Numbers 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

When 一 is used as an independent number or as part of a series of numbers, it is pronounced with a high tone yī. When 一 is followed by a falling tone (4th tone) yì it turns into a rising (2nd tone) yí. Lastly, when it is followed by any other tone, it becomes a falling 4th tone yì.

Name 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Personal Pronouns

Similar to English, personal pronouns in Chinese substitute regular nouns to avoid repeating the same word for many times. In English, personal pronouns for subject and object may be different, such as, “I” for the subject and “me” for the object. Please note that personal pronouns remain the same for subject and object in Chinese.

Introduce Your Name

Chinese sentences and English sentences have a very similar word order. When it comes to statements, for both, you generally have the subject (who is performing the action), followed by the verb (what that person or thing is doing), and lastly the object (what is receiving the action). You can use the pattern “subject + 叫 + name” as your first practice. 叫 jiào means “to call/name” or “to be called/named” and is commonly used to introduce names.

To ask about surname (family name/last name) in particular, you can use 姓 xìng which means “to be surnamed” in a similar pattern with 叫.

What

The word order for questions in Chinese is the same as statements. You only need to replace the part you want to question about with a question word. The question word for “what” in Chinese is 什么 shénme. You can use “subject + verb + 什么 + (noun)?” pattern. The noun at the end is an option to make the question more specific.

What about...?

呢 ne is placed at the end of a sentence to ask “how about…?/what about…?”. It is normally used as a return sentence after being asked the same question.

Greeting 2 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

When we want to describe something we don’t use the verb “to be”, we have to put something else before an adjective. The most common word used to do this is 很 hěn, which literally means very. It goes between the subject (who or what we are describing) and the adjective (what we are describing it as). Since 很 is used so often like this, it oftentimes doesn’t mean “very”, just a link between a noun and an adjective.

*Pinyin in brackets is the actual pronunciation as a result of the change of tone.

The word for “also” or “too” is much less flexible in Chinese than in English. It must always come after the subject and before the verb.

也 can also be used in the phrase "If X is... then Y is (also) ..." Here we don't need to use 很.

Food 1 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Chinese sentences and English sentences have a very similar word order. For both, you generally have the subject (who is performing the action), followed by the verb (what that person or thing is doing), and lastly the object (what is receiving the action).

To negate a sentence, you simply add the word 不 bù (no) before the verb. Simple!

Another thing to note about 不 is that when we want to say “I am not happy” or “I am not tall”, we don’t need the 很 anymore. 我很高兴 -> 我不高兴 (not 我不很高兴)

Note: You can say 我很不高兴, which is similar to saying “I am very not happy” i.e. “I am very unhappy.”

我吃饭。

In Mandarin Chinese, there are a lot of verbs that generally cannot be used without an object. The verb 'to eat', 吃 chī, is one of these. In order to say "I eat" or "I am eating" in Chinese, you have to include what is being eaten, you cannot use 吃 just by itself.

The most common object people will use for the verb 'to eat' is rice, 饭 fàn, since in China it is eaten with almost every meal.

面

The word "noodles" is also in this skill. Chinese nouns don't show singular or plural in the same way that English words do. To specify if a word is plural or not, you have to use a number or another word (some, a few, etc.). The sentence 你吃面 nǐ chī miàn will translate as "You eat noodles" because it would be a bit odd to just eat a single noodle.

Occupation 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

When we want to say that something is something, we use the word 是 shì, which is the verb “to be”. This is only when talking about two nouns or a pronoun and a noun. Remember to use 很 hěn when describing what something is like using an adjective.

Yes/No Questions

Asking yes/no questions in Chinese is very simple, all you need to do is add 吗 ma (neutral tone) to the end! 吗 doesn’t really have any direct translation in English, you can think of it as a sort of question mark that you also say out loud. Also, when you add 吗, you no longer need to add 很 to mean “to be.”

们

Contact 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

If you want to express possession, saying that someone/something belongs to someone/something else, the word 的 de (neutral tone) is used to connect the two elements. You can think of 的 as similar to adding "‘s" in English, so “A 的 B” is equivalent to “A’s B”. “A” can be a noun or a pronoun, but “B” is nearly always a noun.

Nationality 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Which

In Chinese, when talking about how many of something there are, we don’t just add the number before the word, but also put something in between the number and the noun to classify it. The same thing also happens with words like “this” or “that” (demonstrative pronouns). We do something similar in English but to a much lesser degree. A few examples are “a plate of spaghetti,” “a bowl of rice,” “a bottle of water,” “a pack of dogs,” etc.

哪 nǎ combined with other words can be used to ask “where” and “which” questions. The pattern “哪 + measure word + noun” serves to ask “which…”.

*个is used for people and objects in general

Both/All

The word 都 dōu can be translated as either "both" or "all" in English. Different from English, you should always place 都 after the subject, following the pattern “subject + 都 + verb”.

*和 means “and”.

Greeting 3 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

You learned about the pattern "subject + adverb + adjective", such as 我很高兴 (I am happy). You also learned about that to negate a verb, you can simply place 不 before it. Similarly, to negate an adjective, one pattern is "subject + 不 + adjective", such as 我不高兴 (I am not happy).

Location 1 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Chinese has a specific word to talk about where someone or something is located. This word is 在, and it means to be at or located in.

*When 不 bù is followed by a 4th tone word, it becomes bú. There is no exception to this rule.

在 can also be added after certain verbs to say where the action is taking place. The most common verb is 住 zhù (to live):

Travel 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

离

离 lí is the character you need to describe the distance between two places. 离 always shows up with 远 yuǎn(far) and 近 jìn(close) if the distances are not exact numbers.

In English, we say “place A is far from or close to place B”. In Chinese, 离 plays similar role to “from”, placed before the starting point (place B). The pattern is “place A + 离 + place B + adverb + 远/近“”.

离 VS 从

离 and 从 cóng are similar to each other since they both mean “from”. Please be aware that 离 is used to illustrate the fixed and static distance between two places and their order doesn’t influence the whole sentence. While 从 is in sentences with certain movements and is placed before the starting point of the action, emphasizing the direction.

Family 1 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Measure Word 个 gè

In Chinese, when talking about how many of something there are, we don’t just add the number before the word, but also put something in between the number and the noun to classify it. The same thing also happens with words like “this” or “that” (demonstrative pronouns).

We do something similar in English, but to a much lesser degree. A few examples are “a plate of spaghetti,” “a bowl of rice,” “a bottle of water,” “a pack of dogs,” etc. In Chinese, you need to use a measure word whenever you use 这 (this), 那 (that), or a number. The most common word used is 个, which is used for people and objects in general. We will look at other measure words later in the course.

Also remember that 一个 is pronounced yí ge (一 has a rising tone), rather than yī ge.

Family Members

Chinese is much more specific about family relationships. In English, we talk about our brothers and sisters without knowing whether they are older or younger than us. In Chinese, there are specific words for older brother and younger brother, and the same goes for “sister.”

For people that you have a close relationship with (e.g. family), and for institutions and organization you are involved with (e.g. work, school), you can choose to leave out the 的, but this only happens with pronouns.

But...

没有

Although 不 bù is used to negate every other verb, there is one exception: 有 yǒu, to have. To say someone does not have something, you do not use 不 bù, instead, you use 没 méi. So "I do not have a telephone" translates as 我没有电话.

Greeting 4 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

The Most...

You can place 最 before all adjectives to form the superlative adjectives (the most, the worst, the biggest, etc.).

Drink 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Want

The verb 要 yào has many uses. One function is to indicate "wanting something". You should follow the pattern "subject + 要 + object". To negate this wanting, you can simply place 不 before 要.

You can also use 要 to express "wanting to do something" via the pattern "subject + 要 + verb".

Time 1 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Days of the Week and Months

Days of the week and months are very simple to express. For weeks, you simply add the number (Monday = 1, Tuesday = 2, Wednesday = 3, etc.) after the word 星期 Xīngqī (week) to get the day of the week. The only exception is Sunday, where we add 天 tiān or 日 rì.

With months it’s the same, only you add the number before 月 yuè (month).

几

Chinese has two words for asking “How much?”: 多少 duōshǎo and 几 jǐ. We learned about 多少 when learning how to ask for telephone numbers. 多少 is generally used to ask about larger numbers, whereas 几 is generally used for smaller numbers when it is assumed that the answer will be under ten. The exception to this is dates and hours of the day, where we know there are 12 months and hours and up to 31 days in a month, but we still use 几.

We place 几 right where the number would go.

Chinese dates

Chinese dates (and addresses) start from biggest to smallest. When saying dates, you start with the year followed by the month and finally the day of the month. Years are also very easy to say, rather than saying “two thousand and seventeen” or “twenty seventeen”, you just say each number individually followed by 年 (year). Thus 2017 would be 二零一七年: èr líng yī qī nián.

Telephone 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

得

In Chinese, if you want to describe the degree or the condition of an action, you can add 得 de (neutral tone) and an adjective phrase to it (what you are describing the subject as). The phrase after 得 serves to further illustrate how the action is and what consequence it brings about.

People 1 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Previously, you learned about the “verb + 不 + verb” pattern to ask yes or no questions. In fact, this pattern also applies to adjectives.

The same thing happens to adjectives with two or more characters where you can choose to only repeat the first character or both characters, though it sounds more natural to only repeat the first character.

Restaurant 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Want to do

Previously, you learned about “要 yào + something” to express "wanting something". To say "wanting to do", simply put the verb after 要. “要 + verb + object” can also indicate "be going to do" when the sentence has a time word.

To negate "wanting to do" something, you can just put 不 before 要. You should replace 要 with 不 to show "not going to do" something.

The Brief Action

The structure “verb + 一下 yī[yí]xià” indicates that the action is conducted in a brief manner. Apart from creating a sense of "a little bit" of an action, this pattern also softens the overall tone and makes Chinese sentences more natural. Other patterns with similar use will be introduced later.

几

When asking small numbers, you should use the word 几 jǐ. Importantly, an appropriate measure word should follow 几. The complete pattern is “几 + measure word + (number)”.

*只 zhī is one of the measure words to describe animals.

Greeting 1 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

There are four main tones and one neutral tone in Mandarin Chinese to distinguish words and grammatical uses.

Sometimes Chinese tones change based on the tone that follows it. There are three main places where you will see this: with all 3rd tones (low then rising tones), with the character 一 yī (1/one), and with the character 不 bù (no, not). Here we’ll take a quick look at how the 3rd tone changes.

There are two main rules for how to pronounce the 3rd tone: When you have two 3rd tones together, the first one becomes a 2nd tone (rising tone). When you have a 3rd tone followed by any other non-3rd tone syllable, it only lowers, it doesn’t rise at the end.

Dining 1 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

还是

There are different ways to say “or” in Chinese. When you want the person to choose between one or the either, you can use the structure “A + 还是 háishì + B” in a question. Notice that there is no need for the 吗 at the end because 还是 implies a question. It can also be used in statements when there is a question implied. Normally the phrase is after “subject + verb”.

Transportation 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

The original meaning of 坐 zuò is "to sit". It can also refer to the action of taking a certain vehicle since people normally sit in the bus, train, and place, to name a few. You have learned about "去 + place" to show "going to a place".

"坐 + vehicle + 去 + place" simply means to take some vehicle to somewhere.

May

Placing before verbs, 可以 kě[ké]yǐ is used to show the permission to carry out actions, similar to "may" "can (permission not ability)" in English. To negate the permission, you can simply use 不可以 (can't).

Languages 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

A Little Bit

一点儿 yī[yì]diǎnr (一点 in southern China) literally means "a little bit". Different from 有点儿 placed before unpleasant adjectives, "adjective + 一点儿" is used to express "a little bit more of a condition". "verb + 一点儿 + object" indicates that the action is conducted on a little bit of the object. You can use it for comparison and show the speaker's expectation. 一 can be dropped.

Phrases 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Again (future)

The word 再 zài means "again", indicating something will happen again in the future. One common pattern is "再 + verb + number + measure word". This pattern is always used to make requests and orders.

Existence 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

没有

In addition to expressing the negation of actions in the past, 没有 can also be placed after a location to show that something does not exist there. Digging a little deeper, you might notice that 没 is used to negate 有, the verb for both “to have” and “there is/are”. Normally present actions are negated with 不, but 有 is an exception. 没有 and 没 are both commonly used.

Family 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

To ask yes or no questions, you have learned that you can put 吗 at the end of the sentence. Alternatively, you can repeat the verb and connect the two parts by 不. Of course, the answer to such questions can be “yes” or “no”. Please note there is no specific word for “yes” or “no” in Chinese. The shortest answer for “yes” is to reply with the verb, and that for “no” is the pattern “不 + verb”.

Basically, the two ways of questioning can be safely interchanged. If you use the "verb + 不 + verb" pattern, you should not put 吗 at the end of the question.

When it comes to words with two or more characters, in the first part, you can just say the first character (of course you can say the whole, though it sounds less natural), as in these cases:

Invitation 2 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

正在

Apart from referring to locations, 在 can also be seen before verbs to show actions in progress. 正在 can also express something is happening. However, slightly different from 在, 正在 emphasizes that the action is in progress RIGHT NOW.

Time 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

了

In Chinese, 了 le (neutral tone) is a commonly seen character with many uses. Here, 了 is used to show the completion of an action. To make a verb or a verb phrase indicate completeness, you just need to add 了 after it. So you can finally express past tense actions! Keep in mind, however, that you can also see this in sentences about the future when 了 is showing that one action was completed before another.

会

会 huì can be used to indicate future tense. Simply place it before the verb or adjective and it will place the context of the sentence into the future. To say “won’t”, you can use 不会 bù[bú] huì. In many cases, you can also find “next year”, “tomorrow”, and other words referring to the future in the sentence with 会.

Sentence Structure: Time Word

Time words such as today, tomorrow, and yesterday usually come after the subject but before the verb. You can also see them come before the subject, but never after the verb.

Location 3 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Left and Right

左 zuǒ means being left and 右 yòu means being right. The pattern “A + 在 +B + 的 + 左/右边 biān” simply indicates literal translation: A is on B's left/right side. 的 can be omitted in this structure.

Please note that 在 is used to describe the location in relation to the other object. You have to add 边 (side) after 左/右 when making a sentence. Similarly, to say "A is next to B", you can use the word “旁páng边”.

Front and Behind

前 qián refers to being front while 后 hòu means being behind. To make a sentence indicating A is in the front of/behind B, you have to use 前面 miàn/后面. You can use the pattern “A + 在 +B + 的 + 前/后面”.

How...

怎么 (zěnme) means "how". By simply putting 怎么 before verbs, you can create questions to ask how to do something. The subject is not always necessary for this sentence pattern.

到 + Place

You can place the “到 + place” pattern to indicate "to arrive". Please note that “去 + place” emphasizes going to a place while “到 + place” is for arriving at a place.

You can put this pattern before “怎么 + verb” to ask how to get to a place.

Where

The first use of 哪 is to ask "which" questions in the form of “哪个”. 哪里 serves to create “where” questions or to ask about places. It follows the regular rule for the question sentences, replacing the part being asked about. One common pattern is “subject + verb + 哪里？”.

Hobbies 1 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

在

When a verb phrase comes after 在 zài, instead of referring to a location, 在 indicates that the action is happening now. You can use 在 in sentences with a vague time that goes beyond the current moment.

Daily Routine 1 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

The "from...to..." structure in Chinese is “从 cóng…到 dào…”. It can be used for both times and locations. 从 is followed by the starting point and 到 leads the ending point.

To describe everyday routine, you can use the pattern "someone + 每天 (every day) + time 1 + 到 + time 2 + action". Please note that you can place 每天 before the subject.

Payment 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

多少

You learned about 多少 duōshǎo when learning how to ask for people’s phone number. 多少 can also be used to ask “how much” or “how many.” While 几 is used to ask about smaller numbers, 多少 is generally used to ask about numbers when we expect the answer to be larger, generally over ten. The pattern for asking about quantity is “多少 + measure word + noun”.

And to ask “How much does it cost?” or “How much is it?” in Chinese, you can ask “subject + 多少钱？”. 钱 means money and the literal meaning of 多少钱 is “how much money”.

Read Numbers

To read numbers for quantity in Chinese, similar to English, you can spell them out as number + digit name (thousand, hundred, etc.) + number + digit name. For the numbers 11 through 19, instead of saying 一十一, 一十二, you can omit the leading 一 and say 十一, 十二, etc. When reading a number that is not followed by any measure word, the trailing zero(s) can be omitted. However, you should also spell out the zeros before the unit position. Zero in Chinese is 零 líng.

Entertainment 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

在

When you talk about where something takes place, we use the phrase “在 + location”, which goes after the subject but before the verb.

Location 4 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

To describe a more specific location in Chinese, you can use the structure “在 + location + 里 lǐ (inside) / 外 wài (outside) / 上 shàng (on) / 下 xià (under)”.

Celebration 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

White Wine and Chinese Spirits

While 红酒 hóngjiǔ only means red wine, 白酒 has two meanings. When there is no specific context, 白酒 báijiǔ refers to Chinese spirits that are made from fermented cereals (sorghum, maize, etc.). White wine distilled from grapes is called 白葡萄酒 bái pútáo jiǔ.

You can also use 白酒 to describe white wine within particular contexts. For example, if the sentence mentions "Italy" where people may drink white wine more often than Chinese spirits, you can use 白酒 to indicate white wine and make the sentence less clumsy.

As Soon As...

The very popular structure "subject + 一 + event A, 就 + event B" is used to describe that as soon as event A has taken the place, event B would happen immediately. As usual, you can drop the second one. You can have two different subjects in this pattern.

Supermarket 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

给

You can follow the English pattern using the verb 给 gěi (to give) to indicate the action of passing things to someone. The verb 给 by its own is used similarly to how we say “here” or “here you are” when handing something to someone. The pattern is “给 +the recipient + something”. You can also start the sentence with 请 to show your politeness and respect.

Hobbies 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Why

To ask "why" questions, you can start by making a regular statement sentence, then place 为什么 wèishénme(why) after the subject. 为 means "for", 什么 means "what", so that 为什么 literally stands for "for what". Please follow the pattern "subject + 为什么 + description of the subject's action".

To Go to

The word 去 qù can indicate the action of going to a certain place. "subject + 去 + place" is among the most commonly used construction. In many cases, you can put 要 before 去 to express "going to" or "wanting to go" someplace in the future.

Cause and Effect

因为 yīnwèi is used to introduce causes, while 所以 suǒyǐ is followed by effects and results. You can use "因为 + reason/cause, 所以 + effect/result" pattern to make a very logical explanation of "because A, so B".

In informal settings, similar to English, you can choose to use either 因为 or 所以 in a sentence. Please note that, if you only want to keep 因为, the sentence should follow the result, 因为 + cause/reason" structure.

Family 3 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

For people that you have a close relationship with (e.g. family), and for institutions and organization you are involved with (e.g. work, school), you can choose to leave out the 的, but this only happens with pronouns.

Health 1 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

A Little Bit (negative)

有一点儿/有点儿 yǒu[yóu]diǎnr is used to make a complaint in a very polite manner and indicates "a little bit too much of a certain feeling". When you use the pattern "subject + 有点儿 + adjective", please be aware that you should choose adjectives with unpleasant meanings. In southern China, 儿 can be dropped.

Don't Do That!

Apart from expressing "not wanting something", 不要 bù[bú]yào is also popularly used to command someone not to do something. You can drop the subject (the command recipient) and directly use the structure "不要 + verb".

Starting from (time)

从 cóng refers to "from" in English and 开始 kāishǐ means "to start". "从 + starting time + 开始" can be placed before the subject or between subject and verb to show that starting from a certain point of time, some action will take place.

*了 here indicates that there is a new condition (I used to watch TV, but starting from this weekend, I will not watch it anymore.)

Each/Every

Previously, you learned about 每天 měitiān (every day) where 每 means "each/every". 每 is normally used in the pattern "每 + measure word + noun + 都 + action/description". Here, 都 dōu refers to "all". Sounds unnatural in English as it is (having both "every" and "all"), 都 serves to emphasize the quantity in a sentence.

Please note that, 天 itself is a measure word so that there is no need to place an extra measure word between 每 and 天.

Location 5 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Between

中间 zhōngjiān means middle. "Between A and B" is described in Chinese as "在A和B（的）中间". You can also use "在A（的）中间" to express "in the middle of A".

Shopping 1 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

没有

Previously, you learned that to express negation in Chinese, one can add 不 before the verb. However, this construction is for negating present actions and habits. The actions in the past should be negated with 没有 méiyǒu. Both “没有 + verb” and “没 + verb” are commonly used.

Double Verbs

Chinese people repeat the same verb twice in a sentence to create an easygoing tone, indicating the brevity of the action. You should pronounce the second verb in this pattern with the neutral tone.

Shopping 4 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

To Pass By

经过 jīngguò can be a verb, a preposition, and a noun. When used as a verb, it means "to pass by" and you always put a place after it.

Time 3 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Half

半 bàn means "half". To make a Chinese sentence using 半, you should follow the pattern "半 + measure word + noun".

One and a Half

"number + measure word + 半 bàn" means "a certain number" and a half.

8:58

To say 8:58 am/pm in English, you would say "eight fifty-eight" or "two minutes to nine". Similarly, in Chinese, you can choose to say “八点五十八” or use 差 chā. The complete pattern "差 + number + 分/刻 + （到）+ number + 点" simply indicates how many minutes/quarters to the next sharp hour. Please note that 到 can be omitted and 分 is short for 分钟.

This pattern is applicable to every number on the clock face to avoiding using big numbers, for example, 7:16 can be “差四分到七点二十” rather than “差十四分到七点半”.

Food 3 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

In Addition to...

除了 chúle means "apart from", "except" and "besides". The pattern "除了......，也/还......" specifically indicates that "in addition to...., something is also...".

Extremely

The word "极 jí" means "extreme". The pattern "adjective + 极了" is similar to "太 + adjective +了" to convey exclamatory statement. "极了" can be placed after both positive and negative adjectives to level up the degree of an adjective.

Difficult to do

难 means difficult. The construction "subject + 很难 + verb" simply means something is difficult to do. Please note that similar to 我很高兴 (I am happy), "很" here is used to connect the subject and 难.

If the verb has a sensory meaning, such as 看 (to look) and 喝 (to drink), the pattern shows that something has a negative sensory experience.

"好 + 难 + verb" and "太难 + verb + 了" are also commonly used and they convey a more intensified degree.

Location 6 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

And then

先 xiān refers to "early" and "first". 然后 ránhòu means "and then" or "and after that". The pattern "先......，然后......" is used to describe actions in sequence and indicates "firstly,...., and then...". Normally, these two parts share the same subject and you should drop the second one. You can make a complicated sentence with two actions by using "先......, 再......, 然后......".

Continuously/Always

直 zhí means "straight". Placed directly after the subject, 一直 yī[yì]zhí means "continuously" and expresses that someone has been doing something all the time, or someone will continuously do something in the future.

Since 在 can express an ongoing action, you can use the pattern "subject + 一直 + 在 + verb" to indicate someone has been/is continuously doing something. You can't add 在 to make a command/suggestion or indicate a future event. 一直 can also be used to describe circumstances and conditions. In this case, you can translate 一直 as "always".

Sports 1 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Duration

You may remember that to indicate an action’s completion, you should put 了 after the action. You can use the pattern “verb + 了 + duration + 的 + object” to address how long that action took place.

The 的 after the duration is to show how long the action occurred. It may be helpful to think of this 的 as being similar to “’s worth of”, for example, 一天的电视, a day’s worth of TV. Keep in mind that you can only have a noun after 的, if the object of the verb is a pronoun, it must come after 了 and before the time.

Invitiation 1 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

过

Adding 过 guò after the verb can indicate actions that one has experienced in the past. Since 过 refers to the past action, you need to use 没有 or 没 to negate “verb + 过”.

Languages 2 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

The Ongoing Actions

If you want to express “someone has been doing something for some time”, namely the duration of an ongoing event, you might need to use two 了 in the sentence. The pattern is “subject + verb + 了 + duration + 了”. The first 了 indicates the completion of the action, and the second 了 expresses the meaning of “up until now”.

If the verb is followed by an object, you should repeat the verb as shown in the new pattern “subject + verb + object + verb + 了+ duration + 了”.

Health 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

了

Another use of 了 is to be placed at the end of a sentence to show there is a new situation or a new situation is about to come.

Dining 3 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

完

完 means “to complete” and “to finish”. If you place 完 after a verb, it emphasizes the action was done to completion. You can also put 了 after 完, which also indicates completion. Different from “verb + 了”, the pattern “verb + 完了” emphasizes the action was totally finished.

Shopping 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

比

Chinese uses 比 bǐ to compare things, which is similar to “than”. However, if you want to describe that A is more of something than B in Chinese, you have to place 比 in between those two things with the adjective at the end. You should put the thing with the greater degree in terms of the adjective in your comparison before 比.

Body Parts 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

又...又…

又 serves to connect two qualities that don't contrast with each other. “又 + adjective 1 + 又 + adjective 2” is very similar to “both adjective 1 and adjective 2” in English.

Culture 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Exclamation

多 duō/多么 duōme share a very similar function to 很. They can be put between the subject and the adjective to connect them, serving to intensify the degree of a condition. Differently, 多(么) in the pattern "subject + 多(么) + adjective + (啊)!" can convey exclamatory meanings.

Weather 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

快要

了 at the end of a sentence sometimes indicates there is a new situation or something new is about to happen. When 快 kuài/快要 kuàiyào/要 yào shows up with 了, and there is a verb between them, it means the action is about to happen very soon.

着

正 zhèng/正在 zhèngzài/在 zài before a verb indicates the action is ongoing. To build on that, the complete way to express actions in progress is to further place 着 zhe (neutral tone) right after the verb and before the object if there is one. The pattern is “正/正在/在 + verb + 着”. In most cases, there is only 着 in a sentence.

如果…就…

To list a condition and its consequence in English, you use the “if… then…” structure. A formal way to say this in Chinese is “如果 rúguǒ...就 jiù...”. Similar to English, if the subjects of the sentences after 如果 and 就 are the same, you can omit either one or sometimes even both.

Shopping 3 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Although it is not common to see both "although" and "but" in an English sentence (just like this sentence), you need to include both 虽然 suīrán (although) and 但是 dànshì (but) in a Chinese sentence.

虽然 is followed by a sentence revealing the truth, and 但是 leads to an adverse reaction to the former statement. You can use both 但是 and 但.

Normally, when the subjects after 虽然 and 但是 are the same, you can place the subject at the very beginning. The pattern is "subject + 虽然 + ..., 但是 + subject + ...". In this case, you can choose to drop either of the subjects.

People 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Not Only..., But Also...

To say "not only..., but also..." in Chinese, you can use the pattern "不但 bù[bú]dàn……，而且 érqiě……". 也 and 还 can substitute 而且 without changing the meaning.

If there the subjects for both parts are the same, you should place the subject at the very beginning before 不但. In this case, you can omit the subject for the 而且 part.

If there are two subjects, they should come after both 不但 and 而且. The sentences normal indicate that the two subjects have something in common, so the complete pattern is "不但 + subject A……，而且 + subject B + 也……".

Health 3 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

“Adjective + 死了 sǐ le”, this rather morbid phrase literally means “to death” and is used quite often in Chinese as a way to exaggerate something. It can be used to show the cause of death, eg. 饿死 è sǐ literally means to starve to death, but it is more often used in the sense of “extremely”.

Traditionally it was used mostly for negative things, but nowadays you can hear it for positive things as well. Additionally, sometimes you’ll see the subject pronoun placed in between 死 and 了.

Sports 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

The Ordinal Numbers

To express ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) in Chinese, you only need to place the word "dì" before a number. If you want to say "the first student" with a noun after the ordinal number, you should follow the pattern "第 + number + measure word + noun".

There is no measure word between 五十 and 天 because 天 is already a measure word. The same case also applies to 周 and 年, but for 月 (month) you have to add 个 (第一个月).

Luckily/Fortunately

The pattern "好在 + a complete sentence" means "luckily, something happened/didn't happen". The fuller structure is "好在......, 要不然 yàobùrán/否则 fǒuzé......" which expresses "luckily..., otherwise...". When you are only using 好在, you may want to show your gratefulness that the opposite situation didn't happen to influence the schedule.

加油

加油 jiāyóu literally means "to add oil/fuel" in Chinese. Now it is commonly used to encourage someone which is very similar to expressions "come on!", "you can do it!", and "go for it!" in English.

School 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

懂

懂 dǒng by itself means “to understand”. You can place it after a verb as a complement to show the subject has the ability to understand something. Those verbs include 听 tīng(listen), 读 dú(read), and 看 kàn(look; read). You have learned about 得 de to connect an action and its degree complement. 得 de (neutral tone) also plays a role here. The positive pattern is “verb + 得 + 懂” and “verb + 不懂” is for negation.

You can also place 懂 directly after the verb, in the “verb + 懂” pattern. This is to show that an action (e.g. listen and read) has resulted in a particular consequence, in our case, understanding something. Mostly, 懂 is followed by 了 as an indicator of the completion. Since this action happened in the past, to negate it, you need to say “没 + verb + 懂”.

House 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

把

You learned about Chinese also uses the “subject (doer) + verb (action) + object (action recipient)” pattern as in English. 把 bǎ changes the word order into “subject (doer) + 把 + object (action recipient)+ verb (action)”.

By advancing the action recipient, the new pattern intends to concentrate on the influence or the result of an action on the action recipient. It is commonly used to ask people to do something or it can end with 了 to indicate the completion of an action.

被

The basic sentence pattern in Chinese is similar to that in English, “doer + verb + action recipient”. The passive pattern makes the action recipient the subject, and the doer into a secondary place, even not included in some cases. 被 sentences are the most common way to create passive verbs in Chinese. Here is the pattern: “action recipient + 被 + doer + verb”.

Reasons to use passive sentences in Chinese include 1) you want to address that the action recipient has been negatively affected; 2) you want to address the action recipient more than the doer; 3) you try not to mention the doer for some reason.

Time 4 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

The pattern “是 + [information to be addressed] + verb +的” is very similar to the “it is/was the … that …” construction in English, trying to emphasize the particular information between 是 and 的. It is a very popular structure when we try to ask questions since questions aim to figure out specific content. We use it more for stating details related to the verb in the past.

*when the object is a person, e.g.我, 的 should not be placed between the verb and the object.

Daily Routine 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

一边…一边…

To describe you are doing two things together, you can use the construction “一边 + action 1 + 一边 + action 2”. Don’t forget the comma after action 1. Orally, 一 can be omitted.

People 3 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Relatively

比较 as a verb means "to compare". It can also be placed before an adjective as in the pattern "something/someone + 比较 + adjective" to indicate "rather" and "relatively". You use this pattern to compare one thing with a general fact.

"比较 + adjective + 的 + 是 + something/someone" is used to to address the thing/person.

Travel 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Almost

Normally placed after the subject, 几乎 jīhū expresses that someone almost does something or something almost reaches a particular criterion or condition.

Personality and Feelings 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

to appear to be

"Subject + 看起来......" means the subject looks like or appear to be in a certain circumstance or condition. The pattern is used to address the subjectivity. In many cases, 看起来 is followed by "adverb + adjective".

Change adjectives into adverbs

地 dì refers to "land" and "earth". When pronounced as "de", 地 can be put after adjectives and change them into adverbs (words describing verbs}. It looks similar to the rule "adding 'ly' to adjectives can make adverbs" in English. You can use the pattern "subject + adjective + 地 + adverb + verb".

Frequently/Often

经常 jīngcháng means "frequently" and "regularly". The pattern "subject + 经常 + action" describes that an action frequently happens. You can translate it as "often".

School 2 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

清楚

清楚 qīngchǔ by itself means to be clear. 清楚 can also be used as the complement to verbs like 写 xiě(write), 说 shuō(speak), 看 kàn(look) and 听 tīng(listen). You can use the pattern “verb + 得 + 清楚” to express the subject’s ability to do something clearly. “verb + 不清楚” is the negative pattern. In many cases, you can choose to omit 楚 without altering the meaning.

You can also place 清楚 directly after the verb, in the “verb + 清楚” pattern. This is to show that an action (e.g. write and listen) has resulted in a particular consequence, in our case, being clear about something. Mostly, 清楚 is followed 了 as an indicator of the completion. Since this action happened in the past, to negate it, you need to say “没 + verb + 清楚”.

Future 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

To Someone/From Someone's Perspective

One of the meanings of 对 duì is "to/toward". The pattern "对 + someone + 来说 láishuō" generally expresses "for/to someone" or "from someone's perspective, followed by a statement to show someone's attitudes and ideas. This pattern can also apply to organizations.

Some of/Some

"有的 + noun" indicates a certain part of a group. You can choose to omit the noun if it has already been mentioned.

Environment 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

You learned about 来 lái and 去 qù as “to come” and “to go”. They can also serve as complements placed after verbs to describe where exactly the movement is heading. Please note that verbs in “verb + 来/去” pattern should imply inherent movements by their own, such as 上 shàng(to go up) and 下 xià(to go down).

上来, 上去, 下来, 下去, 出来, and 出去, to name a few, can serve as compound complements and be attached to verbs. The new pattern gives details to what the movement is and where the movement is going.

Work 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

A Sharper Tone for "Suddenly"

突然 tūrán has a meaning of "suddenly" and "unexpectedly" in a sharper tone. 突然 has many uses. Most commonly, it is placed before verbs or adjectives to show that an action or a condition unexpectedly happens in a short time. Also, you can also put 突然 at the beginning of a sentence.

*了 is to show the change of state (that dog used to be there but not anymore).

Travel 4 2 · 2024-11-02 ^

Chinese people repeat the same verb twice in a sentence, sometimes with 一 between them, creating an easygoing tone and indicating the brevity of the action.

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