和 and 跟: “and” between nouns
【一19】连词“和、跟”
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
Noun A + 和 / 跟 + Noun B
和 (hé) and 跟 (gēn, more colloquial) join two nouns or pronouns: 我和弟弟 (my younger brother and I), 爸爸跟妈妈 (Dad and Mom).
They're often followed by 都: 爸爸跟妈妈都不在家.
But they do not link two verbs or two clauses like English “and”! For “I'm tired and hungry”, just juxtapose or use 也: 我很累，也很饿.
In a list, put 和 only before the last item, with 、 (enumeration comma) between the others: 爸爸、妈妈和我.
Examples
我和弟弟都学习中文。
Wǒ hé dìdi dōu xuéxí Zhōngwén.My younger brother and I both study Chinese.
爸爸跟妈妈都不在家。
Bàba gēn māma dōu bú zài jiā.Neither Dad nor Mom is home.
我喜欢包子和面条儿。
Wǒ xǐhuan bāozi hé miàntiáor.I like steamed buns and noodles.
我家有爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和我。
Wǒ jiā yǒu bàba, māma, jiějie hé wǒ.My family is Dad, Mom, my older sister and me.
Common mistakes
✗ 我很忙和很累 → ✓ 我很忙，也很累.
✗ 我去商店和买水果 → ✓ 我去商店买水果.
✗ 他是学生和我是学生 → ✓ 他是学生，我也是学生.