OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 2 Grammar Point · HSK 2 Chinese Personal Pronouns 2自己自己 zìjǐ — Myself, Yourself, Oneself One word covers myself, yourself, himself and themselves — 自己自己 zìjǐ stays the same no matter who you’re talking about. 自己自己 zìjǐ does three jobs: it says someone did something by themselves, that an action…
Author: tiffany
Pronouns in Chinese 1
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 Chinese Personal Pronouns 1我我 wǒ, 你你 nǐ, 您您 nín, 他他 tā, 她她 tā, 它它 tā, 我們我们 wǒmen, 你們你们 nǐmen, 他們他们 tāmen, 她們她们 tāmen, 它們它们 tāmen & 大家大家 dàjiā Mandarin Chinese has a relatively small number of pronouns, and unlike many European languages, there is…
Yes-No Questions in Chinese
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 Yes-No Questions — 嗎吗 ma, 不不 bù & 沒有没有 méiyǒu There are six common ways to ask a yes-no question in Chinese. Which one you pick depends on what you want to imply, where you are, and who you’re talking to. Chinese doesn’t change…
都 dōu Grammar
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 都 dōu 都 dōu is Chinese’s word for “all” or “both.” The good news: 都 dōu almost always works the same way — place it right after whichever noun(s) it’s summing up, whether that’s the subject or a list of objects. Just remember: a…
Use 把 bǎ or not Practice
Grammar Practice · Sentence Structure 把把 bǎ or Not Practice The 把 bǎ construction moves the object in front of the verb: 把 + object + verb (+ result). It’s used when a sentence describes what happens to a specific, already-known thing — moving it, placing it, finishing it off, breaking it. A general or…
Complement Practice
TouchHover over the space to see the answers. Fill in the correct Potential Complements or Result Complements 我wǒ去qù了le好hǎo幾jǐ家jiā店diàn， 就是jiùshì( 沒買到méimǎidào) 你nǐ喜歡xǐhuān的de那nà種zhǒng花huā我wǒ去qù了le好hǎo几jī家jiā店diàn， 就是jiùshì( 没买到méimǎidào) 你nǐ喜欢xǐhuan的de那nà种zhǒng花huāI went to several stores, but I couldn’t find the type of flower you like. 那nà種zhǒng花huā在zài台灣Táiwān( 買不到mǎibúdào) ， 要yào去qù國外guówài才cái有yǒu那nà种zhǒng花huā在zài台湾Táiwān( 买不到mǎibudào) ， 要yào去qù国外guówài才cái有yǒuThat kind of flower can’t be found in Taiwan, you have…
Potential Complements Practice
TouchHover over the space to see the answers. Fill in the correct Potential Complements and verbs 你的nǐde車chē很hěn小xiǎo， ( 坐不下zuòbúxià) 五wǔ個ge人rén你的nǐde车chē很hěn小xiǎo， ( 坐不下zuòbuxià) 五wǔ个ge人rénYour car is too small, it can’t seat five people. 我wǒ剛gāng到dào日本rìběn的時候deshíhòu， ( 吃不了chībùliǎo) 生魚片shēngyúpiàn， 現在xiànzài已經yǐjīng習慣xíguàn多duō了le我wǒ刚gāng到dào日本rìběn的时候deshíhou， ( 吃不了chībuliǎo) 生鱼片shēngyúpiàn， 现在xiànzài已经yǐjīng习惯xíguàn多duō了leWhen I first arrived in Japan, I couldn’t eat sashimi, but now I’m used to…
剛剛 gānggāng and 刚 gāng
Grammar Points:The words “剛刚 gāng” and “剛剛刚刚 gānggāng” are used to indicate an action that has just happened a short while ago. However, there are some subtle differences in their meanings and usage: 剛/刚 gāng It is an adverb that can only be used before a verb or adjctive and after a subject. It emphasizes…
Expressing “either…or” with 或者 huòzhě
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 “Or” in Chinese 2 — 或或 huò & 或者或者 huòzhě In questions, “or” is 還是还是 háishì. In statements, Chinese uses 或者或者 huòzhě, or its shorter, more written form 或或 huò. Use 或者或者 huòzhě when you’re giving options, not asking someone to choose: “You can…
Expressing “or” with 還是/还是 háishì
Grammar Point:還是还是 háishì is a Chinese phrase that can have a few different meanings. In this article, we are going to talk about its usage in questions, where it is typically translated to “or” in English. Structure Option 1 + 還是/还是 + Option 2 你nǐ愛ài他tā還是háishì我wǒ？ 你nǐ爱ài他tā还是háishì我wǒ？ Who do you love, him or me? 你nǐ要yào喝hē咖啡kāfēi還是háishì茶chá？ 你nǐ要yào喝hē咖啡kāfēi还是háishì茶chá？…