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    Chinese Grammar

    Using 车 (chē) to say "car" or "vehicle"

    Topic & Focus

    Structure

    Verb + 了 + 车

    Explanation

    车 (chē) is one of the most frequently used nouns in Chinese, meaning "car," "vehicle," or "cart." It appears in many compounds and is often paired with verbs of motion. For example, 下了车 means "got out of the car."

    Examples

    • 我每天开车去上班。

      Wǒ měi tiān kāi chē qù shàngbān.

      I drive to work every day.

    • 他刚下了车就开始下雨了。

      Tā gāng xià le chē jiù kāishǐ xià yǔ le.

      He had just gotten out of the car when it started raining.

    • 路上的车太多了，我们走路去吧。

      Lù shàng de chē tài duō le, wǒmen zǒu lù qù ba.

      There are too many cars on the road; let's walk instead.