Chinese grammar

One point at a time.

Chinese grammar has no conjugation, no gender and no plurals. What it has instead is word order and a small number of particles that change what a sentence means. These are those, one page each, in plain English.

A1 20 points

Saying what something is with 是

A + 是 + B

是 joins two nouns. It never goes with an adjective.
Adjectives are verbs, and take 很

Subject + 很 / 非常 + Adjective

我很累 is “I’m tired”, and 很 is not doing the work you think.
Asking yes/no questions with 吗

Statement + 吗？

Put 吗 on the end of a statement. Nothing else moves.
A-not-A questions

Subject + Verb + 不 + Verb？

你去不去？ — offer both answers and let them pick one.
Question words stay where the answer goes

Statement, with a question word in the answer’s place

你去哪儿？ — nothing moves to the front.
Saying no with 不

Subject + 不 + Verb / Adjective

不 covers the present, the future and every habit. The past has its own word.
Saying it didn’t happen with 没

Subject + 没(有) + Verb

没 is for the past. 不 cannot do this job, and 了 cannot join in.
有 — having, and there being

Subject + 有 + Object · Place + 有 + Thing

One verb covers “I have a car” and “there’s a car outside”.
的 — whose it is, and which one

Owner + 的 + Thing

的 is the apostrophe-s, the “which”, and the “mine”, all in one character.
Measure words

Number + Measure word + Noun

You cannot say 三书. Something has to go between the number and the noun.
Numbers

Tens + 十 + Units · 百 / 千 / 万 · 两

Ten-one is eleven, two-ten is twenty. After that you are just reading it aloud.
这 and 那 — this and that

这 / 那 + Measure word + Noun

这本书, not 这书. Pointing still needs a measure word.
Time and place come before the verb

Subject + Time + Place + Verb + Object

我明天去北京, not 我去北京明天.
Telling the time, and dates

Number + 点 + Number + 分 / 半 / 刻 · Month + 月 + Day + 号

两点半 — two o’clock half. Read it left to right and it comes out.
在 — where something is, and where you do it

Subject + 在 + Place · Subject + 在 + Place + Verb

我在家 is “I’m at home”. 我在家吃饭 is “I eat at home”. Same 在, different job.
也 and 都 — too, and all

Subject + 也 / 都 + Verb

Both go in front of the verb. Neither can end a sentence.
想, 要, 会, 能 — wanting and being able

Subject + 想 / 要 / 会 / 能 + Verb

Four words where English has two, and 不要 does not mean “don’t want”.
了 — the action finished

Verb + 了 (+ Object)

Not a past tense. A finished action, which is often but not always in the past.
请 and 吧 — asking nicely

请 + Verb · Sentence + 吧 · Verb + 一下

A bare verb is already an order. 请 and 吧 are how you take the edge off.
比 — comparing two things

A + 比 + B + Adjective · A 跟 B 一样

我比他高. No word for “more”, and no room for 很.

A1 20 points

Saying what something is with 是

Adjectives are verbs, and take 很

Asking yes/no questions with 吗

A-not-A questions

Question words stay where the answer goes

Saying no with 不

Saying it didn’t happen with 没

有 — having, and there being

的 — whose it is, and which one

Measure words

Numbers

这 and 那 — this and that

Time and place come before the verb

Telling the time, and dates

在 — where something is, and where you do it

也 and 都 — too, and all

想, 要, 会, 能 — wanting and being able

了 — the action finished

请 and 吧 — asking nicely

比 — comparing two things

A2 20 points

了 at the end — something changed

过 — have you ever

在 before the verb — happening now

着 — and it stayed that way

Result complements — 看完, 听懂, 找到

Directional complements — 来 and 去

Potential complements — 听不懂, 找得到

把 — what you did to the thing

被 — the passive, used far less than you would expect

得 — how well you do it

就 and 才 — sooner or later than expected

还是 and 或者 — two words for “or”

因为…所以… and 虽然…但是…

如果…就… — if, then

一…就… — as soon as

是…的 — it was “then”, it was “there”

又, 再 and 还 — three kinds of again

How long you did it for

Saying the verb twice — 看看, 试试

快要…了 — about to happen

B1 20 points

的, 得 and 地 — three de, one sound

越来越 and 越…越… — more and more

除了…以外 — except, and also

连…都 — even

不但…而且… — not only, but also

Verbs that come apart — 见面, 帮忙, 睡觉

起来, 下去 and 出来 when nothing moves

无论 / 不管…都 — no matter what

即使…也 — even if

一边…一边… — two things at once

让 and 使 — making things happen

好像 — seems, and I think

差点儿 — nearly, and nearly not

对…来说, 对于 and 关于 — regarding

通过, 根据 and 按照 — through, according to, in line with

于是, 因此 and 结果 — and so, therefore, in the end

到底 and 难道 — pressing, and disbelieving

呢, 啊 and 嘛 — the words that carry the tone

又…又… — both, and

上, 中 and 里 where there is no place