10 basic Chinese grammar points for

beginners
Hugh Grigg () Published 2013 1 3 (2 years ago)
Here are ten basic Chinese grammar points that everyone interested in the language should know.
If youve recently started learning Chinese, its a good idea to make sure youre familiar with
these points.
The grammar points listed here might make a nice refresher if youve already got a few Chinese
lessons under your belt. Once youve been studying for a while, theyll probably seem very
obvious!

Basic Chinese Grammar 101

o Talk about locations with (zi)
o

Use measure words with nouns

Talk about having things with (yu)

(sh) is not exactly the same as to be

Talk about wanting things with (yo)

Negate (yu) with (mi)

Negate everything else with (b)

Mark possession with (de)

Link nouns with (h)

Ask yes/no questions with (ma)

Basic Chinese Grammar 101

Talk about locations with (zi)

To talk about things being in places, use the word (zi). This is actually a verb, so you dont
need to use any other words to talk about something being somewhere.
The structure is:
[something] [place]
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Have a look at some example:

W zi zhl.
I am here.

N zi nl.
You are there.

Shnghi zi Zhnggu.
Shanghai is in China.

Mo zi shf shng.
The cat is on the sofa.
Notice how English uses the verb to be where Chinese uses . English also uses prepositions
to be in whereas Chinese often just uses .
Use measure words with nouns

Measure words are used whenever you talk about quantities in Chinese. You cant attach
numbers directly to nouns you have to put a measure word in between.
There are different measure words for different categories of things. For example, the measure
word for books is (bn), whilst the measure word for flat things is (zhng).
Luckily, there is also a general purpose measure word: (ge). This can be used for pretty much
everything, but its better to use more specific measure words when you can.
Talk about having things with (yu)

You can talk about having things with the word (yu) to have. Remember that you dont
need to conjugate (change) verbs in Chinese, so is always no matter whom youre talking
about.
The structure is simply:
[subject] [object]
Lets have a look at some example sentences. Notice that the nouns in the sentences have
measure words before them: (ge), (bn) and (b).


W yu y g mimei.
I have a younger sister.

W yu y bn sh.
I have a book.

T yu y b qing!
He has a gun!
Hopefully you wont ever have to use the last example sentence there.
(sh) is not exactly the same as to be

The closest equivalent of the English word to be in Chinese is (sh). This is used to link
nouns to other nouns. The structure is:
[noun] [noun]
Lets have a look at some examples:

W sh xushng.
I am a student.

T sh losh.
He is a teacher.

T sh yshng.
She is a doctor.

Zh sh sh.
This is a book.
Notice how is used to talk about one noun being another. You cant use to link adjectives
to nouns, though, as in this book is heavy. To do that, you have to use (hn).
The basic structure for (hn) is the same as for , but is used with adjectives. Have a look
at some example sentences:


Zh bn sh hn zhng.
This book is heavy.

T hn go.
She is tall.

Wmen hn goxng.
We are happy.
Sometimes is translated as very, but opinions vary on how accurate this is. We think its
simply used to link adjectives to nouns, whilst others think it also intensifies the adjectives.
Talk about wanting things with (yo)

You can talk about directly wanting something with the word (yo). This word is also used to
talk about the future, as in Im going to do something.
is quite versatile and can be used with nouns or verbs:
[subject] [noun]
or
[subject] [action]
Have a look at some examples:

W yo yg snmngzh.
I want a sandwich.

W yo ch snmngzh.
Im going to eat a sandwich / I want to eat a sandwich.

T yo q Bijng.
Shes going to go to Beijing.

Wmen yo zu le.
Were going to leave.
Be careful when using to mean to want, as it could be quite abrupt, just as in English.
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Negate (yu) with (mi)

To talk about not having something, you negate the word (yu) with (mi). Remember
this important point: if you negate , always use . The two words go together.
Examples:

W miyu ch.
I dont have a car.

Tmen miyu qin.

They dont have money.

T miyu xuwi.
He doesnt have a degree.
Thats how you negate . But theres a different word for everything else!
Negate everything else with (b)

Every other verb apart from is negated with (b). is pretty much equivalent to not or
dont in English. It goes before a verb and negates it.
Some examples:

W b xhuan pji.
I dont like beer.

W byo q Niyu.
Im not going to New York.

W b xingnin tmen.
I dont miss them.
Remember to negate with , and everything else with .

Mark possession with (de)

The most common character in Chinese is (de). Thats because is used all the time to mark
possession. That means that its used to talk about things belonging to other things, or to attach
qualities to things.
is extremely versatile in Chinese. Pretty much any relationship where one thing belongs to
another, or is the property of another, can be described with .
is kind of equivalent to s (apostrophe s) in English. It goes between two things to indicate
possession. But its used very widely to attach any kind of quality or possession.
Some examples:

Zh sh nde.
This is yours.

N sh Xio L de sh.
That is Xiao Lis book.

Zh sh wde dinhu hom.

This is my phone number.

Zh sh tmende fngzi.
This is their house.

Zh tio kzi sh his de.

These trousers are black.

T sh yg hn zhngyo de rn.
She is a very important person.
You might want to have a look at a more challenging example sentence for . Dont worry if
this is beyond your ability at the moment, though:

W jntin xu de dngxi hn yuysi.

The things I have learnt today are very interesting.
The main point to remember is that can attach pretty much anything to anything else. Youll
get more used to it the more you read and listen to Chinese.
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Link nouns with (h)

The most common way to express and in Chinese is probably (h). Remember, though, that
can only be used to link nouns. You cant link verbs together with .
is used to link nouns in the same way and is used in English. Some examples:

W h w gg yo q Bijng.
My brother and I are going to Beijing.

W xhuan mfn h mintio.

I like rice and noodles.

W h n yyng.
You and I are the same.
Link nouns with but not verbs. Linking verbs in Chinese is a bit more complicated so we
wont look at it here.
Ask yes/no questions with (ma)

Finally, use (ma) to ask yes / no questions in Chinese. These questions are also known as
polar questions or binary questions. You can turn any statement into a yes / no question simply
by putting at the end.
Some examples:

N xhuan t ma?
Do you like him?

Zh sh nde ma?
Is this yours?

N yo q Shnghi ma?
Are you going to go to Shanghai?