Chinese grammar: the basic patterns, explained simply
Chinese grammar has no verb conjugations, no plurals, no genders and no tenses in the European sense. What it does have is a fixed word order and a set of small words (particles and measure words) that do a lot of work. Learn the ten patterns below and you can build most sentences you need at HSK 1–3.
By Zoey (Ziqiao Zang), Chinese teacher since 2011
Students often expect Chinese grammar to be the hardest part of the language. It usually isn’t: characters and tones take more time. Chinese grammar is like a set of building blocks with a fixed order. Below are the patterns I teach first, in roughly the order they appear in the HSK levels. Press ▶ to hear any sentence.
What Chinese grammar doesn’t have
Good news first. In Chinese:
- Verbs never change: 我是, 你是, 他是 (I am, you are, he is). No conjugation tables.
- No plurals: 一本书 (one book), 三本书 (three books).
- No articles and no genders: no “the/a”, no masculine or feminine.
- No tenses: 我昨天去 (I went yesterday), 我明天去 (I’ll go tomorrow). The verb stays the same; the time word does the work.
1. Basic word order: subject, time, place, verb, object
The skeleton of a basic Chinese grammar sentence is subject, verb, object, as in English. But time and place come before the verb, not at the end.
| ▶ | Sentence | Pinyin | English | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 我学习中文。 | Wǒ xuéxí Zhōngwén. | I study Chinese. | S + V + O | |
| 我明天学习中文。 | Wǒ míngtiān xuéxí Zhōngwén. | I will study Chinese tomorrow. | S + time + V + O | |
| 我明天在家学习中文。 | Wǒ míngtiān zài jiā xuéxí Zhōngwén. | I will study Chinese at home tomorrow. | S + time + place + V + O |
2. 是 (shì): “to be” with nouns only
是 links two nouns: 我是老师。Wǒ shì lǎoshī. (I am a teacher). It is not used with adjectives. “I am busy” is 我很忙, not 我是忙.
3. Adjectives with 很 (hěn)
Adjectives work like verbs, and in a simple statement they usually take 很: 中文很有意思。Zhōngwén hěn yǒu yìsi. (Chinese is interesting). Here 很 does not really mean “very”; it just completes the sentence.
4. Questions: 吗, question words, and A-not-A
Chinese questions keep the normal word order.
| ▶ | Question type | Example | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Add 吗 | 你是学生吗？ | Nǐ shì xuésheng ma? | Are you a student? | |
| Question word in place | 你叫什么名字？ | Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | What is your name? | |
| Question word in place | 你住在哪儿？ | Nǐ zhù zài nǎr? | Where do you live? | |
| Verb + 不 + verb | 你去不去？ | Nǐ qù bu qù? | Are you going or not? | |
| Follow-up with 呢 | 我很好，你呢？ | Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne? | I am fine, and you? |
Where English moves “where” to the front, Chinese leaves 哪儿 exactly where the answer goes: 我住在阿姆斯特丹.
5. Negation: 不 and 没
- 不 (bù) negates the present, the future, habits and adjectives: 我不喝咖啡。Wǒ bù hē kāfēi. (I don’t drink coffee.)
- 没 (méi) negates the past and the verb 有: 我昨天没去。Wǒ zuótiān méi qù. (I didn’t go yesterday.) · 我没有时间 (I don’t have time).
6. Measure words
Between a number (or 这/那) and a noun, Chinese needs a measure word: 一个人 (one person), 两本书 (two books), 这杯咖啡 (this cup of coffee).
| ▶ | Measure word | Pinyin | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 个 | gè | people and the general default | 三个朋友 | |
| 本 | běn | books, notebooks | 一本书 | |
| 杯 | bēi | cups and glasses | 两杯茶 | |
| 张 | zhāng | flat things: tables, tickets, paper | 一张票 | |
| 只 | zhī | many animals | 一只猫 | |
| 件 | jiàn | clothes on the upper body, matters | 一件衣服 |
If you don’t know the right one, 个 is understood almost everywhere; teachers will smile and correct you.
7. 的 (de): possession and description
的 links a describing word to the noun after it, like “‘s” or “of”: 我的老师 (my teacher), 很贵的咖啡 (expensive coffee). With close relationships it is often dropped: 我妈妈 (my mum).
8. 了 (le): completed action and change
了 is the particle every learner struggles with, because it is not a past tense. It has two main uses:
- After the verb: the action is completed. 我买了两本书。Wǒ mǎi le liǎng běn shū. (I bought two books.)
- At the end of the sentence: a new situation. 下雨了。Xià yǔ le. (It has started raining.) · 我饿了 (I’m hungry now).
A habitual past action takes no 了: 我以前常常去中国 (I used to go to China often).
9. 过 (guo) and 在 (zài): experience and progress
- 过: you have done something at some point. 你去过北京吗？Nǐ qù guo Běijīng ma? (Have you ever been to Beijing?)
- 在 / 正在 + verb: something is happening now. 我在学中文。Wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén. (I am learning Chinese.)
10. Comparing with 比 (bǐ)
A 比 B + adjective: 中文比英文难。Zhōngwén bǐ Yīngwén nán. (Chinese is harder than English.) Note: no 很 here. To say “much harder”, add 多了 or 得多 at the end: 难多了.
Chinese grammar patterns at the next level
Once these are solid, HSK 3–4 adds patterns like these:
| ▶ | Pattern | Example | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complement of degree: V + 得 + adj. | 你说得很好。 | Nǐ shuō de hěn hǎo. | You speak very well. | |
| 把: doing something to an object | 请把门关上。 | Qǐng bǎ mén guānshang. | Please close the door. | |
| 被: the passive | 我的自行车被偷了。 | Wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi tōu le. | My bike was stolen. | |
| 就: sooner than expected | 他八点就来了。 | Tā bā diǎn jiù lái le. | He came already at eight. | |
| 才: later than expected | 他十点才来。 | Tā shí diǎn cái lái. | He didn't come until ten. | |
| 虽然…但是… | 虽然很难，但是很有意思。 | Suīrán hěn nán, dànshì hěn yǒu yìsi. | Although it's hard, it's interesting. | |
| 如果…就… | 如果下雨，我们就不去了。 | Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù le. | If it rains, we won't go. |
The 被 sentence (passive) is often used for unpleasant events, like the stolen bike above, a very Amsterdam example. 就 and 才 are small words that add a lot of feeling: 就 says “already, as early as”, 才 says “only then, finally”.
How to learn Chinese grammar
- One pattern at a time. Learn the pattern, read ten examples, then make five of your own.
- Follow the HSK order. The patterns above roughly follow HSK 1 to 4. My HSK 1 and HSK 3 pages list the key grammar per level.
- Use a good reference. The free Chinese Grammar Wiki is the best Chinese grammar website; for books, Chinese Grammar in Use style workbooks and the HSK Standard Course give practice.
- Speak it. Grammar you only read stays passive. In lessons, I build each pattern into short conversations so that you use it, get corrected, and then use it again.
- Test yourself. Translate short sentences from English into Chinese, then check: that is the best Chinese grammar practice there is.
Want to go through these patterns with feedback? Start with the Chinese course for beginners.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chinese grammar easy?
In some ways, yes: verbs never change form, there are no plurals, articles or genders, and tense is shown with time words. The difficulties are elsewhere: strict word order, measure words, and particles like 了 whose use depends on meaning rather than on a simple rule. Most learners find basic Mandarin grammar easier than in European languages and advanced grammar subtler.
Does Chinese have tenses?
Not in the European sense. Chinese verbs do not change for past, present or future. Time is shown with time words (yesterday, tomorrow, now) and with aspect particles: 了 for a completed action or a change, 过 for something you have experienced, 在 or 正在 for an ongoing action.
What is the basic word order in Chinese?
Subject, time, place, verb, object: 我明天在家学习中文, literally "I tomorrow at home study Chinese". The order is the same in questions; you add 吗 at the end or replace the unknown part with a question word.
What is the best way to learn Chinese grammar?
Learn patterns, not rules: one sentence pattern at a time, with many examples, until you can produce it yourself. Follow the order of the HSK levels, use a reference like the Chinese Grammar Wiki, and practise each pattern in speaking with a teacher who corrects you.
Learn with Zoey
One-to-one or in a small group, online or in Amsterdam by arrangement. Tell Zoey what you want to achieve and she will suggest a plan.
Keep reading
-
Beginners
Start from zero: pinyin, tones, your first characters and real conversations.
-
HSK 1
Word list, grammar, exam format and sample questions.
-
HSK 3
Word list, grammar, exam format and sample questions.
-
Best apps to learn Chinese
An honest review of Duolingo, HelloChinese, Pleco, Anki and free resources.
About the author
Zoey (Ziqiao Zang, 臧子乔) has taught Chinese as a foreign language since 2011 and in the Netherlands since 2016. She holds a Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages from Zhejiang Normal University and set up and ran an official HSK online exam centre with more than 250 candidates.