<p>我很高兴 + Clause is a common sentence structure. It means "I am glad that ... "</p>

<p>E.g. 我很高兴我能为您服务(wo hen gaoxing wo neng wei nin fuwu). I am glad that I can/could serve for you. It can be simplified as 很高兴为您服务(hen gaoxing wei nin fuwu).</p>

<p>More examples:</p>

<p>(我)很高兴您能来参加我们的婚礼。(wo) hen gaoxing nin neng lai can jia women de hunli. I am glad you are here to attend our wedding.</p>

<p>很高兴见到您。hen gaoxing jian dao nin. I am glad to see you.</p>

<p>很高兴看到你的进步。hen gaoxing kan dao nide jinbu. I am glad to see your progresses.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-15T16:52:19.530Z
2014-07-15T16:52:19.530Z
孤影萍踪
<p>The usual Verb-Object order depends a lot on the verb used in the sentence. </p>

<p>I don't see any unusual word order here. 服务 is a verb that requires preposition  为 to be used before an object. This verb is put after indirect object afterwards.</p>

<pre><code>我_I (Subject) 很_very 高兴_happy 为_to 你_you (Indirect Object) 服务_serve (Action).
</code></pre>

<p>Similar case:</p>

<pre><code>我_I (Subject) 很_very 高兴_happy 跟_with 你_you (Indirect Object) 结婚_marry (Action)
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-15T15:46:58.600Z
Do verbs with an indirect object always follow the pattern Preposition - Indirect Object - Verb? Or does it depend on the verb? Google translate just gives me *wo chi ta* for "I'm eating with him", instead of something like "I with him eat".
Jack M
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-15T15:53:22.837Z
Correct. I eat with him is `我 (和|跟) 他 吃饭`, same word order as in the examples above because `吃饭` is a separable (intransitive) verb. You just need to learn this.
tastyminerals
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-15T15:57:47.220Z
No, please go around saying *wo chi ta*!
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-17T13:44:45.560Z
@Jack 我吃他 _wô chī tā_ means “I eat him”. Don't trust Google Translate.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-18T22:16:08.497Z
@Jack Forgot to address your question here. Actual indirect objects are preposition-free and come between the verb and the object: 我给你钱 _wô gêi nî qián_ ‘I give you money’ (verbatim); 他偷我一本书 _tā tōu wô yì bên shū_ ‘He stole a book from me’ (lit. ‘He steal me one [quantifier] book’). The object in your example is not really an indirect object, just a peripheral pronoun in a prepositional phrase.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-15T15:36:13.577Z
2014-07-15T16:02:43.997Z
2014-07-15T16:02:43.997Z
tastyminerals
<p>The sentence 很高兴为您服务 (<em>hen gaoxing wei nin fuwu</em>) breaks down as:</p>

<pre><code>hen  |gaoxing |wei |nin |fuwu
very |glad    |to  |you |serve
</code></pre>

<p>But the usual word order in chinese is Subject Verb Object, and here the object (you) precedes the verb (to serve). Why is it not <em>hen gaoxing wei fuwu nin</em>?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-15T15:30:54.860Z
为 completely changes the order, no?
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-15T15:32:26.207Z
@user3306356 I can't read Chinese characters, I included them for the benefit of other people reading the question.
Jack M
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-17T13:47:43.483Z
You are misparsing the sentence. 为 _wèi_ is not ‘to’ as a clause/infinitive marker. It is a true preposition: in Chinese you serve _for_ someone; _fúwù_ is intransitive. Adverbial units like preposition + object appear between subject and verb in Chinese, so the structure is “[I - wô] [wèi nín - for you] [fúwù - serve]”.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-17T14:22:05.273Z
@JanusBahsJacquet Oh, I see. Thinking of "for you" as an adverb really helps me.
Jack M
<sentence-structure>
Why does the usual Verb-Object order seem to have been broken here (很高兴为您服务)?
# Why does the usual Verb-Object order seem to have been broken here (很高兴为您服务)?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-07-15)

The sentence 很高兴为您服务 (*hen gaoxing wei nin fuwu*) breaks down as:

```
hen  |gaoxing |wei |nin |fuwu
very |glad    |to  |you |serve

```

But the usual word order in chinese is Subject Verb Object, and here the object (you) precedes the verb (to serve). Why is it not *hen gaoxing wei fuwu nin*?

**Tags:** sentence-structure

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 为 completely changes the order, no?  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 I can't read Chinese characters, I included them for the benefit of other people reading the question.  
> **username_2**: You are misparsing the sentence. 为 _wèi_ is not ‘to’ as a clause/infinitive marker. It is a true preposition: in Chinese you serve _for_ someone; _fúwù_ is intransitive. Adverbial units like preposition + object appear between subject and verb in Chinese, so the structure is “[I - wô] [wèi nín - for you] [fúwù - serve]”.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 Oh, I see. Thinking of "for you" as an adverb really helps me.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-07-15. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

The usual Verb-Object order depends a lot on the verb used in the sentence.

I don't see any unusual word order here. 服务 is a verb that requires preposition 为 to be used before an object. This verb is put after indirect object afterwards.

```
我_I (Subject) 很_very 高兴_happy 为_to 你_you (Indirect Object) 服务_serve (Action).

```

Similar case:

```
我_I (Subject) 很_very 高兴_happy 跟_with 你_you (Indirect Object) 结婚_marry (Action)

```

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Do verbs with an indirect object always follow the pattern Preposition - Indirect Object - Verb? Or does it depend on the verb? Google translate just gives me *wo chi ta* for "I'm eating with him", instead of something like "I with him eat".  
> **username_4**: Correct. I eat with him is `我 (和|跟) 他 吃饭`, same word order as in the examples above because `吃饭` is a separable (intransitive) verb. You just need to learn this.  
> **username_1**: No, please go around saying *wo chi ta*!  
> **username_2**: @username_0 我吃他 _wô chī tā_ means “I eat him”. Don't trust Google Translate.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 Forgot to address your question here. Actual indirect objects are preposition-free and come between the verb and the object: 我给你钱 _wô gêi nî qián_ ‘I give you money’ (verbatim); 他偷我一本书 _tā tōu wô yì bên shū_ ‘He stole a book from me’ (lit. ‘He steal me one [quantifier] book’). The object in your example is not really an indirect object, just a peripheral pronoun in a prepositional phrase.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-07-15. Score: 0

我很高兴 + Clause is a common sentence structure. It means "I am glad that ... "

E.g. 我很高兴我能为您服务(wo hen gaoxing wo neng wei nin fuwu). I am glad that I can/could serve for you. It can be simplified as 很高兴为您服务(hen gaoxing wei nin fuwu).

More examples:

(我)很高兴您能来参加我们的婚礼。(wo) hen gaoxing nin neng lai can jia women de hunli. I am glad you are here to attend our wedding.

很高兴见到您。hen gaoxing jian dao nin. I am glad to see you.

很高兴看到你的进步。hen gaoxing kan dao nide jinbu. I am glad to see your progresses.


---

