zhongwen-obsidian/Verbal Units Functioning as Objects.md

Normally, we would expect a nominal (noun or pronoun) to appear in the object slot in a sentence:

我喜欢你

However, people don't only like objects, they can also like actions and events. Thus, 喜欢 may take a verb, a verb-object construction, or even a whole sentence as its object:

1. 我喜欢学习 I like studying
2. 我喜欢听音乐 I like listening to music
3. 我喜欢看中国电影 I like watching Chinese movies
4. 你喜欢喝什么茶？ What kind of tea do you like to drink?
5. 我喜欢去图书馆看书 I like to go the library to read books
6. 我不喜欢你吸烟 I don't like you smoking
7. 帕兰卡喜欢不喜欢穿裙子？ Does Palanka like to wear skirts?

Note that including a verb where possible is preferred in Chinese:

1. 我喜欢咖啡 I like coffee
2. 我喜欢喝咖啡 I like to drink coffee Whilst (1) would probably be more commonly used in English, (2) is preferred in Chinese.

Verbs other than 喜欢xǐhuan ("to like") can take a verbal object, including: 学xué (to learn), 想xiǎng (to think/want), and 要yào (to want):

1. 我学说，不学写。
2. 我学写汉字。
3. 我很想看中国电影。
4. 你想去哪儿喝咖啡？
5. 我要一杯咖啡。
6. 你要吃什么？