<rt>zhǎn</rt></ruby><ruby>示<rt>shì</rt></ruby> (demonstrate) instead of <ruby>给<rt>gěi</rt></ruby><ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>看<rt>kàn</rt></ruby> (show me). A Chinese speaker learning English will produce 'give me look' instead of 'show me.'

Why do English speakers learning Chinese struggle with the distinction between purpose and manner in serial verb constructions?

Chinese serial verbs can express purpose (<ruby>去<rt>qù</rt></ruby><ruby>学<rt>xué</rt></ruby> = go to study) or manner (<ruby>坐<rt>zuò</rt></ruby><ruby>飞<rt>fēi</rt></ruby><ruby>机<rt>jī</rt></ruby><ruby>去<rt>qù</rt></ruby> = go by plane). The interpretation depends entirely on semantic context and conventional collocation. English marks purpose explicitly with 'to' or 'in order to' and manner with 'by' or a prepositional phrase. Spanish uses *a* + infinitive for purpose and *en* + gerund for manner. An English speaker learning Chinese will look for explicit markers that do not exist and will misinterpret serial verbs. For example, <ruby>跑<rt>pǎo</rt></ruby><ruby>去<rt>qù</rt></ruby><ruby>告<rt>gào</rt></ruby><ruby>诉<rt>sù</rt></ruby><ruby>他<rt>tā</rt></ruby> (run go tell him) means 'run to tell him' (purpose), not 'run and go tell him' (sequence), which is not obvious without context.

References

Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981

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verb-tenses transitivity

Last updated: June 4, 2026

Overview

Spanish

No true serial verbs

Perception verb + infinitive

Causative + infinitive

English

Limited serial verbs

Verb + preposition/gerund

Causative + bare infinitive

Coordinate structure

Chinese

Core serial verb patterns

Multiple verb stacking

Verb + 来lái/去qù (purpose)

Coverbs

Comparison at a glance

Examples

In Context

Common mistakes

Related topics

Examples

Examples

Examples

Comparison at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Examples in context

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

References