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Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒmen míngtiān zuò fēijī qù. - We are going by airplane tomorrow.

Hardcore Chinese
/Checking into a hotel
/wǒmen míngtiān zuò fēijī qù.

wǒmen míngtiān zuò fēijī qù.

我们wǒmen　明天míngtiān　坐zuò　飞机fēijī　去qù。wǒmen míngtiān zuò fēijī qù.

We are going by airplane tomorrow.

Breakdown of wǒmen míngtiān zuò fēijī qù.

我们wǒmenwǒmen

明天míngtiānmíngtiān

to take (transport)

Questions & Answers about wǒmen míngtiān zuò fēijī qù.

Why is 明天 placed after 我们 instead of at the end like in English?

Mandarin usually puts time expressions near the beginning of the sentence, often after the subject and before the main verb.

So:

我们明天坐飞机去。
literally: We tomorrow take-plane go.

A very common pattern is:

Subject + Time + Verb Phrase

You can also sometimes put the time at the very start for emphasis:

明天我们坐飞机去。

Both are natural.

Why are there two verbs, 坐 and 去, in one sentence?

This is a very common Mandarin pattern called a serial verb construction. Mandarin often uses two verb phrases in sequence without needing extra words like and, to, or by.

Here:

坐飞机 = take a plane / go by plane
去 = go

So the sentence is structurally like:

We + tomorrow + take a plane + go

The first verb phrase tells you the means of travel, and the second verb gives the main action/direction.

Why is 坐 used with 飞机? Doesn’t 坐 mean to sit?

飞机fēijīfēijī

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Yes, 坐 literally means to sit, but in Mandarin it is also commonly used for taking a form of transportation.

For example:

坐飞机 = go by plane / take a plane
坐火车 = take the train
坐公交车 = take the bus
坐地铁 = take the subway

So in travel contexts, 坐 often works like take in English.

Is there a word in Chinese that means by, as in by plane?

Usually, no separate word is needed here. English says by plane, but Mandarin commonly uses a verb phrase instead:

坐飞机 = go by plane
坐火车 = go by train

So instead of adding a preposition like by, Mandarin often expresses the idea through the verb 坐 plus the vehicle.

Why doesn’t the sentence say where we are going? Can 去 appear without a destination?

Yes. 去 can be used without naming the destination when the destination is already understood from context or is not important.

So:

我们明天坐飞机去。

can mean something like:

We’re going by plane tomorrow.

The focus is on how you are going, not where.

If you want to include a destination, you can add it:

我们明天坐飞机去北京。
We’re flying to Beijing tomorrow.

Can I say 我们明天去坐飞机 instead?

You can say it, but it usually means something different.

我们明天坐飞机去。 = We’re going by plane tomorrow.
我们明天去坐飞机。 = more like We’re going to take a plane tomorrow or We’re going in order to ride a plane, which sounds less direct for ordinary travel.

For normal travel, 坐飞机去 is the more natural pattern when you want to say go by plane.

Do I need a measure word before 飞机?

No. In this sentence, 飞机 is not being counted. It is just part of the verb phrase 坐飞机.

You only need a measure word when you are specifying a number or something similar, for example:

一架飞机 = one airplane

But here you are not saying a plane in the counting sense. You are saying travel by plane, so no measure word is used.

Could I replace 坐 with another word?

Yes. Other verbs can be used for transportation, depending on style and region.

Common alternatives include:

乘飞机 = take a plane
搭飞机 = take a plane

So these are also natural:

我们明天乘飞机去。
我们明天搭飞机去。

But 坐飞机 is extremely common and very natural for learners to use.

What is the basic word order of this sentence?

A useful way to analyze it is:

我们 / 明天 / 坐飞机 / 去
Subject / Time / Means of travel / Main verb

So the sentence follows a common Mandarin order:

Subject + Time + Method/Instrument + Main Action

This is one reason Mandarin can feel different from English: details like when and how often come before the main verb or before the end of the sentence.

Why is 我们 used instead of 咱们?

我们 means we/us in a general way. It is the standard, neutral choice.

咱们 also means we/us, but it often has a more inclusive feeling, like you and I / all of us together, and it is more conversational.

So:

我们明天坐飞机去。 = neutral We’re going by plane tomorrow.
咱们明天坐飞机去。 = We’re going by plane tomorrow, okay? with a more inclusive or friendly tone

In most textbook-style examples, 我们 is the safest default.

How is 我们 pronounced? Is 们 a full tone?

In 我们 (wǒmen), the second syllable 们 is usually pronounced with a neutral tone, not a strong full tone.

So it sounds like:

wǒmen

not

wǒmén

This is very common with plural marker 们 after pronouns:

我们
你们
他们

Is this sentence complete even though it feels short?

Yes, it is completely natural and complete in Mandarin.

Mandarin often leaves out information that is obvious from context, especially things like:

the destination
extra linking words
articles like a or the

So even though the sentence is short, it clearly communicates:

We are going by plane tomorrow.

That kind of compactness is very normal in Chinese.

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