Learn a little Chinese every day
Grammar Point:In Mandarin Chinese, time is expressed by stating the hour first, followed by the minute, in a “big to small” order, just like in English. Time Hour + 點/点 diǎn + Minute + 分 fēn When expressing the time, you can use the structure mentioned above to indicate a specific time. However, if you…
Grammar Point:In Mandarin Chinese, week of days can be expressed in three different ways, which is 星期 xīngqíqī, 禮拜礼拜 lǐbài, and 週周 zhōu. All three systems follow a simple pattern and are easy to remember! (In comparison to English😎) 星期 xīngqí/xīngqī 星期 xīngqíqī literally means “star period” and originally referred to the seven-day planetary cycle…
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 還还 hái and 也 yě The word “also” in Chinese can be translated as 還还 hái or 也 yě. Both are commonly used to indicate inclusion or addition. Both 也 yě and 還还 hái mean “also,” but they show up in different contexts: 也…
“Don’t” in Chinese 別 bié — OneDotDot Chinese OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 別 bié 別 bié is how Mandarin tells someone not to do something — or to stop doing something they’re already doing. The good news: 別 bié almost always works the same way — put it…
Grammar Point:In Mandarin Chinese, dates are expressed in the order of year, month, and day, from big to small. This is the opposite order to how dates are expressed in English. Year In Mandarin Chinese, years are typically read as a series of individual digits. However, when referring to a year period, we would read…
Grammar Point:In Chinese, numbers are typically structured in a straightforward and consistent manner. Here are the basic elements and rules for constructing Chinese numbers: Basic numerals: Chinese has a set of basic numerals that are used to represent the digits from 0 to 9. They are: 0️⃣ 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ 4️⃣ 零líng零líng 🔊 一yī一yī 🔊…
Grammar Point:Mandarin Chinese has a relatively small number of pronouns, and unlike many European languages, there is no need to worry about subject-verb agreement. I and You 我wǒ我wǒI 我的wǒde我的wǒdemy 我wǒ我wǒme 你nǐ你nǐyou 你的nǐde你的nǐdeyour 你nǐ你nǐyou 我wǒ愛ài你nǐ我wǒ爱ài你nǐI love you. 我的wǒde狗gǒu我的wǒde狗gǒuMy dog. 我wǒ喜歡xǐhuān你的nǐde錢qián我wǒ喜欢xǐhuan你的nǐde钱qiánI like your money. Note: You may have noticed that there are two ways to say “you”…
Grammar Point:There are six different ways to ask yes-no questions in Chinese, and the choice of which one to use can depend on factors such as location, occasion, and the people being spoken to. Structure S + V + O + 嗎/吗 ma This is the most simple and common yes-no question asking whether the…
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…
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？…