把
bǎ
Using "ba" sentences
把 moves the object in front of the verb, to talk about what was done to it — and the verb must say what happened to it.
Subj. + 把 + Obj. + Verb + Extra
How it works
我把书看完了 — I finished reading the book. The object 书 jumps ahead of the verb, marked by 把.
The requirement people forget: the verb can't stand bare. Something must follow it — a complement, a 了, a direction, a place. 我把书看 is not a sentence.
把 is for disposal: the object must be specific and something actually happens to it. You cannot 把 a verb of perception or emotion.
Examples
wǒ bǎ shū kàn wán le
我把书看完了。
I finished reading the book.
qǐng bǎ mén guān shàng
请把门关上。
Please close the door.
tā bǎ qián fàng zài zhuō zi shàng le
他把钱放在桌子上了。
He put the money on the table.
Common mistakes
- The verb in a 把 sentence always needs something after it.