Mandarin grammar

Every grammar guide of Lingora’s Mandarin A1 course, with examples you can listen to.

01Question Marker '吗'The particle 吗 (ma) is a structural word placed at the very end of a sentence to turn a statement into a Yes/No question. It is one of the most…
02ClassifiersIn English, certain nouns require a "measure word" to be counted, such as "a slice of pizza," "a cup of tea," or "a pair of pants." In Mandarin, this…
03Possessives with '的'The particle 的 (de) is one of the most common characters in the language. Its primary function is to indicate possession or a structural relationship…
04Plural Pronouns with '们'To make singular pronouns plural in Mandarin Chinese, you add the suffix 们 (men) to the end of the word. This character is pronounced with a neutral tone…
05Progressive Tense with '在'To describe an action that is happening right now, place the word 在 (zài) directly before the verb. This functions similarly to the English structure…
06Changed State with '了'When 了 (le) appears at the very end of a sentence, it functions as a "Change of State" marker. It indicates that a new situation exists now that did not…
07Adjectives as AttributesIn Mandarin Chinese, adjectives are placed before the noun they modify. The particle 的 (de) serves as a structural connector between the description (the…
08Indicating Results with '到'In Chinese, many action verbs only describe the process of doing something, not the result. To indicate that an action has been completed successfully or…
09Perfect Tense with '了'The particle 了 (le) is one of the most frequently used words in Mandarin Chinese. Its primary function when placed immediately after a verb is to…
10Continuous State with '着'The particle 着 (zhe) is an aspect marker placed immediately after a verb. It indicates that an action is continuing or that a state persists. While it is…
11Imperatives with '吧'The particle 吧 (ba) is a grammatical tool placed at the very end of a sentence to modify its tone. In Mandarin, using a verb by itself can often sound…
12Emphasis with '了'While the particle 了 (le) is frequently used to indicate a change of state or a completed action, it also serves a crucial function in adding emphasis,…
13Noun Phrases with '的'The particle 的 (de) is a structural word used to modify nouns. It connects a description—whether it is a possessor, an adjective, or a complex phrase—to…
14Expressing Experience with '过'The particle 过 (guò) is used to indicate that an action has been experienced in the past. It emphasizes that the subject has done something at least…
15Making Suggestions with '呢'The particle 呢 (ne) is a versatile sentence-final particle in Mandarin. It has a neutral tone and is used to ask reciprocal questions, inquire about…
16Emphasizing an Object with '把'The 把 (bǎ) sentence structure is a unique feature of Chinese grammar used to emphasize what happens to a specific object. In a standard sentence, the…
17Negation with '没'The particle 没 (méi) is one of the two main negative particles in Mandarin Chinese. It has two specific functions: negating the verb "to have" and…
18Expressing Degree with '得'To indicate whether a result is possible or impossible to achieve, Chinese uses a structure known as the "Potential Complement." This involves placing 得…
19The Linking Verb '是'是 (shì) means "to be" and is used to equate or identify: 他是老师 (tā shì lǎo·shī) — he is a teacher. It links a subject to a noun, never to an…
20Demonstratives: '这' and '那'这 (zhè) — this, and 那 (nà) — that. Before a noun, they require a classifier: 这个人 (zhè·ge rén) — this person, 那本书 (nà běn shū) — that book. As…
21The Adverb '很'很 (hěn) means "very" but serves a second, crucial role: it is required before a lone adjective as a filler, even when no emphasis is intended. 我很好 (wǒ…
22Question WordsMandarin question words stay in place — no word order change needed. The main ones are 什么 (shén·me) — what, 谁 (shéi) — who, 哪里 (nǎ·li) — where, 怎么…
23Conjunctions: '和' and '但'和 (hé) means "and" but only connects nouns or noun phrases, not full clauses: 狗和猫 (gǒu hé māo) — dogs and cats. To link clauses, use words like 还…
24Negation with '不'不 (bù) negates present, future, and habitual actions: 我不喝咖啡 (wǒ bù hē kā·fēi) — I don't drink coffee. For past or completed actions, use 没 (méi)…
25Modal VerbsModal verbs go before the main verb and never change form. The key ones are 会 (huì) — can (learned skill) / will, 能 (néng) — can…
26The Adverb '也'也 (yě) means "also" or "too" and always goes before the verb, never at the end of the sentence: 他也在睡觉 (tā yě zài shuì·jiào) — he is also sleeping.…
27Verbs with a Built-in ObjectEnglish verbs like "to eat" or "to read" are complete on their own. Many Mandarin verbs are not: they arrive as a pair, a verb followed by a plain…