# HSK 3 Separable Verbs (离合词): 放假, 见面, 结婚, 洗澡 Guide | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3-verbs-cf31d2b767 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-3-verbs-cf31d2b767 HSK levels: 3 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:22.922Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to use the four HSK 3 verb-object separable verbs 放假, 见面, 结婚, and 洗澡. Master splitting rules, aspect markers, and how to avoid object errors. Grammar [HSK 3 · Word classes › Verbs › Separable words](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3#hsk-3-g005) # HSK 3 Separable Verbs (离合词): 放假, 见面, 结婚, and 洗澡 In Chinese, verb-object separable verbs (动宾式离合词) act as single vocabulary units in basic statements, but separate when grammatical elements like aspect markers, duration phrases, or modifiers are added. This lesson covers the four core HSK 3 items in the syllabus outline: 放假 (to have a holiday), 见面 (to meet), 结婚 (to get married), and 洗澡 (to take a bath or shower). First syllable (verb part: 放 / 见 / 结 / 洗) Aspect marker (了 / 过 / 着) or resultative complement (e.g., 完) Second syllable (object part: 假 / 面 / 婚 / 澡) Example sentence 我们下个星期开始放假。 wǒmen xià gè xīngqī kāishǐ fàngjià. We start our holiday next week. Correct: 放假 stays together after the verb 开始 because no internal modifier or aspect marker is added. A common mistake × 我明天下午要见面他。 wǒ míngtiān xiàwǔ yào jiànmiàn tā. Intended: I am going to meet him tomorrow afternoon. Incorrect: 见面 is a verb-object separable word and cannot take an external object (他) directly after it. Replace with “我明天下午要跟他见面。”. Corrected example: 我明天下午要跟他见面。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What Are Verb-Object Separable Verbs? In the Level 3 grammar outline, Chinese verbs include a special subcategory called 动宾式离合词 (verb-object separable words), represented by four high-frequency items: 放假 (to have a holiday or vacation), 见面 (to meet), 结婚 (to marry or get married), and 洗澡 (to take a bath or shower). In English, these ideas are often expressed as single transitive verbs (such as "to meet someone" or "to marry someone") or fixed phrases. In Mandarin, however, each of these two-character words is built from an action verb syllable followed by an inner object syllable. - 放假 combines 放 (to release or let go) + 假 (holiday or leave). - 见面 combines 见 (to see) + 面 (face). - 结婚 combines 结 (to tie or form) + 婚 (marriage). - 洗澡 combines 洗 (to wash) + 澡 (bath). When you make a general, habitual, or future statement without measuring the action or attaching a verb suffix, the two syllables stay together just like an ordinary verb. 我们下个星期开始放假。 wǒmen xià gè xīngqī kāishǐ fàngjià. We start our holiday next week. Correct: 放假 stays together after the verb 开始 because no internal modifier or aspect marker is added. 弟弟每天晚上都洗澡。 dìdi měitiān wǎnshang dōu xǐzǎo. My younger brother takes a shower every evening. Correct: 洗澡 stays together as a single unit in a habitual statement. ## How and When to Split Separable Verbs When an aspect marker or result complement belongs to the verb component, put it after the first syllable: 见过面 and 洗完澡. A modifier of the object component can go before the second syllable, as in 洗个热水澡. Learn the pattern for the particular word; not every duration phrase has to split a separable verb. First syllable (verb part: 放 / 见 / 结 / 洗) Aspect marker (了 / 过 / 着) or resultative complement (e.g., 完) Second syllable (object part: 假 / 面 / 婚 / 澡) First syllable (verb part: 放 / 见 / 结 / 洗) Duration, frequency, measure word, or noun modifier Second syllable (object part: 假 / 面 / 婚 / 澡) This splitting rule applies across several everyday sentence patterns: - Aspect examples: 见过面 marks experience, while 放了假 marks a completed event. Whether 着 fits depends on the particular verb and the intended continuing situation; the three particles are not freely interchangeable. - Resultative complements (such as 完 for finishing an action): Place the complement immediately after the first syllable, as in 洗完澡 (finish taking a shower). - Duration and action counts can go inside the word, as in 放了两个月假 and 见过两次面. Other patterns place duration after the whole word, as in 结婚三年了; the choice depends on the word and meaning. - Measure words and nominal modifiers: To specify "a hot bath," insert 个热水 between 洗 and 澡. 今年夏天我们放了两个月假。 jīnnián xiàtiān wǒmen fàng le liǎng gè yuè jià. This summer we had a two-month holiday. Correct: The aspect marker 了 and the duration 两个月 are placed between 放 and 假. 我以前跟那位老师见过两次面。 wǒ yǐqián gēn nà wèi lǎoshī jiàn guo liǎng cì miàn. I have met with that teacher twice before. Correct: The experiential marker 过 and frequency 两次 go between 见 and 面, while the partner is introduced with 跟. 我姐姐已经结了三年婚了。 wǒ jiějie yǐjīng jié le sān nián hūn le. My older sister has already been married for three years. Correct: The duration 三年 is inserted between 结 and 婚 to express how long she has been married. 累了一天，我想洗个热水澡。 lèi le yī tiān, wǒ xiǎng xǐ gè rèshuǐ zǎo. Tired after a whole day, I want to take a hot bath. Correct: The measure word 个 and modifier 热水 are inserted before the noun syllable 澡. 他洗完澡就去睡觉了。 tā xǐ wán zǎo jiù qù shuìjiào le. He went to sleep right after he finished taking a shower. Correct: The resultative complement 完 attaches directly to the verb syllable 洗. Sentence-final 了 can follow the whole word: 他们结婚了 and 我们放假了 are natural. Adding a duration does not automatically force 了 inside: 她结婚三年了 is also natural. Compare this with the internal pattern 她结了三年婚了. Keep the intended meaning and the construction together. ## Adding People to 见面 and 结婚: A Common Learner Error For the ordinary meanings “meet someone” and “marry someone,” do not put the person immediately after the whole word 见面 or 结婚. Say 跟他见面 or 和她结婚. This is a usage rule for these words, not a claim that every Chinese verb-object compound behaves identically. Preposition (跟 / 和) Person or partner involved First syllable (verb part: 放 / 见 / 结 / 洗) Second syllable (object part: 假 / 面 / 婚 / 澡) To mention the person you are meeting or marrying, introduce them before the verb using a preposition such as 跟 (gēn) or 和 (hé), meaning "with." × 我明天下午要见面他。 wǒ míngtiān xiàwǔ yào jiànmiàn tā. Intended: I am going to meet him tomorrow afternoon. Incorrect: 见面 is a verb-object separable word and cannot take an external object (他) directly after it. Replace with “我明天下午要跟他见面。”. Corrected example: 我明天下午要跟他见面。 我明天下午要跟他见面。 wǒ míngtiān xiàwǔ yào gēn tā jiànmiàn. I am going to meet with him tomorrow afternoon. Correct replacement for “我明天下午要见面他。”: Use the preposition 跟 before the person (他) and place 见面 after it. 林先生上个月和王小姐结婚了。 Lín xiānsheng shàng gè yuè hé Wáng xiǎojiě jiéhūn le. Mr. Lin married Miss Wang last month. Correct: The partner (王小姐) is introduced with 和 before 结婚, while sentence-final 了 marks the change of state. ## Useful Contrasts and Reduplication Limits Not every two-character verb is a separable verb, and even within these four words, their individual meanings limit which patterns make sense in real life. First syllable (verb part: 放 / 见 / 结 / 洗) First syllable (verb part: 放 / 见 / 结 / 洗) Second syllable (object part: 假 / 面 / 婚 / 澡) - 见 can take a person as its direct object: 见朋友. With 见面, a separately named meeting partner is normally introduced before the verb, for example 跟朋友见面 or 和朋友见面. A plural subject can already name both partners: 我们明天见面. - Reduplication (AAB pattern): When verb-object separable verbs are reduplicated to sound casual or brief, only the first verb syllable repeats (V + V + O). This works naturally for everyday repeatable actions like 见见面 (meet up briefly) and 洗洗澡 (take a quick bath/shower). By contrast, because 结婚 refers to a formal change of marital status and 放假 refers to an institutional schedule, speakers do not normally reduplicate 结婚 or 放假 in standard usage. - Duration meaning with 结婚: Saying 结了三年婚 means "have been married for three years" (measuring the time elapsed since the wedding), not that the wedding ceremony lasted three years. ## Frequently asked questions **If 离合词 split for 了, why do native speakers say 他们结婚了 or 我们放假了?** Sentence-final 了 can follow the whole word in 他们结婚了 or 我们放假了 to present a completed event or new situation. Internal patterns include 放了三天假 and 结了三年婚. Duration can also follow the whole word, as in 她结婚三年了. Do not treat every final 了 as incorrectly placed. **Can I just say 我明天见他 instead of 我明天跟他见面?** Yes. 见 is transitive, so 我明天见他 is natural. With 见面, introduce a separately named partner before the verb: 我明天跟他见面. If the subject already includes both people, 我们明天见面 needs no separate partner phrase. **Does learning these four words cover all separable verbs in Chinese?** No. Chinese has many verb-object separable verbs across different proficiency levels. The supplied Level 3 grammar outline specifically highlights 放假, 见面, 结婚, and 洗澡 as the representative verb-object separable verbs at this stage, and the same core rules for splitting and adding prepositions apply to many other verb-object compounds you will encounter later. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 392](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=392) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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