是
shì
to be (am; is; are)
是
shì
to be (am; is; are)
FUNCTION
To make your first Chinese sentence, you’ll need the verb 是 (shì). It can be translated as “to be”, and it’s used to link nouns. The best news is — it never changes form!
You can use it to say “am” (“I am human”), “is” (“He is American”), or “are” (“Cats are animals”):
我是May。
Wǒ shì May.
I am May.
I am May.
我是美国人。
Wǒ shì měiguó rén.
I am American.
STRUCTURE
Subject + 是 + noun
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