Grammar
HSK1 essentials
Mandarin doesn't conjugate verbs, doesn't have grammatical gender, and doesn't pluralise nouns. Most of "grammar" at this level is word order and a handful of particles.
1. Subject — Verb — Object
Same as English. Verbs do not change form.
2. 是 — to be (only for "A is B")
Use 是 to link two nouns: A is (a) B. Don't use it before adjectives — adjectives are verbs in Chinese.
3. 有 — to have / there is
Possession or existence. Negate with 没 , not with 不.
4. Negation: 不 vs 没
- 不 — general negation, present/future, habits, with adjectives.
- 没 — only with 有, and for past actions ("haven't done").
5. Questions
Two main ways:
- Tag 吗 at the end of any statement — yes/no question.
- Use a question word (什么, 谁, 哪儿, 几, 多少, 怎么) where the answer would go — no inversion.
6. 的 — possessive & attributive
Goes between modifier and noun. Like English 's or of. Often dropped for close relations (family, friends).
7. Measure words
You can't say "two book" — you need a measure word: number — measure word — noun. 个 is the catch-all default. 本 for books, 块 for pieces / , 岁 for years of age.
8. 了 — completion & change
After a verb: action completed. At the end of a sentence: a new situation / change of state. (At HSK1, just learn to recognize it.)
9. 在 — location & ongoing action
Two uses:
- As a verb meaning "to be at".
- Before a verb to mark the progressive (an ongoing action).
10. 能 vs 会
- 会 — learned skills.
- 能 — physical ability or permission.
11. Time expressions go before the verb
Either at the start of the sentence, or right after the subject. Never at the end like in English.