A2 grammar patterns

When the subject is already a large or universal quantity — 很多 (many), 大家 (everyone), 每天 (every day) — Chinese still puts 都 before the verb, even though English has no “all” to translate.

离 (lí) measures the distance between two places: Place A 离 Place B + 远/近 (我家离公司很远 = “my home is far from the office”). The catch is the word order — 离 sits between the two places and 远/近 comes last.

的 (de) isn't only for possession — put an adjective in front of it and it glues that adjective to a noun: Adjective + 的 + Noun (漂亮的女孩 = “a pretty girl”). Drop the noun and 的 means “the … one” (红的 = “the red one”).

跟 (gēn) is the everyday word for doing something “with” a person: Subject + 跟 + Person + Verb (我跟朋友吃饭 = “I eat with friends”). The catch — the “with” phrase comes before the verb, and a few verbs (见面, 结婚, 聊天) can't do without it.

A time word (今天, 明天, 周末, 现在…) has two correct homes — at the front of the sentence or right after the subject — and never the end. 明天我去 and 我明天去 are both right; 我去明天 is wrong.

Added to the end of a statement — usually 好 or 行 — the particle 吧 marks reluctant agreement: 好吧 / 行吧 = “all right / fine then”, accepting something you're not thrilled about.

Beyond questions, 呢 (ne) lands on a STATEMENT to add mood — insistence, reassurance, a “you know!” feeling: 还早呢！(“it's still early!”), 我会做饭呢 (“I can cook, you know!”). Often with 还.

啊 (a) at the end of a sentence adds feeling — exclamation (好漂亮啊！ “so pretty!”), urgency or a warm order (小心啊！ “be careful!”), or concern on a question (你怎么了啊？). The exact tone comes from context.

A third job for 吧 (ba): tacked onto a statement, it SOFTENS your opinion or guess — gentler, more tentative, less blunt. 太贵了吧 (“isn't that a bit pricey?”), 应该是吧 (“probably”), 他是老师吧 (“he's a teacher, right?”).

All three structural particles 的, 得 and 地 are said “de”, and learners — and natives — mix them up constantly. One rule sorts them: 的 before a noun, 得 after a verb, 地 before a verb.

For “from X to Y” — times or places — Chinese pairs 从 (from) with 到 (to): 从 + Start + 到 + End. 从北京到上海 (“from Beijing to Shanghai”), 从九点到五点 (“from 9 to 5”). The phrase goes before the verb.

To say you do one thing then another, Chinese just puts one verb phrase after the next — no connecting word: 我回家吃饭 (“I go home and eat”). The classic trap: don't link verbs with 和 (和 is for nouns).

难 (nán) means “difficult,” but the structure surprises English speakers: it goes right BEFORE the verb — 这个字很难写 (“this character is hard to write”), not “…hard to-write” with a linker. Attach it to a sense verb and it means a bad experience: 难吃 (“tastes bad”), 难听 (“sounds awful”), 难看 (“ugly”).

一起 (yīqǐ) means “together” and sits right before the verb: 我们一起吃饭 (“we eat together”). The catch English speakers miss: 一起 is NOT “with” — it can’t introduce the person. To say who you’re with, use 跟/和 + person, then 一起 + verb: 我跟你一起去 (“I’ll go with you”).

Some Chinese verbs take two objects at once — a recipient and a thing — in a fixed order: 给我一本书 (“give me a book”), 告诉你一个秘密 (“tell you a secret”). The person always comes first, the thing second: Verb + recipient + thing. Transfer verbs can also fuse a 给 onto the verb: 送给我一本书.

一直 (yīzhí) stretches an action or state over one unbroken span of time — you've been doing something “all along,” “the whole time,” or continuously. It sits after the subject, before the verb or adjective.

To say something has already happened or changed, Chinese uses a pair: 已经 (“already”) … 了. The 了 at the end is the part everyone forgets. It works with verbs, adjectives and times.

总是 (zǒngshì) means “always” — every time, a habit, a reliable pattern. It's an adverb, so it comes before the verb; before an adjective it needs a degree word (总是很累).

刚 (gāng) means “just” — something happened a moment ago. It's an adverb, so it sits right before the verb (我刚到 = “I just arrived”). 刚刚 is the same word, a touch more emphatic.

在 (zài) marks an action in progress — Chinese's “-ing”. Subject + 在 + verb (我在吃饭 = “I'm eating”). 正在 (zhèngzài) is the same with a bit more “right now” emphasis.

To say you're doing two things at the same time, Chinese brackets both verbs with 一边: Subject + 一边 + Verb1 + 一边 + Verb2 (我一边走一边唱歌 = “I sing while walking”). 边 is the casual short form.

以后 (yǐhòu) does two jobs: attached to a time or event it means “after” (下班以后 = “after work”), and on its own it means “in the future / from now on” (以后我想去中国). The catch — 以后 comes AFTER the time, not before.

以前 (yǐqián) is the mirror of 以后: attached to a time or event it means “before” (吃饭以前 = “before eating”), and on its own it means “before / in the past / used to” (以前我不会说中文). Like 以后, it comes AFTER the time, not before.

刚才 (gāngcái) is “just now” — a time noun for the very recent past, a few minutes ago (你刚才说什么了？). It moves around the subject, usually takes 了, and — unlike the adverb 刚 — it can even modify a noun: 刚才的事.

的时候 (de shíhou) means “when” or “while” — it marks the time something happens, attached to the END of the time clause: Verb/Adj + 的时候 (我上大学的时候 = “when I was in college”). Unlike English, the “when” comes last.

Telling time hangs on 点 (o'clock) and 分 (minutes): 八点二十分 = 8:20. Add 半 (half), 刻 (quarter), 零 (for minutes under 10) and 差 (“minutes to”) and you can say any time.

A 了 at the END of a sentence means a NEW situation — something has changed. 我饿了 = “I've got hungry”, 下雨了 = “it's raining now”, 我不去了 = “I'm not going anymore”. It's a different 了 from the completed-action one after the verb.

No — 了 marks completion (aspect), not past tense. Right after a verb it says the action is finished: 我买了 (“I('ve) bought it”), 我吃了三个 (“I ate three”). It works in future sentences too.

To say “not anymore”, add the change particle 了 to a negative: 不 + verb (不喝了 = “not drinking anymore”) or 没 + noun (没钱了 = “out of money”). 已经 can add emphasis. Drop the 了 and you lose the “anymore”.

The aspect particle 过 (guo) marks an experience — you've done something at least once, at no particular time: 我去过北京 (“I've been to Beijing”), 你吃过吗？(“have you ever eaten…?”). Negate with 没…过 (“never”).

Repeating a verb makes the action brief, light and casual — “have a little look,” “give it a try.” Three shapes: AA for one-syllable verbs (看看), V一V with 一 inserted (看一看), and ABAB for two-syllable verbs (研究研究 — the whole word, never 研研究究).

Add 一下 (yīxià, said yíxià) after a verb to make the action brief, casual and light: 你看一下这个 (“have a quick look at this”). It’s the easy twin of verb reduplication — 看一下 ≈ 看看 — but it simply tacks on, so it works smoothly with two-syllable verbs too (介绍一下).

了 isn’t only for the past! Paired with 快, 快要, or 要, the sentence-final 了 says something is about to happen: 快下雨了 (“it’s about to rain”), 火车要开了 (“the train’s about to leave”), 天快黑了 (“it’s almost dark”). The 了 marks the imminent change.

差不多 (chàbuduō) means “more or less”, “about” or “almost”. As a predicate it says two things are about the same (A 跟/和 B 差不多); before an adjective, verb or number it softens to “almost” or “around”.

To say two things are the same, Chinese links them with 跟 or 和 and ends with 一样: A 跟/和 B 一样 (我和你一样 = “I'm the same as you”). Add an adjective after 一样 for “as … as” (一样高 = “as tall”).

有点 (yǒudiǎn) means “a bit too…” — Subject + 有点 + adjective (这个菜有点辣 = “this dish is a bit too spicy”). It carries a mild complaint, so the adjective is always something you'd rather wasn't so.

更 (gèng) means “even more…” — 更 + adjective (这个更好 = “this one's even better”). Not just “-er”: 更 adds “even more” on top of an already-high degree. It teams up with 比 (A 比 B 更 Adj).

真 (zhēn) means “really” or “so” — an exclamatory intensifier. 真 + adjective in an exclamation (今天真冷！= “it's so cold today!”). It also fronts feeling verbs and 会/能 (你真会说话！).

A second job for 还 (hái): set it before a “good” word — 好 / 可以 / 行 / 不错 — and it tones that word down to “it's OK / not bad / pretty good” (这个还可以 = “this is OK”). Usually lukewarm — fine, but nothing to rave about.

To compare two things, Chinese uses 比 (bǐ): Noun1 + 比 + Noun2 + Adjective = “Noun1 is more [adj] than Noun2” (我比他高 = “I'm taller than him”). The first noun wins; the adjective stays bare.

没有 (méiyǒu) is the mirror of 比: Noun1 + 没有 + Noun2 + Adjective = “Noun1 is not as [adj] as Noun2” (我没有他高 = “I'm not as tall as him”). The first noun falls short. (Same 没有 as “not have”.)

怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) asks “how is …? / what’s … like?” and it’s a complete question on its own — just put it after the topic: 你最近怎么样？(“how have you been?”), 这家饭馆怎么样？(“how’s this restaurant?”). For an opinion: 你觉得 + topic + 怎么样？(“what do you think of …?”).

Chinese has two words for “not” — 不 (bù) and 没 (méi) — and they're not interchangeable. The key is time: 不 negates the present and future; 没 negates the past and completion.

To tell someone “don't [do something]”, Chinese puts 别 (bié) or 不要 (búyào) before the verb. They mean the same — 别 is quicker and more spoken, 不要 a touch more explicit.

不太 (bù tài) means “not very” or “not so” — a softened negative. Subject + 不太 + adjective (我家不太大 = “my place isn't very big”). It also fronts feeling verbs (不太喜欢 = “don't really like”).

English has one “never”; Chinese splits it by which negator follows 从来. For an ongoing habit, use 从来 + 不: 我从来不喝酒 (“I never drink”). For something missing from your life experience, use 从来 + 没…过: 我从来没去过北京 (“I’ve never been to Beijing”). In casual speech 从来 shrinks to 从 (从不 / 从没).

Chinese splits English “also” into two words. 还 (hái) keeps the same subject and piles on a second, different action (“…and also”). 也 (yě) brings a new subject to the same action (“me too”).

就 (jiù) is “then” in the sense of “so / in that case” — the first clause sets up a situation, and 就 (before the verb) introduces what follows from it. It pairs constantly with 吧 and 了.

To stack two qualities, Chinese repeats 又 before each: Subject + 又 + Adj1 + 又 + Adj2 (他又高又帅 = “he's both tall and handsome”). The two must point the same way — both good or both bad.

或者 (huòzhě) is “or” for statements — laying out alternatives that are all fine: Possibility 1 + 或者 + Possibility 2 (我喝茶或者咖啡都行 = “tea or coffee, either's fine”). For “or” in a question, you need 还是 instead.

Chinese has two everyday words for “but”, and they're interchangeable: 可是 (kěshì) and 但是 (dànshì). Statement，可是/但是 + the contrary statement (我想去，但是太忙了 = “I want to go, but I'm too busy”). 可是 is a touch softer, 但是 a touch more formal.

因为 (yīnwèi) means “because” and marks the cause; 所以 (suǒyǐ) means “so / therefore” and marks the result. The surprise for English speakers: Chinese keeps BOTH in one sentence — 因为下雨，所以我们没去 (“because it rained, so we didn’t go”). You can also use either alone.

To say you can’t understand something, Chinese tucks 不懂 (“not-understand”) right after a verb of perception: 看不懂 (can’t make sense of it by reading), 听不懂 (can’t catch it by ear). The verb names HOW you’re receiving it. Flip 不 to 得 for the positive — 看得懂 (“can understand”).

To say you finished an action, attach 完 (“complete”) right onto the verb: 吃完 (eat up), 看完 (finish reading/watching), 做完 (finish doing). With an object, 完 hugs the verb and 了 goes at the end — 我看完这本书了. Negate with 没 (没看完, “didn’t finish”).

In Chinese, “look” and “see” are different: 看 is the act of looking, 看到 / 看见 is actually seeing. The complement 到 (or 见) marks the RESULT — 听到/听见 (“hear”), 找到 (“find”), 收到 (“receive”). For the senses 到 and 见 are interchangeable; only 到 reaches non-sense verbs. Negate with 没 (没看到).

只 (zhǐ) means “only” — and it's an adverb, so it goes right before the verb (我只喝水 = “I only drink water”), never next to the noun the way English “only” does.

Chinese gets a new number word every four digits, not three: 万 (10,000) and 亿 (100,000,000). So 12,000 is 一万两千 (“1 wàn, 2 thousand”) and a million is 一百万 (“100 wàn”).

Beyond “how many?”, 几 (jǐ) also means “a few / several” — an uncertain small number, usually under ten. It works like a number: 几 + measure word + noun (几个苹果 = “a few apples”), and scales up as 几十, 几百, 几万.

有的 (yǒude) means “some of [a group]” and usually comes in a contrast: 有的…，有的… (“some…, others…”). 这些苹果有的甜，有的酸 (“some of these apples are sweet, some are sour”). 有的人 = “some people.” Different from 一些, which is just a plain quantity (“some / a few”).

每 (měi) means “every / each,” but it’s not just one word: the full shape is 每 + measure word + noun + 都. 每个人都 (“everyone”), 每本书都 (“every book”). Time words that are already measure words — 天, 年, 周, 次 — take 每 directly: 每天, 每年 (never 每个天).

半 (bàn) means “half,” and the whole trick is WHERE it sits. Before the measure word = “half a …”: 半个小时 (half an hour). After the measure word, with a number = “… and a half”: 一个半小时 (an hour and a half). Time words 天 and 年 take 半 directly — 半天, 半年.

Chinese ordinals are wonderfully regular: just put 第 (dì) in front of the number. 第一 (“first”), 第二 (“second”), 第十 (“tenth”). With a thing, add the measure word as usual: 第一个人 (“the first person”), 第三本书. No irregular “-st / -nd / -rd” to memorise.

什么…都 (shénme…dōu) means “everything” or “anything” — and with a negative, “nothing.” Here 什么 isn’t the question “what”; it’s “any,” and 都 sweeps it: 他什么都吃 (“he eats anything”), 我什么都不知道 (“I know nothing”). The 都 is the key — it makes “any” into “all.”

Chinese splits English “can” into three: 会 (a learned skill), 能 (ability or circumstances), and 可以 (permission). Picking the right one is the whole game.

应该 (yīnggāi) is the everyday “should / ought to”: Subject + 应该 + Verb (你应该多休息 = “you should rest more”). It never changes form, negates with 不 (不应该), and also means “should be / probably”.

Use 把 (bǎ) to move a specific, known object in front of the verb and spell out what happened to it: 我把门关上了 (“I closed the door”). The verb almost always needs a result, a direction, or 了 attached, and negation goes before 把.