Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 和 AND 跟?
In Chinese, 和 (hé) and 跟 (gēn) are both ubiquitous words that will help complete many other sentence structures.
The two words have related meanings and functions, but they’re used quite differently.
“AND” WITH 和
In most cases, 和 (hé) can be translated to “and” in English.
But notice 和 (hé) isn’t a word you can use to translate just any usage of the English word “and.” 和 (hé) can only be used to link nouns in sentences.
PATTERN
Noun 1 + 和 + Noun 2
“WITH” WITH 跟
跟 (gēn) is usually introduced as meaning “with” and is often used to link the subject and other people.
PATTERN
Subject + 跟 + Person + Verb + Object
WHERE 和 & 跟 DIFFER
As you can tell, 跟 (gēn) is interchangeable with 和 (hé) in most cases. They can both mean “and” or “with,” and link nouns. For instance:
| ✅ | ✅ |
|---|---|
|
昨天我和他一起吃饭
zuó tiān wǒ hé tā yī qǐ chī fàn |
昨天我跟他一起吃饭
zuó tiān wǒ gēn tā yī qǐ chī fàn |
In this case, 跟 (gēn) and 和 (hé) can be used interchangeably as each one of them means “and” or “with”.
However, the word 跟 (gēn) has a sense of “to follow” embedded in it while 和 (hé) doesn’t. Here is when they’re different:
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
|
和我读
hé wǒ dú |
跟我读
gēn wǒ dú |
Because of this slight difference between 跟 (gēn) and 和 (hé), it’s recommended to start out using 跟 (gēn) to mean “with” as beginners.
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FAQs
What’s the difference between 和 and 跟?
和 is used like the English word “and” to link nouns. 跟 is used like the English word “with” and usually links people.
What is the pinyin of 和 and 跟?
和 is pronounced hé.
跟 is pronounced gēn.
Are 和 and 跟 always interchangeable?
和 and 跟 are sometimes interchangeable, but not always. 跟 has a sense of “to follow” embedded in it, while 和 doesn’t. So, you can’t use 和 when you want to express the feeling of following.
What are some sentences with 和 and 跟?
-昨天我和他一起吃饭。zuó tiān wǒ hé tā yī qǐ chī fàn
-汉堡和薯条都很好吃。hàn bǎo hé shǔ tiáo dōu hěn hǎo chī
-昨天和今天都是晴天。zuó tiān hé jīn tiān dōu shì qíng tiān
-我明天要跟朋友去玩。wǒ míng tiān yào gēn péng yǒu qù wán
-你什么时候跟你女朋友结婚？nǐ shí me shí hòu gēn nǐ nǚ péng yǒu jié hūn
-下午我要跟同事一起开会。xià wǔ wǒ yào gēn tóng shì yī qǐ kāi huì
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