Coordinating conjunction "and", “with”
A coordinating conjunction (联合连接词) is a conjunction that connects words, phrases, and clauses that are coordinate, or equal to each other.
和
The conjunction 和 
is often used in speaking and writing. It connects homogeneous nouns and pronouns:
我和你
爸爸和妈妈
is often used in speaking and writing. It connects homogeneous nouns and pronouns:
我和你
爸爸和妈妈 Pay attention
Homogeneous parts of a sentence are words which answer the same question, are connected with the same word in a sentence, and are mostly expressed with the same part of speech.
It’s often used in combination with the adverb 都 .
.
Examples
玻璃和水都折光
Both glass and water refract light
bōlí hé shuǐ dōu zhéguāng
If there are more than two homogeneous parts of a sentence, 和 is placed before the last part.
Examples
我喜欢喝水、茶和咖啡
I like to drink water, tea and coffee
wǒ xǐhuan hē shuǐ, chá hé kāfēi
Sometimes, but not often, 和 may connect homogeneous adjectives and verbs:
工作和学习
高和宽
高和宽
Pay attention
和 can’t connect parts of a compound sentence, and there is no comma before it.
跟
The conjunction 跟 connects two objects. It’s used before the verb to say that "A" is doing something together with "B".
It’s often used with the adverb 一起 .
connects two objects. It’s used before the verb to say that "A" is doing something together with "B".
It’s often used with the adverb 一起 .
Examples
他跟他叔叔一起做作业
He’s doing his homework with his uncle
tā gēn tā shūshu yìqĭ zuò zuòyè
我一直在想请你跟我们吃饭
I've been thinking about inviting you to dinner with us
wŏ yìzhí zài xiăng qĭng nĭ gēn wŏmen chīfàn
Pay attention
跟 can often be replaced with 和.
与, 同, 及
The conjunctions 与 and 同 are similar to 和. They connect nouns and pronouns, but they are only used in written speech.
and 同 are similar to 和. They connect nouns and pronouns, but they are only used in written speech.Examples
疾病与贫穷常常相伴而生
Sickness and poverty often go hand in hand
jíbìng yǔ pínqióng chángcháng xiāngbàn ér shēng
我同他在一起
He’s with mer (he and I are here together)
wǒ tóng tā zài yìqǐ
Pay attention
The conjunction 同 is mostly used in the South of China, including in Cantonese.
及 is also used in written speech, but it only connects nouns:
is also used in written speech, but it only connects nouns:Examples
工人、农民及知识分子
Workers, peasants and intellectuals
gōngrén, nóngmín jí zhīshì fēnzǐ
Learn more