Chinese Duolingo

GREETING 1
There are four main tones and one neutral tone in Mandarin Chinese to distinguish words and grammatical
uses.
Tone Tone mark Pronunciation

The 1st tone “ˉ” like in mā High and flat (listen)
The 2nd tone “ˊ” like in má Rising (listen)
The 3rd tone “ˇ” like in mǎ Low then rising (listen)
The 4th tone “ˋ” like in mà Falling (listen)
The neutral tone No mark like in ma Light (listen)
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.
Chinese Pinyin Actual Pronunciation English

Ní hǎo. (nǐ becomes 2nd
你好。 Nǐ hǎo. Hello.
tone) (listen)
Wǒde míngzi shì Duo.
我的名字是Duo。 Wǒde míngzi shì Duo. (no rise in tone for wǒ) My name is Duo.
(listen)
Wǒ shì Duo. (no rise in
我是Duo。 Wǒ shì Duo. I am Duo.
tone for wǒ) (listen)
NUMBERS
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.
Chinese Pinyin Actual Pronunciation English

yícì (yī becomes 2nd
一次 yīcì One time
tone)
yìběn shū (yī becomes
一本书 yīběn shū One book
4th tone)
一二三四 yī èr sān sì yī èr sān sì (no change) One, two, three, four
NAME
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.
Chinese Pinyin English
我 wǒ I/me
你 nǐ you
您 nín you (polite)
他 tā he/him
她 tā she/her
它 tā it
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.

My name is Max. (literal
我叫Max。 Wǒ jiào Max. translation: I am called/named
Max.)
His name is Andy. (literal
他叫Andy。 Tā jiào Andy. translation: He is called/named
Andy.)
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.

Her surname is Li. (literal
她姓李。 Tā xìng lǐ.
translation: She is surnamed Li.)
Your surname is Wang. (literal
你姓王。 Nǐ xìng Wáng. translation: You are surnamed
Wang.)
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’s your name? (literal
你叫什么？ Nǐ jiào shénme?
translation: What are you called?)
What’s your name? (literal
你叫什么名字？ Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? translation: What name are you
called?)
What’s his surname? (literal
他姓什么？ Tā xìng shénme? translation: What is he
surnamed?”
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.

你叫什么？ Nǐ jiào shénme? What’s your name?
My name is Max. What about
我叫Max，你呢？ Wǒ jiào Max, nǐ ne?
you?
GREETING 2
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.

我很好。 Wǒ hěn[hén]* hǎo. I'm good.
你很高兴。 Nǐ[ní] hěn gāo xìng. You are happy.
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.

I also know you. / I know you,
我也认识你。 Wǒ[wó] yě rènshi nǐ.
too.
I am happy, also. / I am also
我也很高兴。 Wǒ yě[yé] hěn gāoxìng.
happy.
也 can also be used in the phrase "If X is... then Y is (also) ..." Here we don't need to use 很.

你高兴，我也高兴。 nǐ gāoxìng, wǒ[wó] yě gāoxìng. If you are happy then I am happy.
nǐ[ní] hěn gāoxìng, wǒ yě[yé] hěn
你很高兴，我也很高兴。 You are happy, I am also happy.
gāo xìng.
我高兴，他也高兴。 wǒ gāo xìng, tā yě gāoxìng If I am happy then he is happy.
FOOD 1
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!

我吃面。 Wǒ chī miàn. I eat noodles.
我不吃面。 Wǒ bù chī miàn. I don’t eat noodles.
你也喝茶。 Nǐ[ní] yě hēchá. You drink tea, too.
You also don’t drink tea / You
你也不喝茶。 Nǐ[ní] yě bù hēchá.
don’t drink tea, either.
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
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.

我是医生。 Wǒ shì yīshēng. I am a doctor.
他是学生。 Tā shì xuéshēng. He is a student.
你很高兴。 Nǐ[ní] hěn gāoxìng. You are happy.
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.”

我是医生吗？ Wǒ shì yīshēng ma? Am I a doctor?
他是学生吗？ Tā shì xuéshēng ma? Is he a student?
你高兴吗？ Nǐ gāoxìng ma? Are you happy?
们
我们 wǒmen we/us
你们 nǐmen you (plural)
they/them (a group of males or a
他们 tāmen
mixed group)
她们 tāmen they/them (a group of females)
它们 tāmen it
CONTACT
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.

我的茶 Wǒ de chá. My tea.
The teacher’s student(s) / The
老师的学生 Lǎoshī de xuéshēng.
student(s) of the teacher
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…”.

你去哪个*学校？ Nǐ qù nǎ gè xuéxiào? Which school do you go?
他找哪个医生？ Tā zhǎo nǎ gè yīshēng? Which doctor does he look for?
• 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”.

她们都是学生。 Tāmen dōu shì xuéshēng. They are both/all students.
他和*你都是医生。 Tā hé nǐ dōu shì yīshēng. He and you are both doctors.
• 和 means “and”.
GREETING 3
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).

学校不大。 Xuéxiào bù[bú] dà. The school is not big.
他不忙。 Tā bù máng. He is not busy.
LOCATION 1
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.
伦敦不在美国。 Lúndūn bù[bú]* zài Měiguó. London isn’t in the USA.
张老师在学校。 Zhānglǎoshī zài xuéxiào. Teacher Zhang is at the school.
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):

学生都住在加拿大。 Xuéshēng dōu zhù zài Jiā’nádà. The students all live in Canada.
你住在中国吗？ Nǐ zhù zài Zhōngguò ma? Do you live in China?
FAMILY 1
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.

我有两个妈妈。 Wǒ yǒu[yóu] liǎng gè māma. I have two mothers.
你认识三个学生。 Nǐ rènshi sāngè xuéshēng. You know three students.
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.”

哥哥 gēge older brother
弟弟 dìdi younger brother
姐姐 jiějie older sister
妹妹 mèimei younger 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.
Wǒ bàba bù[bú] shì
我爸爸不是中国人。 My dad isn’t Chinese.
Zhōngguórén.
Her (older) brother is
她哥哥很高兴。 Tā gēge hěn gāoxìng.
happy.
我们医院很大。 Wǒmen yīyuàn hěn dà. Our hospital is big.
But...

Mom’s (younger) brother’s name
妈妈的弟弟叫张明。 Māma de dìdi jiào Zhāng Míng
is Zhang Ming.
Lǎoshī de xuéshēng bù[bú] zài The teacher’s students aren’t in
老师的学生不在台湾。
Táiwān. Taiwan.
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.
PHRASES 2
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.

I want to eat three more. (I have
我要再吃三个。 Wǒ yào zài chī sān gè.
already eaten some.)
Please ask one more time. (The
请再问一次。 Qǐng zài wèn yī[yí] cì.
listener has already asked once.
GREETING 4
The Most...
You can place 最 before all adjectives to form the superlative adjectives (the most, the worst, the biggest,
etc.).

我妈妈最高兴。 Wǒ māma zuì gāoxìng. My mom is the happiest.
老师最忙。 Lǎoshī zuì máng. The teacher is the busiest.
DRINK
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".

我要你的电话号码。 Wǒ yào nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ. I want your phone number.
Wǒ bǔ[bú] yào tā de diànhuà
我不要他的电话号码。 I don't want his phone number.
hàomǎ.
学生们要喝水。 Xuéshēng men yào hē shuǐ. Students want to drink water.
老师们不要喝茶。 Lǎoshī men bù[bú] yào hē chá. Teachers don’t want to drink tea.
TIME 1
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.

星期一 Xīngqīyī Monday
星期二 Xīngqī'èr Tuesday
星期三 Xīngqīsān Wednesday
星期四 Xīngqīsì Thursday
星期五 Xīngqīwǔ Friday
星期六 Xīngqīliù Saturday
星期天/星期日 Xīngqītiān / Xīngqīrì Sunday
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.

How (many years) old is the
孩子几岁了？ Háizi jǐ suì le?
young child?
你有几个孩子？ Nǐ yǒu[yóu] jǐ gè háizi? How many children do you have?
Xuéxiào yǒu duōshǎo gè How many students are there in
学校有多少个学生？
xuéshēng? the school?
How many days are there in a
一年有多少天？ Yī[yì] nián yǒu duōshǎo tiān?
year?
We place 几 right where the number would go.
How many younger sisters do you
你有几个妹妹？ Nǐ yǒu[yóu] jǐ gè mèimei?
have?
我有一个妹妹。 Wǒ[wó] yǒu yī[yí] gè mèimei. I have one younger sister.
今天是星期几？ Jīntiān shì Xīngqī jǐ? What day is it today?
今天是星期二。 Jīntiān shì Xīngqī'èr. Today is Tuesday.
How many teachers does your
你哥哥有几个老师？ Nǐ gēge yǒu jǐ gè lǎoshī?
older brother have?
他有六个老师。 Tā yǒu liù gè lǎoshī. He has six teachers.
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.
FAMILY 2
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.

这本书是不是你的？ Zhè běn shū shì bù[bú] shì nǐ de? Is this book yours?
是 / 不是 Shì. / Bù[bú] shì. Yes, it is. / No, it isn’t.
Do you want to go to the
你想不想去书店？ Nǐ[ní] xiǎng bù xiǎng qù shū diàn?
bookstore?
想 / 不想 Xiǎng. / Bù xiǎng Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
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:

你知（道）不知道？ Nǐ zhī(dào) bù zhīdào? Do you know?
你明（白）不明白？ Nǐ míng(bái) bù míngbái? Do you understand?
TELEPHONE
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.

We eat very well. (“well” is to
我们吃得很好。 Wǒmen chī de hěn[hén] hǎo.
show how we eat.)
He walks very fast. (“fast” is to
他走得很快。 Tā zǒu de hěn kuài.
show how he walks.)
PEOPLE 1
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.

她漂不漂亮？ Tā piào bù[bú] piàoliàng? Is she beautiful?
你高不高兴？ Nǐ gāo bù gāoxìng? Are you happy?
TIME 2
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.

你吃了吗？ Nǐ chī le ma? Did you eat?
我买了一个苹果。 Wǒ[wó] mǎi le yī[yí] gè píngguǒ. I bought an apple.
他做了作业。 Tā zuò le zuòyè. He did homework.
When I arrive, I will tell you. / I
我到了告诉你。 Wǒ dào le gàosù nǐ.
will tell you when I arrive.
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.

我明天会去学校。 Wǒ míngtiān huì qù xuéxiào. I will go to school tomorrow.
Xià gè Xīngqīyī bù[bú] huì xià yǔ It won’t rain next Monday. / Next
下个星期一不会下雨。
。 Monday won't rain.
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.

Tāmen qùnián Wǔyuè zài
他们去年五月在香港。 They were in Hong Kong last May.
Xiānggǎng.
我们明年去中国。 Wǒmen míngnián qù Zhōngguó. We will go to China next year.
LOCATION 3
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”.

老师在我（的）右边。 Lǎoshī zài wǒ (de) yòu biān. The teacher is on my right side.
我的家在学校（的）旁边。 Wǒ de jiā zài xuéxiào páng biān. My home is next to the school.
I am on the left side of the
我在老师（的）左边。 Wǒ zài lǎoshī de zuǒ biān. teacher. (literal translation: I am
on the teacher's left side.)
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”.

The teacher is in front of me.
老师在我（的）前面。 Lǎoshī zài wǒ (de) qián miàn. (literal translation: the teacher is
on my front side.)
I am behind the teacher. (literal
我在老师（的）后面。 Wǒ zài lǎoshī (de) hòu miàn. translation: I am on the teacher's
backside.)
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.

你怎么去学校？ Nǐ[ní] zěnme qù xuéxiào. How do you go to school?
Does younger sister know how to
妹妹知道怎么回家吗？ Mèimei zhīdào zěnme huí jiā ma?
go back home?
怎么学中文？ Zěnme xué zhōngwén? How to learn Chinese?
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.

到家 dào jiā arrive home
到医院 dào yīyuàn arrive at the hospital
You can put this pattern before “怎么 + verb” to ask how to get to a place.

How do I go home? (literal
到家怎么走？ Dào jiā zěnme zǒu? translation: to arrive home, how
to go?)
How do I get to the hospital by
到医院怎么坐车？ Dào yīyuàn zěnme zuò chē? bus? (literal translation: To arrive
at the hospital, how to take bus?)
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？”.

你的女儿在哪里？ Nǐ de nǚer zài nǎlǐ? Where is your daughter?
她们六月会去哪里？ Tāmen Liùyuè huì qù nǎlǐ? Where will they go in June?
HOBBIES 1
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.

我的朋友在吃早饭。 Wǒ de péngyǒu zài chī zǎofàn. My friend is eating breakfast.
奶奶在跳舞。 Nǎinai zài tiàowǔ. Grandma is dancing.
你在做作业吗？ Ní zài zuò zuòyè ma? Are you doing homework?
They are learning Chinese.(now,
他们在学汉语。 Tāmen zài xué hànyǔ. this week, these months, this
semester, etc.)
ROUTINE 1
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.

从五月到六月 cóng Wǔyuè dào Liùyuè from May to June
从加拿大到美国 cóng Jiānádà dào Měiguó from Canada to the U.S.
Wǒ měitiān jiǔ[jiú] diǎn dào I study from 9 o'clock to 5 o'clock
我每天九点到五点学习。
wǔ[wú] diǎn xuéxí. every day.
My dad eats breakfast from 7
爸爸每天早上七点到八点吃早 Bàba měitiān zǎoshàng qī diǎn
o'clock to 8 o'clock every day in
饭。 dào bā diǎn chī zǎofàn.
the morning.
PAYMENT
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”.

How much does the computer
电脑多少钱？ Diànnǎo duōshǎo qián? cost? / How much is the
computer?
Xuéxiào yǒu duōshǎo gè How many students are there in
学校有多少个学生？
xuéshēng? the school?
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.

One thousand three hundred
一千三百二十一 yī qiān sān bǎi èr shí yī
twenty-one / 1,321
One thousand three hundred /
一千三 yī qiān sān
1,300
一千零三 yī qiān líng sān One thousand and three / 1,003
One thousand three hundred
一千三百二 yī qiān sān bǎi èr
twenty / 1,320
One thousand three hundred and
一千三百零二 yī qiān sān bǎi líng èr
two / 1,302
ENTERTAIN
在
When you talk about where something takes place, we use the phrase “在 + location”, which goes after the
subject but before the verb.

你在哪里上班？ Nǐ zài nǎ[ná]lǐ shàngbān? Where do you work?
我在学校学习汉语。 Wǒ zài xuéxiào xuéxí hànyǔ. I study Chinese at school.
My older brother is eating at the
我哥哥在饭馆吃饭。 Wǒ gēge zài fànguǎn chī fàn.
restaurant.
LOCATION 4
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)”.

书在床上。 Shū zài chuáng shàng. The book is on the bed.
狗在桌子下。 Gǒu zài zhuōzi xià. The dog is under the table.
妈妈在门外。 Māma zài mén wài. Mom is outside the door..
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.

Xuéshēng men míngtiān yào qù Are students going to the U.S.
学生们明天要去美国吗？
Měiguó ma? tomorrow?
Xuéshēng men míngtiān bù[bú] Students are not going to the U.S.
学生们明天不去美国。
qù Měiguó. tomorrow.
我要喝咖啡。 Wǒ yào hē kāfēi. I want to drink coffee.
我不要喝咖啡。 Wǒ bù[bú] yào hē kāfēi. I don’t want to drink coffee.
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.

Please take a look. (It should be a
请看一下。 Qǐng kàn yī[yí] xià.
quick one.)
I want to play games. (I won't
我要玩一下游戏。 Wǒ yào wán yī[yí] xià yóuxì.
play for a long time.)
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)”.

你有几只*狗？ Nǐ[ní] yǒu jǐ zhī gǒu? How many dogs do you have?
妈妈买了几个苹果？ Māma mǎi le jǐ gè píngguǒ. How many apples did mom buy?
*只 zhī is one of the measure words to describe animals.
MARKET
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.

请给我英文菜单。 Qǐng gěi[géi] wǒ yīngwén càidān. Please give me the English menu.
给他们我的手机。 Gěi tāmen wǒ de shǒujī. Give them my phone.
-给我三个苹果。 Gěi[géi] wǒ sān gè píngguǒ. -Give me three apples.
-给。 Gěi. -Here you are.
HOBBIES 2
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".

你为什么用手机？ Nǐ wèishénme yòng shǒujī? Why do you use the cell phone?
Tāmen wèishénme bù shōu Why don't they accept credit
他们为什么不收信用卡？
xìnyòngkǎ? cards?
Māma wèishénme xǐhuān kàn Why does mom like reading
妈妈为什么喜欢看书？
shū? books?
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.

Wǒ Xīngqīyī dào Xīngqīwǔ qù I go to school from Monday to
我星期一到星期五去学校。
xuéxiào. Friday.
Our family went to London in
我们家六月去了伦敦。 Wǒmen jiā Liùyuè qù le Lúndūn.
June.
爸爸去哪里？ Bàba qù nǎlǐ? Where does dad go?
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".

因为电脑太贵了，所以我没买 Yīnwéi diànnǎo tài guì le, Since the computer is too
。 suǒ[suó]yǐ wǒ méi mǎi. expensive, I didn't buy it.
Yīnwéi wǒ hěn[hén] xǐhuān
因为我很喜欢中国，所以我想 Since I like China very much, I
Zhōngguó, suǒ[suó]yǐ wǒ[wó]
学中文。 want to learn Chinese.
xiǎng xué Zhōngwén.
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.

Diànnǎo tài guì le, suǒ[suó]yǐ wǒ The computer is too expensive,
电脑太贵了，所以我没买。
méi mǎi. so I didn't buy it.
Wǒ méi mǎi diànnǎo, yīnwéi tā I didn't buy the computer,
我没买电脑，因为它太贵了。
tài guì le. because it's too expensive
Wǒ hěn[hén] xǐhuān Zhōngguó,
我很喜欢中国，所以我想学中 I like China very much, so I want
suǒ[suó]yǐ wǒ xiǎng xué
文。 to learn Chinese.
Zhōngwén.
我想学中文，因为我很喜欢中 Wǒ xiǎng xué Zhōngwén, yīnwéi I want to learn Chinese because I
国。 wǒ hěn[hén] xǐhuān Zhōngguó like China very much.
DINING 1
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”.

你喜欢牛奶还是咖啡？ Nǐ[ní] xǐhuān niúnǎi háishì kāfēi? Do you like milk or coffee?
你去学校还是回家？ Nǐ qù xuéxiào háishì huí jiā? Do you go to school or go home?
Chāoshì shōu xìnyòngkǎ háishì Does the supermarket take credit
超市收信用卡还是现金？
xiànjīn? card or cash?
I don’t know if this cup of coffee
我不知道这杯咖啡是你的还是 Wǒ bù zhīdào zhè bēi kāfēi shì ní is yours or mine. (Is this cup of
我的。 de háishì wǒ de. coffee yours or mine? I don’t
know.)
HEALTH 1
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.

I am a little bit too busy today.
我今天有一点儿忙。 Wǒ jīntiān yǒuyī[yì]diǎnr máng. (probably the speaker is politely
refuse an invitation.)
That apple is a little bit too
expensive. (the speaker is politely
那个苹果有点儿贵。 Nà ge píngguǒ yǒu[yóu]diǎnr guì.
suggesting that they buy a
cheaper one.)
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".

（你）不要吃太多糖！ (Nǐ) bù[bú]yào chī tài duō táng. Don't eat too many sweets.
（妈妈）不要走！ (Māma) bù[bú]yào zǒu. Don't go/leave, mom!
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.

Wǒ cóng míngtiān kāishǐ xuéxí Starting from tomorrow, I will
我从明天开始学习中文。
Zhōngwén. study Chinese.
从这个周末开始，我不看电视 Cóng zhè ge zhōumò kāishǐ, wǒ Starting from this weekend, I will
了*。 bù[bú] kàn diànshì le. not watch TV.
*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 + 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.

每个鸡蛋都很新鲜。 Měi gè jīdàn dōu hěn xīnxiān. Every egg is fresh.
每个服务员都有菜单。 Měi gè fúwùyuán dōu yǒu càidān. Every waiter has a menu.
TRANSPORTATION
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.

We will take the train to
我会坐火车去上海。 Wǒ huì zuò huǒchē qù Shànghǎi.
Shanghai.
Tā nǚér bù[bú]yào zuò gōngchē His daughter doesn't want to take
他女儿不要坐公车去超市。
qù chāoshì. the bus to the supermarket.
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).

Wǒmen kě[ké]yǐ chī miàntiáo
我们可以吃面条吗？ May we eat noodles?
ma?
你们可以吃水果。 Nǐmen kě[ké]yǐ chī shuǐ[shuí]guǒ. You may eat fruit.
他们不可以回房间。 Tāmen bù kě[ké]yǐ huí fángjiān. They can't go back to the room.
SHOPPING 1
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.

我昨天没(有)锻炼。 Wǒ zuótiān méi(yǒu) duànliàn. I didn’t work out yesterday.
他们没(有)坐地铁。 Tāmen méi(yǒu) zuò dìtiě. They didn’t take the metro.
她没(有)看新闻。 Tā méi(yǒu) kàn xīnwén. She didn’t read/watch the news.
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.

你要试试吗？ Nǐ yào shì shi ma? Do you want to have a try?
我随便看看。 Wǒ suíbiàn kàn kan. I am just looking (around).
LANGUAGES
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.

Dad wants to buy a little bit of
爸爸想买（一）点（儿）羊肉 Bàba xiǎng[xiáng] mǎi
lamb. (action on a little bit of the
。 (yī[yì])diǎn(r) yángròu.
object)
I know a little bit of Chinese.
Wǒ zhīdào (yī[yì])diǎn(r)
我知道（一）点（儿）中文。 (action on a little bit of the
zhōngwén.
object)
Be a little bit happier.
开心（一）点（儿）。 Kāixīn (yī[yì])diǎn(r).
(comparison and wish)
TIME 3
Half
半 bàn means "half". To make a Chinese sentence using 半, you should follow the pattern "半 + measure
word + noun".

半个苹果 bàn gè píngguǒ half an apple
半碗饭 bàn wǎn fàn half a bowl of rice
半包糖 bàn bāo táng half a bag of sugar/candies
One and a Half
"number + measure word + 半 bàn" means "a certain number" and a half.

six watermelons and a half/ six
六个半西瓜 liù gè bàn xīguā
and a half watermelons
twelve hours and a half/ twelve
十二个半小时 shíèr gè bàn xiǎoshí
and a half hours
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”.

a quarter to 11 o' clock (10:45
差一刻（到）十一点 chā yī[yí] kè (dào) shíyī diǎn
am/pm)
chā sān fēn (dào) wǔ[wú] diǎn three minutes to half-past five
差三分（到）五点半
bān (5:27 am/pm)
eight minutes to four forty (4:32
差八分（到）四点四十 chā bā fēn (dào) sì diǎn sìshí
am/pm)
EXISTENCE
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.

There is no apple in the fridge. /
冰箱里没(有)苹果。 Bīngxiāng lǐ méi(yǒu) pīngguǒ. Inside the fridge, there is no
apple.
这里没(有)商店。 Zhèlǐ méi(yǒu) shāngdiàn. There is no shop here.
There is no newspaper on the
椅子上没(有)报纸。 Yǐzi shàng méi(yǒu) bàozhǐ. chair. / On the chair, there is no
newspaper.
SPORTS 1
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.

Wǒ kàn le yī[yí] gè xiǎoshí de I watched the TV for one hour. / I
我看了一小时的电视。
diànshì. watched a one-hour worth of TV.
Dad and I flew for eight hours. /
我和爸爸坐了八个小时的飞机 Wǒ hé bàba zuò le bā gè xiǎoshí
Dad and I took an eight-hour’s
。 de fēijī.
worth of flight.
They listened to music for a day. /
Tāmen tīng le yī[yì] tiān de
她们听了一天的音乐。 They listened to a day’s worth of
yínyuè.
music.
She waited for me for thirty
她等了我三十分钟。 Tā děng le wǒ sānshí fēnzhōng.
minutes.
INVITE 1
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”.

你见过他吗？ Nǐ jiàn guò tā ma? Have you ever seen him before?
I have never been to Spain
我没（有）去过西班牙。 Wǒ méi(yǒu) qù guò Xibānyá.
before.
Tā méi(yǒu) wán guò diànnǎo He has never played computer
他没（有）玩过电脑游戏。
yóuxì. games before.
HEALTH 2
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.

My younger sister is eight years
我妹妹八岁了。 Wǒ mèimei bā suì le. old. (she was seven years old last
year.)
The shop doesn’t have any apples
商店没（有）苹果了。 Shāngdiàn méi(yǒu) píngguǒ le. any more. (The shop used to have
apples.)
The movie is starting. (The movie
电影开始了。 Diànyǐng kāishǐ le.
didn’t start until now.)
INVITATION 2
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.

My younger brother is playing
我弟弟正在踢足球。 Wǒ dìdi zhèngzài tī zúqiú.
soccer right now.
Xuéshēng men zhèngzài chī Students are eating bread right
学生们正在吃面包。
miànbāo. now
DINING 3
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.

我看完了今天的新闻。 Wǒ tīng wán le jīntiān de xīnwén. I finished reading today’s news.
Teachers finished eating (all the)
老师们吃完了午饭。 Lǎoshī men chī wán le wǔfàn.
lunch.
他做完了他的工作。 Tā zuò wán le tā de gōngzuò. He finished (all) his work.
SHOPPING 2
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.
我比爸爸高 Wǒ bǐ bàba I am taller

Chinese Pinyin English _
。 gāo. than dad.
Cakes are
蛋糕比巧克 Dàngāo bǐ sweeter
力甜。 qiǎokèlì tián. than
chocolate.
Planes are
飞机比船快 Fēijī bǐ
faster than
。 chuán kuài.
boats.
BODY PARTS
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.

这个苹果又大又甜。 Zhège píngguǒ yǒu dà yòu tián. This apple is both big and sweet.
Wǒ de chènshān yòu shūfú yòu My shirt is both comfortable and
我的衬衫又舒服又便宜。
piányí. cheap.
Māma zuò de yú yòu jiànkāng The fish mom cooked is both
妈妈做的鱼又健康又好吃。
yòu hǎochī. healthy and delicious.
TRAVEL
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“”.

Lúndūn lí Xiānggǎng hěn[hén] London is far away from Hong
伦敦离香港很远。
yuǎn. Kong
My home is very close to the
我家离学校非常近。 Wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào fēicháng jìn.
school.
The airport is too far away from
机场离酒店太远了。 Jīcháng lí jiǔdiàn tài yuǎn le.
the hotel.
机场离酒店远吗？ Jīcháng lí jiǔdiàn yuǎn ma? Is the airport far from the hotel?
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.

他从伦敦飞到香港。(从 is
Tā cóng Lúndūn fēi dào He flies from London to Hong
followed by the starting point of
Xiānggǎng. Kong.
the action 飞)
从机场到酒店怎么走？(从 is
Cóng jiǔdiàn dào jīchǎng zěnme How to get to the hotel from the
followed by the starting point of
zǒu? airport?
the action 走)
我从中国来。(从 is followed by
Wǒ cóng Zhōngguó lái. I came from China.
the starting point of the action来)
WEATHER
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.

Wǒmen kuài / kuàiyào / yào kāi We are almost about to take
我们快/快要/要吃午饭了。
chī wǔfàn le. lunch.
Zhōumò kuài / kuàiyào / yào dào It is almost weekend. (Weekend
周末快/快要/要到了。
le. is almost here.)
Shāngdiàn kuài / kuàiyào / yào kāi
商店快/快要/要开门了。 The shop is almost about to open.
mén le.
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.
Chinese Pniyin English

学生们（正/正在/在）吃着午饭
Students are eating lunch.
。
Bàba (zhèng/zhèngzài/zài) kāi zhe
爸爸（正/正在/在）开着车。 Dad is driving the car.
chē.
Wǒ (zhèng/zhèngzài/zài) tīng zhe
我（正/正在/在）听着歌。 I am listening to the music.
gē.
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.

如果我不在家，你就给我打电 Rúguǒ wǒ bù[bú] zài jiā, nǐ jiù gěi If I am not at home, you can call
话。 wǒ[wó] dǎ diànhuà. me.
Rúguǒ tā yǒu kòng, wǒmen jiù qù If he has time, we’ll go to Hong
如果他有空，我们就去香港。
Xiānggǎng. Kong.
如果（你）不知道，就问我。 Rúguǒ (nǐ) bù zhīdào, jiù wèn wǒ. If you don’t know, just ask me.
SHOPPING 3
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.

虽然今天不下雨，但是明天会 Suīrán jīntiān méi xià yǔ, dànshì Although it is not rainy today, it is
下雨。 míngtiān huì xiàyǔ. going to rain tomorrow.
他虽然很饱，但是（他）还想 Tā suīrán hěn[hén] bǎo, dànshì Although he is full, he still wants
吃。 (tā) hái xiǎng chī. to eat.
（他）虽然很饱，但是他还想 (Tā) suīrán hěn[hén] bǎo, dànshì Although he is full, he still wants
吃。 tā hái xiǎng chī. to eat.
PEOPLE 2
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……".

Shǒu[shóu]biǎo bù[bú]dàn piányi, The watch is not only cheap, but
手表不但便宜，而且很漂亮。
érqié hěn piàoliàng. also pretty.
Not only are the watches
不但手表很贵，而且衣服也很 Bù[bú]dàn shǒubiǎo[biáo] hěn
expensive, but the clothes are
贵。 guì, érqiě yīfú yě[yé] hěn guì.
expensive too.
CELEBRATION
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.

Tāmen měitiān yī[yì] huí jiā, jiù Every day, as soon as they get
他们每天一回家，就睡觉。
shuìjiào. home, they sleep.
Bàba yī[yì] shuōhuà, wǒ jiù xiǎng As soon as dad talks, I want to
爸爸一说话，我就想笑。
xiào. laugh.
SPORTS 2
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".

第一个学生 dì yī gè xuéshēng the first student
第三袋面包 dì sān dài miànbāo the third bag of bread
第五十天* dì wǔshí tiān the fiftieth day
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.

Today he doesn't have time.
今天他没有时间。好在我昨天 Jīntiān tā méiyǒu shíjiān. Hǎozài Luckily, I met him yesterday.
见了他。 wǒ zuótiān jiàn le tā. (Otherwise, the speaker couldn't
meet him today.)
The wind is very strong now.
现在的风很大。好在我们在家 Xiànzài de fēng hěn dà. Hǎozài Luckily, we are at home.
里。 wǒmen zài jiā lǐ. (Otherwise, the wind would have
blown on us.)
SCHOOL
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.

Students can understand this
Xuéshēng men dú de dǒng zhè
学生们读得懂这本书。 book? (literal translation: read
běn shū.
and understand)
Students can’t understand
Xuéshēng men tīng bù dǒng
学生们听不懂英语。 English. (literal translation: listen
yīngyǔ.
but not understand)
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”.

Students understood this book.
Xuéshēng men dú dǒng le zhè
学生们读懂了这本书。 (literal translation: read and
běn shū.
understand)
Students didn’t understand your
Xuéshēng men méi tīng dǒng nǐ
学生们没听懂你的话。 sentence. (literal translation:
de huà.
listen but not understand)
FAMILY 3
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.

我（的）哥哥 wǒ (de) gēge my older brother
老师的哥哥 lǎoshī de gēge teacher’s older brother
他（的）爸爸 tā (de) bàba his father
爸爸的爸爸 bàba de bàba father’s father
TIME 4
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.

Tāmen shì shénme shíhòu zǒu When did they leave/go?
他们是什么时候走的？
de? (emphasis: when)
They left last June. (emphasis:
他们是去年六月走的。 Tāmen shì qùnián Liùyuè zǒu de.
last June)
Was it yesterday that you went to
你是昨天去的医院吗？/ 你们是 Nǐ shì zuótiān qù de yīyuàn ma? /
the hospital? (emphasis:
昨天去医院的吗？ Nǐ shì zuótiān qù yīyuàn de ma?
yesterday)
It was not at the school that the
Lǎoshī bù[bú] shì zài xuéxiào kàn
老师不是在学校看见我的*。 teacher saw me. (emphasis: at
jiàn wǒ de.
the school)
• when the object is a person, e.g.我, 的 should not be placed between the verb and the object.
LOCATION 5
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 4
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.
Chinese !Pinyin !English

Zuótiān wǒ jīngguò le nà gè
昨天我经过了那个商店。 I passed by that shop yesterday.
shāngdiàn.
Gōngchē huì jīngguò xuéxiào hé The bus will pass by the school
公车会经过学校和我家。
wǒ jiā. and my home.
ROUTINE 2
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.

Tā yī[yì]biān chīfàn, yī[yì]biān
他一边吃饭，一边唱歌。 He is eating while singing.
chàng gē.
不要一边看书，一边看电视。 (
Bù[bū]yào yī[yì]biān kàn shū, Don’t watch TV while reading a
看书 seems more important in
yī[yì]biān kàn diànshì. book.
this sentence)
Wǒmen yī[yì]biān zòu, yī[yì]biān
我们一边走，一边想吧。 Let’s walk while we think.
xiǎng ba.
FOOD 3
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...".

Chúle shuāyá, wǒ hái yào In addition to brushing teeth, I
除了刷牙，我还要洗澡。
xǐ[xí]zǎo. will also take a shower.
除了（打）网球，他也想打排 Chúle (dǎ[dá]) wǎngqiú, tā yě In addition to tennis, he also
球。 xiǎng[xiáng] dǎ páiqiú. wants to play volleyball.
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.
妈妈漂亮极了。 Māma piàoliàng jí le. Mom is extremely pretty.
Beijing is extremely cold in
北京冬天冷极了。 Běijīng dōngtiān lěng jí le.
winter.
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.

The beef from their restaurant
Tāmen fànguǎn de niúròu hěn tastes bad. (literal translation:
他们饭馆的牛肉很难吃。
nán chī. Their restaurant's beef is difficult
to eat.)
It is difficult to prepare for the
地理考试很难准备。 Dìlǐ kǎoshì hěn nán zhǔnbèi. geography test./ The geography
test is difficult to prepare.
"好 + 难 + verb" and "太难 + verb + 了" are also commonly used and they convey a more intensified degree.
PEOPLE 3
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.

This hot pot is relatively/rather
这个火锅比较辣。 Zhè ge huǒguō bǐjiào là.
spicy.
What relatively/rather spicy is
比较辣的是这个火锅。 Bǐjiào là de shì zhè ge huǒguō.
this hot pot.
Their dumplings are
他们的饺子比较好吃。 Tāmen de jiǎozi bǐjiào hǎochī.
relatively/rather tasty.
Bǐjiào hǎochī de shì tāmen de What relatively tasty are their
比较难吃的是他们的饺子。
jiàozi. dumplings.
LOCATION 6
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......".

我先吃饭，然后洗澡。 Wǒ xiān chī fàn, ránhòu xǐ[xí]zǎo. I eat first and then shower.
They eat dinner first, then eat
他们先吃晚饭，再吃水果，然 Tāmen xiān chī wǎnfàn, zài chī
fruit, and after that brush their
后刷牙。 shuǐ[shuí]guǒ, ránhòu shuāyá.
teeth.
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".

不要一直看电视。 Bù[bú]yào yī[yì]zhí kàn diànshì. Don't watch TV all the time.
我会一直爱你。 Wǒ huì yī[yì]zhí ài nǐ. I will always love you.
Students has always been at
同学们一直在学校。 Tóngxué men yī[yì]zhí zài xuéxiào.
school.
Dad has been continuously
爸爸一直在旅游。 Bàba yī[yì]zhí zài lǚyóu. traveling./ Dad has been traveling
all the time.
TRAVEL 2
Almost
Normally placed after the subject, 几乎 jīhū expresses that someone almost does something or something
almost reaches a particular criterion or condition.

他昨天几乎没说话。 Tā zuótiān jīhū méi shuōhuà. He almost didn't talk yesterday.
天几乎黑了。 Tiān jīhū hēi le. The sky is almost dark.
LANGUAGES 2
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”.

I have been waiting for a long
我等了三天了。 Wǒ[wó] děng le sān tiān le.
time.
He has been sleeping for twelve
他睡了十二个小时了。 Tā shuì le shíèr gè xiǎoshí le.
hours.
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”.

Xuéshēng men xué zhōngwén xué Students have been learning
学生们学中文学了一年了。
le yī[yì] nián le. Chinese for one year.
Wǒ dìdi wán yóuxì wán le yī[yì] My younger brother has been
我弟弟玩游戏玩了一天了。
tiān le. playing games for a whole day.
FEELINGS
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".

That clothes looks/appears to be
那件衣服看起来很贵。 Nà jiàn yīfú kàn qǐlái hěn guì.
expensive.
Grandfather looks/appears to be
爷爷看起来非常健康。
very healthy.
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".

He got back home
他失望地回家了。 Tā shīwàng de huí jiā le. disappointedly./ He
disappointedly got back home.
We spent/celebrated the Spring
Festival happily. / We happily
我们快乐地过春节。 Wǒmen kuàilè de guò chūnjié.
spent/celebrated the Spring
Festival happily.
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".

The mall often has discounts./
商场经常打折。 Shāngchǎng jīngcháng dǎzhé.
The mall is often on sale.
Wǒ míngnián huì jīngcháng qù I will frequently go to Beijing next
我明年会经常去北京。
Běijīng. year.
SCHOOL 2
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.

I can’t see the words he wrote
我看不清（楚）他写的字。 Wǒ kǎn bù qīng(chǔ) tā xiě de zì.
clearly.
奶奶听不清（楚）爸爸说的话 Nǎinai tīng bù qīng(chǔ) bàba Grandma can’t hear what dad
。 shuō de huà. said clearly.
你看得清楚那个人吗？ Nǐ kàn de qīngchǔ nàge rén ma? Can you see that person clearly?
Can you tell what kind of people
Nǐ kàn de qīng nàge rén ma?
that person is (thoroughly)?
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”.

你看清（楚）了吗？ Nǐ kàn qīng(chǔ) le ma? Did you see clearly?
我看清楚了他的字。 Wǒ kàn qīng(chǔ) le tā de zì. I saw his words clearly.
Wǒ méi tīng qīng(chǔ) nǐ shuō de I didn’t hear the sentence you
我没听清（楚）你说的话。
huà. said clearly.
FUTURE
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.

For teachers/from teachers'
对老师们来说，每个学生都很 Duì lǎoshī men lái shuō, měi ge
perspectives, every student is
可爱。 xuéshēng dōu hěn[hén] kěài.
lovely.
对意大利来说，这个城市太重 Duì Yīdàlì lái shuō, zhè ge
To Italy, this city is too important.
要了。 chéngshì tài zhòngyào le.
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.

Māma mǎi le hěn duō píngguǒ,
妈妈买了很多苹果，有的是绿 Mom bought many apples, some
yǒu de shì lǜ sè de, yǒu de shì
色的，有的是红色的。 are green, and some are red.
hóng sè de.
The quality of some glasses is
有的眼镜质量不好。 Yǒu de yǎnjìng zhìliàng bù hǎo. bad./ Some glasses have bad
quality.
ENVIRONMENT
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).

When will you come down and
你什么时候下来吃饭？ Nǐ shénme shíhòu xià lái chī fàn? eat? (the movement is down and
towards the speaker)
When will you go down and eat?
你什么时候下去吃饭？ (the movement is down away
from the speaker).
Son, will you come back (home)
Érzi, nǐ míngtiān huí lái chī fàn
儿子，你明天回来吃饭吗？ tomorrow? (the movement is
ma?
towards the speaker)
Mom, I will go back (home)
Māma, wǒ míngtiān huí qù chī
妈妈，我明天回去吃饭。 tomorrow. (the movement is
fàn.
away from the speaker)
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.

There is no bus here. We can only
这里没有公车。我们只能走上 Zhèlǐ méiyǒu gōngchē. Wǒmen walk all the way up. (the
去。 zhǐ néng zǒu shàng qù. movement is up and away from
the speaker)
Don’t run out by yourself. (the
Nǐ bù[bú]yào yī[yí] gè rén pǎo chū
你不要一个人跑出去。 movement is out and away from
qù.
the speaker)
WORK
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.

Wǒ tūrán fāxiàn tā bù[bú] zài I suddenly realize that he is not at
我突然发现他不在学校。
xuéxiào. school.
Tāmen de hànyǔ[yú] shuǐpíng Their Chinese level suddenly
他们的汉语水平突然提高了。
tūrán tígáo le. improved.
突然，那只狗不见了*。 Tūrán, nā zhī gǒu bù[bú] jiàn le. Suddenly, that dog disappeared.
• 了 is to show the change of state (that dog used to be there but not anymore).
CULTURE
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.

这个考试多（么）容易（啊） This test is so easy!/ How easy
Zhè ge kǎoshì duō(me) róngyì (a)!
！ this test is!
The Yellow River is so famous!/
黄河多（么）有名（啊）！ Huánghé duō(me) yǒumíng (a)!
How famous the Yellow River is!
HEALTH 3
“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”.

冷死了！ Lěng sǐ le! It’s freezing! (It’s cold to death!)
It’s scorching hot! (It’s hot to
热死了！ Rè sǐ le!
death!)
I’m starving! (I’m hungry to
我饿死了！ Wǒ è sǐ le!
death!)
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.

你的女儿可爱死了！ Nǐ de nǚer kéài sǐ le! Your daughter is so cute!
累死我了！/ 我累死了！ Lèi sǐ wǒ le! / Wǒ lèi sǐ le! I’m exhausted!
笑死我了！ Xiào sǐ wǒ le! I just couldn’t stop laughing!
HOUSE
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.

我把他的巧克力吃完了。 Wǒ[wó] bǎ tā de qiǎokèlì chī
I finished (all) his chocolate.
(completion) wánle.
Please write down the Chinese
请把汉字写下来。(order) Qǐng[qíng] bǎ hànzì xiě xià lái.
characters.
妈妈把衣服洗了。 Māma bǎ yīfu xǐ le. Mom washed the clothes.
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.
我吃了他的蛋糕。 Wǒ chī le tā de dàngāo. I ate his cake.
他的蛋糕被我吃了。 Tā de dàngāo bèi wǒ chī le. His cake was eaten by me.
His cake was eaten. (without the
他的蛋糕被吃了。 Tā de dàngāo bèi chī le.
doer)
妹妹发现了礼物。 Mèimei fāxiàn le lǐwù. Younger sister found the gift.
The gift was found by younger
礼物被妹妹发现了。 Lǐwù běi mèimei fāxiàn le.
sister.
The gift was found. (without the
礼物被发现了。 Lǐwù běi fāxiàn le.
doer)
TRAVEL 4
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.

I will go and take a look. (It won’t
我去看一看。 Wǒ qù kàn yī[yí] kàn.
take long.)
Do you want to try? / Do you
你想试一试吗？ Nǐ[ní] xiǎng shì yī[yí] shì ma?
want to try a little bit?
Qǐng[qíng] jiǎng yī[yì] jiǎng nǐ de Please tell a little bit about your
请讲一讲你的故事。
gùshì. story.

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What are the main tones in Mandarin Chinese and how are they distinguished?

What are the main tones in Mandarin Chinese and how are they distinguished?

How do third tones change when followed by other tones?

How do third tones change when followed by other tones?

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