Chinese Key Grammar Points

Follows a S-V-O sentence structure (SVO)

Use of measure words (classifier) when counting or specifying nouns

Some common Measure Words/Quantifiers are:

個 (gè) - General classifier for people and most objects.

只 (zhī) - Used for animals and one of a pair.

本 (běn) - Used for books, magazines, and other bound items.

張 (zhāng) - Used for flat objects like paper, photos, and tables.

杯 (bēi) - Used for cups, glasses, and drinks.

輛 (liàng) - Used for vehicles like cars, bikes, and motorcycles.

瓶 (píng) - Used for bottles and similar containers.

把 (bǎ) - Used for objects with handles, like umbrellas, chairs, and knives.

匹 (pǐ) - Used for horses and long, narrow objects like scarves or belts.

件 (jiàn) - Used for clothing and items of clothing.

了 (le) - For completed actions

過 (guò) - For experienced actions

不 (bù) - no, not

没有 (méi yǒu) - no, have not, there is not, less than, not to exist

的 (de) - Is used to indicate possession or modification

Is used to indicate completion, possibility, or direction

嗎 (ma) - For yes-no questions

呢 (ne) - For seeking further information or confirmation

可以 (kěyǐ) - For permission

能 (néng) - For ability

應該 (yīnggāi) - For obligation

Conjunctions like:

和 (hé) - For “and”

但是 (dànshì) - For “but”

因為 (yīnwèi) - For “because”

Is used for emphasis or indicating repetition

While Chinese doesn’t have tense markers in the same way as many other languages, aspect markers such as:

了 (le) and 過 (guò) often convey information about the timing or completion of actions

Are particles added to the end of sentences to indicate mood or attitude.

吧 (ba) - For suggestions or softening requests

呀 (ya) - For emphasis or surprise

啊 (a) - For expressing realization or drawing attention

Is used to indicate the object of an action and often implies a change in the state of the object.

比 (bǐ) - Used to indicate comparison between two things

最 (zuì) - Is used to indicate superlatives

Besides 的 (de) - there are possessive pronouns like:

我的 (wǒ de) for “my”

你的 (nǐ de) for “your” and so on

了 (le) or 著 (zhe) - Is used to indicate the duration of an action

如果 (rúguǒ) - For “if”

要是 (yàoshi) - For “if” or “in case,”

如果…就 (rúguǒ…jiù) for “if…then” constructions

因為…所以 (yīnwèi…suǒyǐ) for “because…so”

由於 (yóuyú) for “due to” or “owing to”

Use 為了 (wèile) - For “in order to” or “for the purpose of”

By using 可能 (kěnéng) - For “maybe” or “possible”

會 (huì) - For indicating future possibility or probability