Use of 把

[deathtrap]

I understand the purpose of 把 but why would you use it? Why would you say 把咖啡喝 instead of 喝咖啡? (I hope that's right). Does it have a different flavor or add meaning to the phrase?

[renzhe]

It puts the stress on the object, as opposed to the subject.

Also, sometimes it's easier to construct more complex sentences by using it, like 她把孩子放在摇篮里. It would be cumbersome to say that without the 把 construction.

The meaning is the same, other than the slight change in emphasis.

[anonymoose]

Why would you say 把咖啡喝 instead of 喝咖啡?

You wouldn't say 把咖啡喝. It is incorrect, or at least incomplete.

The two do have a different meaning. 喝咖啡 just means "drink coffee", and emphasises this as an activity. So, for example, you could use it in response to the question, "What are you doing?".

把 on the other hand, is used to describe how something is dealt with or disposed of. In other words, it emphasises the result of the action. That is why one wouldn't say 把咖啡喝 on its own. Here, there is nothing saying what the result of 喝ing the 咖啡 is. If you want to say, "drink the coffee up" or "finish the coffee", then you could say 把咖啡喝完. This is an acceptable phrase, because now it is telling you about what happened to the coffee. The salient point here is the 完 - the result of 喝.

[aristotle1990]

Another option for what you want to say is 把咖啡喝了, the 了 being used to indicate completion of the action.

[Archie.]

I fully agree with renzhe and anomymoose.

What we are discussing is the usage of 把 as a preposition. In this situation, it is used before direct object followed by transitive verb.

把 + direct object + transitive verb + ....（consequence）

1.It can be used to stress the result of disposal : 把咖啡喝完. It sometimes contains a meaning that if you don't drink it up it would be waste.

2.It means making sth. happen: 你把她打哭了. I don't think there is sth. emphasized in this sentence, it simples means you beat her, then she cries.

3.It tells the result of actions. If your girlfriend is weeping, you can say 你把我的心都哭乱了