Conversational Chinese Grammar Text

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Table of ContentsUnit page

Introduction to Studying Chinese 8

Summary of this Book 15

Unit 1 Greetings, Names and Titles 26

Addressing friends, family and coworkers 27

Statements 27

Negative Statements 27

Questions 28

Unit 2 To Be Sentences 29

To Be an noun 30

And / Also / All (Statements) 30

OR (Statements) 30


Questions 31

Unit 3 Showing Possession (de) 34Negative Statements 35Questions 35

Unit 4 Numbers and Measure Words 37

The Number one 38

The Number two 38

Measure Words 38

Unit 5 Adjectives 39

To Be an Adjective 40


Questions 42

General Rules for Modifying Nouns 43(sh)(de) 43


Questions 44

Using (de) with Adjectives 44

Adjectives that are Modified by Degree 45

Measure Words and Adjectives 45

Example Sentences 46

Unit 6 Comparisons 47

Comparing Two Things 50

Questions 50Comparing Two Things () 51

Questions 51

A is equal to or greater than B () 51

A is less than B () 52

Questions 52

Stating Two Things are the Same (/ ) 53

Stating Two Things are not the Same () 54

Questions 55

Relatively / Comparatively () 56


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Progression () 56

Unit 7 To Have () Sentences 57


Questions 58

Unit 8 Days and Dates 60

Months and Days 60Dates and Years 62

Questions 62

Unit 9 Time 64

Stating the Time 64

Length of Time 66

Questions 66

Unit 10 Action Verb Sentences 67

Habitual / Intentional Actions 67

Time Phrases 68


Questions 69

Unit 11 Action Verb Sentences - Actions in Progress 72


Questions 75

Unit 12 Action Verb Sentences () () 78

Completed Actions () 78


Questions 82

Actions (as part of past experience) () 86


Questions 86Describing a situation () 88

Unit 13 Using (le) to indicate a change of state 89

Unit 14 To Be at a Place 91

as a Verb 91


Questions 92

Habitual or Intentional Actions 92

Actions in Progress 93

Completed Actions 93

Negative Statements 93Questions 94

Unit 15 There is (there exists) (, , ) 95

There is (there exists) 96

Beside 97

Opposite () 98

Between 98

There is not 99

Is not beside 100

Is not opposite 100


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Is not between 101

Questions 102

Unit 16 Over / On / Under / Below / In / Out 103


Questions 106

Unit 17 Actions in a Continuing State () 108Negative Statements 110

Questions 111


Unit 18 How Often / How Many Times 114

Often 114


How Often 115

How Many Times 117

Normally / Usually 117

Questions 118

Unit 19 How / Why / Like / Dislike 120

Expressing Purpose (Why) 121


Questions 121

Expressing Means and Method 123


Questions 124

Stating Likes and Dislikes 125


Questions 126

Unit 20 Compliment of Potentiality () 127Sentences with no Action 127Negative Statements 128

Questions 128

Sentences with Potential Action 129

Unit 21 Comparisons 130

Two Actions (A is greater than B) () 130

Two Actions (A is not greater than B) () 131

Questions 132

Two Actions (A is equal to or greater than B) (/ ) 132

Questions 133

Stating that two actions are the same () 134

Stating Two Actions are the not Same () 135

Questions 135

Unit 22 Verb Compliment of Results 136

Section 1 Verbs and Adjectives 138

Verbs 138

Adjectives 139

Section 2 Verb Compliment of Results 140


Questions 143


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Section 3 Using Compliment of Results 144

and Compliments of Potentiality

Unit 23 Directional Verbs (and ) 148

Habitual or Intentional Actions 149

Actions in Progress 149

Completed Actions 149Negative Statements 149

Questions 149

Unit 24 Will / Want / Think / Should / Must (Auxiliary Verbs) 151

Section 1 Verbs 152

Want (verb - ) 152


Questions 152

Think (verb - ) 153


Questions 154Think / Opinion (verb -/ ) 154


Questions 155

Need (verb - ) 156

Need (verb - - di) 156


Questions 157

Section 2 Auxiliary Verbs 157

Want / Will - Auxiliary Verbs (/ ) 157


Questions 158

Should - Auxiliary verbs (/ ) 159


Questions 159

Must - Auxiliary Verb () 160


Questions 161

Unit 25 Can / Able / Possible / Probable / Will (Auxiliary Verbs) 162

Can (ability or knowledge) Verb () 163

Can (Auxiliary Verb) () 163

Negative Statements 163Questions 164

Possibly / Probably (Auxiliary Verb - ) 164


Questions 165

Can (Auxiliary Verb - ) 165


Questions 166

Possibility (may / can) (Auxiliary Verb - ) 167



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Questions 167

Possible / Not Possible - (lio) 168


Unit 26 If / Then / Because / Don't / Other / But / Still 171

Because So () 172

If Then () () () 173

Then () () () 175

Don't () 179

Other () () 179

But () 179

Still / Yet / Also / Emphasis () 180

Unit 27 Before / After / While / When 181

Before () 181

After () 181

While () 182

When / While () 183

Questions 183

Unit 28 Repetition of Actions () () 184

(zi) and (yu) 184

(yu) - two actions happen in succession 185

The difference between and 185

two situations that occur at the same time 186

used to indicate a continuation of actions 186

Unit 29 From / To / With 187

From () 187From () 188

With () 188

Near / Nearby (/ ) 189

Unit 30 Simple Compliments of Direction (and ) 190

and Compound Compliments of Direction

Simple Compliments of Direction (and ) 190

Compound Compliments of Direction 192


Supplemental Words 193

Unit 31 Durations of Actions 199Unit Summary 199


Unit 32 Modifying Verbs () 218


Single syllable adjectives (de) 220

Reduplicated Single Syllable Adjectives 220

Two Syllable Adjectives with Verbs (de) 220

Reduplicated Two Syllable Adjectives 221



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Unit 33 (b) Sentences 223

(b) sentences 226

Rules of (b) sentences 226

Using in (b) sentences 227

Auxiliary Verbs in

(b) sentences 229Time Phrases in (b) sentences 231


Questions 232

Commands and Requests 239

To Give Something to Someone 246

Auxiliary Verbs and the Particle (le) 247

Verb compliments of results 247


Sentences that must use 249

Compound Compliment of Direction 253

Unit 34 (bi) Sentences 259Comparison of Active and Passive voice 260

Summary of rules for simple (bi) sentences 260

Using (rng) and (jio) 261


Questions 263


AppendicesAppendix A Pinyin

Appendix B Advance Measure WordsAppendix C Shopping and Money

Appendix D Numbers in Use

Appendix E Large and Small Numbers

Pinyin Pronunciation Chart

Glossary

Pinyin is a phonetic representation of Chinese characters, it is not proper Chinese. In

the material in these books, we have only capitalized pinyin spellings that are

normally used as such in English. Those words are limited to the names of cities, such

as Beijing and Shanghai and family names.

In this text, we have used the more common pronunciation (shi) for the character

instead of (shu). In dialogs, the pinyin representations for (y) and (b) have

been changed to reflect the way they are spoken in conversation. (Reference:

Grammar Text Appendix A Tone Change Rules)


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Introduction to Studying ChineseWhile there are many dialects of Chinese spoken throughout China, Mandarin is the

official language and most universally spoken in the country. As a written language, it

is universal to all the dialects. Chinese writing does not use letters; it uses ideographic

symbols called characters. Each character is one syllable. There is a phonetic systemfor the characters that uses letters. This system, called pinyin, allows one to learn

pronunciation without much difficulty. Looking at the example below, it is apparent

that learning to speak Chinese is much easier than learning to read or write the

language.

Chinese Pinyin English

Characters Phonetic Representation Meaning

cn tng cafeteria

TonesIn the example above, notice that each pinyin syllable has a mark over it. In the pinyin

pronunciation system, tones are accounted for by tone marks above each syllable. If

no tone mark is used, the tone is neutral. A neutral tone is spoken lightly. The tone

marks are shown below.

first tone second tone third tone fourth tone


Each tone has both pitch and inflection as the diagram below illustrates: 1st - a high,

flat tone, 2nd - a rising tone, 3rd - a tone that combines a falling and a rising inflection,

4th - a falling tone and a neutral tone that is soft and light.

1st tone high 5

y shng

P 4 4

2nd tone I I

r shng T 3 3

C C3rd tone H 2 2

sn shng

low 1

1st

2nd

4th

3rd

4th tone T I M E

s shng


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The example below shows how different tones distinguish words that are otherwise

pronounced alike.

1sttone 2ndtone 3rdtone 4thtone

d d d dto droop to answer to hit big

In China, you will often see pinyin writing on signs under characters. Pinyin spellings

are included on hotel signs, advertisements, road signs and buildings; however, tone

marks are only used in books, not on signs. People's names as well as city names,

such as Beijing and Shanghai, will appear in English writing as their pinyin

spellings.

The importance of using correct tones when speaking cannot be overemphasized.

Using incorrect tones makes it nearly impossible to understand what is being said.

For example, in the sentence below, notice how changing the tone of han changes

the meaning of the sentence.

Can you speak hny? 4thtone means. Can you speak Chinese?

Can you speak hny? 2ndtone means. Can you speak Korean?

PronunciationMost Chinese books for beginners have pinyin charts. All the sounds that are possible

to speak are on the chart. The easiest way to master pronunciation is to learn all the

sounds on the pinyin chart first. Learn to listen for them and learn to speak them. It

helps to review the rules, which are quite simple, at the beginning of your program.

This helps avoid confusion later on. For instance, the "un" in "gun" is not

pronounced the same as the the "un" in "xun". An explanation of this chart is

given in the first appendix of this book.

After that, practice by repeating audio material and reading sentences aloud. First,listening is improved, particularly in getting used to hearing tones. Additionally,

speaking the texts helps in two ways. First, speaking develops the mouth muscles

needed to say sounds that are unfamiliar. For instance, English has no equivalent

sound for the (u) in (yu) (month). Making this sound requires drawing in the

cheek muscles in a way not familiar to native English speakers. After speaking a

sound several times, the mouth muscles get used to it, and in time, it is gets easier.

Second and most importantly, English speakers aren't used to using tones. Repeating

the texts helps develop the habit of speaking the tones.


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After understanding how pinyin works, it is tempting to simply ignore characters in

your Chinese study program. While pinyin is indispensable when studying Mandarin,

Chinese characters are not the same as words. Very few spoken Chinese programs rely

solely on pinyin. This is true because a working knowledge of characters simplifies all

grammar explanations as well as vocabulary acquisition. While it isn't necessary tolearn to read or write proficiently, knowing how characters are manipulated to form

words and grammatical structures makes learning to speak Chinese much easier.

CharactersEach character represents a word or an idea. Many characters, in their monosyllabic

form, have meaning - but are not typically used alone. For instance, (xi) means

"summer". However, "I like summer" is expressed as I like (xi tin). In this

case, their monosyllabic forms are only used when listing them.

Bijng yu sg jji chn xi qi dng.Beijing has four seasons spring, summer, autumn, winter

When listing things, in general, it is common to see or hear monosyllabic word forms.

On buses and subways there is usually a sign that says, please offer your seat to

(lo ru bng cn yn) (old, sick ,weak, disabled, pregnant). Each of these

individual characters has meaning when used alone, but are only used alone when in a

list. If one of these groups of people were mentioned, separately, they would use the

following multi-syllabic phrases:

lo nin rn senior citizens shn t x ru de rn weak people shng bng de rn sick people cn j rn disabled hui yn de f n pregnant womenConsider the following mono-syllabic words:

lo old zhng middle nin year rn person(s)

The following multi-syllabic words seem fairly intuitive

zhng nin rn middle aged person(s)

lo nin rn old aged person(s)

If both groups are referred to at the same time, a multi-syllabic phase is used to

express the combination of the groups as:


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zhng lo nin rn both old age and middle aged person(s)

"Tea is enjoyed by many (zhng lo nin rn). "

Another example: the two syllable word for China is (zhng gu), the two

syllable word for France is (fgu). When referring to relations between the two

countries the first syllable of each word is used form the multi-syllabic phrase, "

(zhng f)", as in the sentence, "(zhng f) (Sino-French) relations are very

good" . The word for desk is (zhuz) and the word for chair is (yzi)

but when referring to desks and chairs (zhuy) is used as in the sentence

This room has no(zhuy).

The examples above illustrate the tendency of the language to be brief. Chinese have

a penchant for brevity and often shorten expressions. Similar to when people in the

U.S. are discussing a state university, it isn't uncommon to hear the word "state" being

used in place of a university's name. This is much more common in Chinese than in

English. For example, (Bi jng tshgun) [Beijing library] becomes (bi t) or when referring to the bus stop for students going to the national

college entrance exams, (go kode xu shngchzhn) [collegeentrance exam student bus stop] you will hear, (ko shng zhn). This way of

making phrases, by dropping characters and combining them, is also how words are

formed.

To create a single multi-syllabic word, single characters are taken from other multi-

syllabic words and combined in the same way as the phrases discussed above. For

instance, (xydin), is a multi-syllabic word that means "laundry shop". The

words for "shop" and "clothes" are have two characters each; however, only one

character from each word is used to form the words "laundry shop".

wash clothes shop laundry shop

(x) (yfu) (shng din)

(x) (y) (din) (xydin)

The list below further illustrates how this works. Knowing these associations helpssimplify learning new words. Notice that in the word (yfu), (f) is spoken in

the neutral tone and in the word (f w), (f) is spoken in the 2ndtone.

y rain

xi y to rain

yy raincoat

y clothes

d big


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words easier, as well as avoiding confusion through wrong associations.

While it isn't necessary to learn to read or write proficently, when learning to speak

Chinese, a familiarity with characters helps immensely in understanding the language

and avoiding confusion. Deciding to include characters in a course of study brings up

the question "how can a beginner remember new characters?"

RadicalsWhen people try to remember unfamiliar things, such as Chinese characters, it is

necessary to associate this new information with something familiar, to develop

memory hooks. Native English speakers have little experience in remembering, what

appear to be, pictures. In an effort to remember characters, a common mistake many

beginners make is to create their own "personal" memory associations or memory

hooks. They construct mental images that help them remember the complexities of

each character. For instance, "This looks like a house and that looks like a pillow, so

this character looks like a pillow on a house." Do not do this! This leads to

remembering a very complicated set of pictures that becomes very difficult to manage.

There is an easier way deal with remembering characters. To simplify reading

characters, it is important to understand that each character is composed of common

elements that are called radicals. There are around 241 radicals. Using radicals makes

recognizing and remembering characters much easier. In the example below, notice

how each radical on the left is used in the characters on the right. Also notice that the

radicals may not always appear exactly the same in different characters.

Radical Characters

Sometimes, knowing the meaning of a radical makes understanding the meaning of a

character it is used in easier to remember. For instance, is the radical for water. Itis called "three dot water". In the example below, knowing the meaning of this radical

makes it easier to remember the meaning of the characters that it is in.

(x) wash (hi) sea (h) lake (jing) river

In the following example, is the radical for wood, which is in the characters thatmean "tree" and "forest".

(m) wood (sh) tree (ln) forest


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Summary of this BookFor English speakers, the Chinese language appears quite difficult. Since it is

character based and uses tones, it seems that nothing is familiar. However, there are

some similarities between the languages. Both Chinese and English have a subject-

verb-object (SVO) sentence structure within their grammar rules. Furthermore,

Chinese basic sentence structures, such as those that express numbers, places,directions, measure words, prepositions, comparisons, time durations and conditional

statements are very dependent on word order. This makes it fairly easy to understand

and learn Chinese grammar. The units at the end of the book explain directional

compliments, (b) sentences, which are OSV (object-subject-verb), and (bi)

sentences, which are passive voice sentences.

Summary of VerbsOne of the main differences between Chinese and English is that Chinese is a verb-

centered language and English is noun-centered. In Chinese, there are more kinds of

verbs and prepositions are used much less. The examples below will help newlearners understand how characters work and how Chinese verbs are used.

Basic SVO sentence:

Subject Verb Object

w ch koy

I eat roast duck.

(Unit 1)To make a sentence negative, add no/not, (b) in front of the verb:

Subject Verb Object

w bch koy

I don't eat roast duck.

To make the statement into a question, add 'ma ' at the end.

This sentence means Do you eat roast duck?

n ch koy ma?

You eat roast duck (question)

(Unit 2) 'To Be' Verb Sentences

The 'to be' verb, (sh), is used the same way in both Chinese and English.

Notice that common nouns do not have plural forms, only a few pronouns have

plural forms.

w sh losh wmen sh losh

I am teacher We are teachers.


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(Unit 12) Completed Actions (Action Verbs)

The particle (le) is used to express that actions have been completed.

w kn le sn bn sh. I have read 3 books.I read (completed

action)

3 MW books.

Using the particle (le) is not the same as using past tense in English, it indicates an

actions completion, which may occur in a future time frame.

Example: After we eat breakfast we will go.

mng tin chle zo fn yhu wmen ji zu

Tomorrow eat breakfast after we then go.(completed

action)

When indicating a completed action, (le) means different things depending on

where it is in the sentence. Placing (le) after the verb, places more emphasis on the

specific action. For example, after noticing someone has walked away, the speaker

would say (tq le nr ?) Where did he GO?. Placing (le) at the

end of the sentence places more emphasis on the overall situation. For example, after

a prolonged search for someone, the speaker would say (tq nr le?)

Where has he gone? .

(Unit 13) When(le) is used to indicate a Change of StateWhen using (le) to indicate a change of state, it indicates that (1) the state has

actually changed, (2) it has changed relative to what a person (speaker or listener)

thought it was or (3) that someone has made a new discovery.

(1)(xi y) means rain. In this sentence, (xi yle) (It is raining), (le)

is used to express a change of state. It wasnt raining before and the speaker saying

that it is raining now.

(2) In the sentence below, the listener did not realize that the speaker was going outout of town on Monday. (le) is placed at the end of the sentence because this is a

change of state that the listener was not aware of. The speaker realizes that the listener

didnt realize this new information, so the speaker adds (le).

xi g xngqy w ji chchi le

next Monday I (emphasis) travel on business change of state

(3) (thn go) means he is tall. However, if a relative had not seen a child


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Unit 22 covers 7 verbs that are commonly are used as compliments of results,

understand see finish arrive to be at give start

For example: If someone can read Chinese (kn dng) would be used. means to

understand through reading. (kn) means to read and (dng) means to

understand.

Unit 22 also covers 5 adjectives are also used as compliments of results.

du cu qngchu gnjng ho

For example, if someone made a mistake when speaking, (shucu) would beused. (shu) means to speak and (cu) means incorrect.

(Unit 23) Directional Verbs

(shng) and (xi) are used as the first character of verb-object phrases that

indicate direction. (shng) is used for actions that involve: going up, going in,

or getting started; (xi) is used for actions: going down, going out, or

finishing. For instance, (lu) means floor (of a building), (shng lu)

refers to the action of going upstairs and (xi lu) means the action of going

downstairs.

shng ch get in a vehicle

xi ch get out of a vehicle

shng q ch get in a car

shng gng gong q ch get on a bus

shng bn start work

xi bn get off work

shng k start class

xi k end class

w mitin qdin shng gng gng q ch

I everyday 7 o'clock get on public bus

Note: In Unit 16, (shng) and (xi) are the second character used in location

words, for instance, (lu shng) (upstairs) and (lu xi) (downstairs).


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(Unit 30)(q) and(li) - USED AS - Simple Compliments of DirectionA directional compliment indicates the direction of the action in a sentence (relative to

the speaker). In sentences 1, 2 and 3 the verbs (q) (go), (li) (come) and (do)

(arrive) are used as verbs. There is no compliment of direction in these sentences.

Subject Time Verb-Object English

1. He will go to Beijing tomorrow.

t mng tin q Bijng

2. He will come to Beijing tomorrow.

t mng tin li Bijng

3. He will arrive in Beijing tomorrow.

t mng tin do Bijng

In sentences 4 and 5, (q) (go) and (li) (come) are used as simple compliments

of direction and are not the main verbs of the sentences.

Subject Time Verb-Object Compliment of Direction

4.

t mng tin do Bijng q

5.

t mng tin do Bijng li

4. He will arrive in Beijing tomorrow. (Speaker is not in Beijing)

5. He will arrive in Beijing tomorrow. (Speaker is in Beijing)

(Unit 30)(q) and(li)- USED IN - Compound Compliments of Direction(q) (go) and (li) (come) are used with other verbs, that indicate direction, to

form compound compliments of direction which are used to compliment other verbs.

Verbs that express direction:

shng xi jn ch hu gu q

go up/on go out/down enter exit return pass rise

When (q) and (li) are combined with the above verbs, they form the following

compound compliments of directions.


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Compound Compliments of Direction

shng li come up jn li come in

shng q go up jn q go in

xi li come down chli come out

xi q go down chq go out

hu li come back qli start and continue

hu q go back

gu li come across

gu q go across

They may stand alone as verbs. In the sentence below, (chli) is used alone as

a verb with no object.

tiyng cng dng bin chli

Sun from east comes up.

However, they are most commonly used to compliment other verbs. In the sentence

below, (chli) is used to compliment the verb (zu) to indicate "come out".

t cng lbin zu chli le

He from inside walking come out (completed action)

(Unit 31) Duration of Actions

This unit covers 10 sentence patterns used to express how long actions take,

depending on a variety of circumstances. For instance, if the verb can or cannnot

indicate a continuous action or if the action is still occurring at the time of speaking

which all use different sentence patterns depending on if the verb does or does not

have an object. It is important to understand how (le) is used in sentences when

lengths of time are stated. Comparing lengths of time are also covered in this unit.

This sentence means He has been out of bed for 15 minutes.

t qchung sh wfn zhng

He get out of bed 15 minutes grammar particle

This sentence means It took him 15 minutes to get up.

t qchung sh wfn zhng

He get out of bed grammar particle 15 minutes


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(Unit 32) Modifying Verbs to the manner in which actions are done ()(zhe)This unit shows how (zhe) and (de) are used to indicate the manner in which

something is done as well as how adjectives are reduplicated to show the manner in

which actions are done.

He sits to read. / He is sitting while reading.

subject verb

(to show manner) predicate verb object

t zu zhe kn sh

He sit read book

(Unit 33) (b) SentencesThis unit introduces how (b) is used to create Subject - Object -Verb sentences

that stress the change in the disposition of the object. This sentence pattern may not be

used unless there is a change in the disposition of the object. Extensive usage

examples are given.

Subject Object Predicate Verb + other elementsdoer of the action receiver of the action the action

w b l w bo shng le

I b gift / gifts wrap completed action

(Unit 34) (bi) SentencesThis unit introduces how (bi) is used to create passive sentences that use the

Subject - Object Verb sentence pattern. Extensive usage examples are given.

My bicycle was stolen by a thief.

Subject Object( of) Predicate Verb + other elements

receiver of the action doer of the action the action

wde zxngch bi xio tu tu le

My bicycle thief steal completed action


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Unit 1Greetings, Names, Titles

This unit teaches common ways of saying hello, asking simple questions and how

titles are used.

New Words

1. b no

2. gu expensive, honorable, to be named (family name)

3. ho good

4. hu flower

5. jio to be called

6. lo old (people and animals - not objects)

7. lo sh

teacher

8. L plum, a common surname

9. mamodal particle used at the end of a sentence to

change a statement into a question

10. Mng bright, a given name

11. mng zi name

12. n you

13. nn you (formal, indicating respect)

14. nshMadam, lady, respectful way to address a woman

that is older than yourself15. qng please

16. shn me what

17. sh is, are, am

18. Wng king, a common surname

19. Wi great, a common given name

20. wn ask

21. w I, me

22. xin sheng

mister, gentleman

23. xio little, small

24. xio ji young lady, Miss (title)

25. xng surname

26. zi jin good bye

27. Zhng a common surname


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Addressing friends, family, and coworkers

Names are written and spoken using surnames first. In China, when women marry

they do not change their surnames. Children have the same surnames as their fathers,

a few have the same surnames as their mothers. Family names are usually one

character, but may be two characters. Given names are usually one or two characters.Friends will address each other by their full names. At work, colleagues address each

other using surnames preceded by titles or sometimes full names are used. Sometimes

young adults may be addressed by (xio) preceding their surnames and old people

by (lo) preceding their surnames. Superiors are addressed by their surnames

followed by their titles. For instance, "Hello, Wang Teacher" is a common greeting

used by students when addressing their teachers.

Wng xin sheng Mr. Wang

lo Wng Old Wang

L xio ji Miss Li xio Wng Little Wang

Wng lo sh Teacher Wang

Zhng Mng Mng Zhang Ming Ming (full name)

Wng n shMadam Wang (respectful way to address

a woman older than yourself)

Hello!

Whether meeting an old acquaintance or a friend, a common greeting in China is

(nho). This literally means "you good" but conveys the meaning of "hello". (zi jin), which literally means "again see", is used to say good bye.

Statements

nn ho Hello! (respectful)

n ho Hello! (familiar)

zi jin Goodbye!

Names may be stated in three ways:

w sh(full name) I am (full name) w jio(full name) I am called (full name)

w xng (surname) My surname name is (surname)

Negative Statements

To make a negative statement, place (b) before (sh). In the examples below,

note that (b) is spoken in the second tone. This character changes tones when it

precedes a fourth tone character. (refer to Appendix A)


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Unit 2'To Be' Sentences

This unit introduces 'to be' sentences that deal with nouns as well as several kinds of

questions. In these sentences, (sh) is used to express 'to be'.

New Words

1. du all, both

2. du correct

3. hi shi or (in a question - not used in astatement)

4. h and

5. hu zh or (in a statement - not used in aquestion)

6. mi gu the USA

7. mi gu rn American citizen

8. men a suffix added to pronounsindicating plural

9. n which

10. ne modal particle used at the end of asentence to create a question in a

soft tone

11. nmen you (plural)

12. rn person

13. shu (shi) who (commonly pronouncedshi)14. t he

15. t she

16. tmen they (for a group of both femalesand males)

17. tmen they (females)

18. wmen we

19. xu sheng student

20. y also

21. yng gu England

22. yng gu rn British citizen

23. zn men we

24. zhng gu China

25. zhng gu rn Chinese citizen

In this text, we have used the more common pronunciation (shi) for the character

instead of (shu).


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'To Be' - a noun

Pronouns, (w), (t)(n) and (nn), can be made plural by adding

(men) immediately after them. In the examples below, (w) may be replaced by

(n), (t), (t), or by the name of a person; (wmen) may be replaced by

(zn men),(nmen), (tmen) or (tmen). (zn men) is used

to indicate that we only refers the people involved in the immediate conversation.

And / Also / All (Statements)

There is no special word for "both" in Chinese. (du) is used to express "both" as

well as "all". In the examples below, (du) is optional.

1. I am a student.

2. I am Zhng Mng Mng.

3. I am also a student.4. We are students.

5. We are also students.

6. We are (all / both) students.

7. He and I are students.

8. He and I are both students.

9. Miss Li and Mr. Wang are teachers.

10. Miss Li and Mr. Wang are bothteachers.

11. Miss Li and us are all teachers.

1. w sh xusheng.

2. w sh Zhng Mngmng.

3. w y sh xusheng.

4. wmen sh xusheng.

5. wmen y sh xusheng.

6. wmen du sh xusheng.

7. t h w sh xusheng.

8. t h w du sh xusheng.9. L xioji h Wng xinsheng du sh losh.

10. L xioji h Wng xinsheng sh losh.

11. L xioji h wmen du sh losh.

OR - Statements

To make a statements that use "or", (hu zh) is used, (hi sh) is only used

for forming questions which are discussed below.


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1. She is a teacher or a student.

2. He is British or American.

1. t huzh sh xusheng huzh sh losh.

2. t huzh sh ynggurn huzh sh migurn.

Negative Statements

To make a negative statement, place (b) before (sh). In the examples below,

(w) may be replaced by (n), (t), (t), or by the name of a person;

(wmen) may be replaced by (zn men), (nmen), (tmen) or

(tmen).

1. I am not a student.

2. I am not a student either.

3. We are not students.

4. We are not students either.

5. (None / neither) of us are students.

1. w b sh xusheng.

2. w y b sh xusheng.

3. wmen b sh xusheng.

4. wmen y b sh xusheng.

5. wmen du b sh xusheng.

Questions(ma) questions(ma) is placed at the end of a statement to create a yes-no question.

1. Are you a student?

2. Is he a student?

3. Is she a teacher?

4. Is he a student also?

5. Are they all students?

1. n sh xusheng ma?

2. t sh xusheng ma

3. t sh losh ma

4. t y sh xushng ma

5. tmen du sh xushng ma


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(ne) questions(ne) is placed at the end of a sentence to ask a yes-no question about the beginning

of the sentence.

1. I am a student, what about you?

2. He is a student, is LWi?

1. w sh xusheng, n ne ?2. t sh xusheng, LWi ne ?

'question-word' questions

Questions, that use question words, use the same word order as statements; except the

question word is used in place of expected answer. In the examples below, question

words (shi/ shu) and (n) are used to create questions in this way.

1. Who is he?

2. What is your nationality?

3. Who is Mr. Wang?

1. t sh shi?

2. n sh n gu rn?

3. shi sh Wng xinshng

'affirmative - negative' questions

Statements using (sh) may be changed into affirmative-negative pattern questions

by replacing (sh) with (sh bu sh). In this sentence pattern, (ma) may

not be used. (Notice that (bu) is spoken using the neutral tone.)

n sh bu sh xusheng? Are you a student?

'confirmation' questions

If speakers make statements they think are true, and want to confirm that they are true;

(sh bu sh) or (du bu du) are added to the end of statements. Bothphrases have the same meaning. This is true for any positive or negative statements.

(Notice that (bu) is spoken using the neutral tone.)

1. You are a student, aren't you?

2. You are not a teacher, are you?

3. He is not a student, is he?


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1. n sh xusheng, sh bu sh ?

2. n b sh loshdu bu du

3. t sh xushengsh bu sh

'or' questions

To make questions that use "or", (hi sh) is used, (hu zh) is not used in

questions, it is only used in statements which are discussed above.

1. Is he a teacher or a student?

2. Is he British or American?

1. t sh xusheng hishi losh

2. t sh ynggurn hishi migurn


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'question word' questions

n sh shi de sh? Whose book is that?

'affirmative - negative' questions

? zh sh bu sh n de sh

? Is this your book?

'confirmation' questions

1. , This is your book, isn't it?

2. , This is your book, isn't it?

1. zh sh n de sh, sh bu sh

2. zh sh n de sh, du bu du

'or' questions

Is this your book or his book?

zh sh n de sh hishi t de sh


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Unit 4Numbers and Measure Words

This unit introduces counting numbers up to 100 and how measure words are used.(For very large and very small numbers refer to Appendix E. For using measure words to express

one half, one and a half, and indeterminate quantities refer to Appendix B)

New Words

1. bo zh newspaper

2. bn measure word for books

3. c din dictionary

4. g general purpose measure word

5. li equivalent to (ling g)

6. ling measure word for vehicles and bicycles

7. qin b

pencil

8. yun zhb ballpoint pen

9. zhng measure word for newspapers and piecesof paper

10. zh measure word for pens and pencils

11. z xngch bicycle

Numbers

0 lng 6 li 13 sh sn

1 y 7 q 14 sh s

2 r 8 b 15 sh w

2 ling 9 ji 16 sh li

3 sn 10 sh 17 sh q

4 s 11 sh y 18 sh b

5 w 12 sh r 19 sh ji

For numbers from 21 to 99, state the ten's place then add the one's place directly after.

20 21 29

r sh r sh y r sh ji

30 sn sh 70 q sh

40 s sh 80 b sh

50 w sh 90 ji sh

60 li sh 100 y bi


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The number one

When speaking telephone numbers and bus numbers that are over three digits; the

number one () (y) is pronounced "yo". This avoids confusion with the number

seven () (q).

The number twoNotice in the numbers above, there are two ways to say the number two. When

specifying a quantity of two, (ling) is used. When "two" appears in the ones or

tens place , (r) is used. When two appears in the hundreds place, either (r) or

(ling) may be used.

2 r12 sh r20 r sh

200 / r bi / ling bi

Measure Words

There are no articles (a, an, the) in Chinese. When specifying a number of nouns,

measure words (, ling c), sometimes called 'classifiers', are used. In English,

this is comparable to "piece" in a "piece of cake" or "sheet" in a "sheet of paper".

There are over 140 measure words and they are required for almost all nouns in

Mandarin. The measure word (g) can be used to refer to anything. It isn't

considered good Chinese but it will get your meaning across. To indicate a quantity of

two, (ling) is used, (r) is not used with measure words. Therefore, one (of

something) is (y g), two is (ling g) and three is (sn g).

ling zh qinb two pencils

sn bn sh three books

s ling zxngch four bicycles

w g xusheng five students

ling zhng bozh two newspapers

sh r g yu 12 months

r sh s g xiosh 24 hours

When a noun being referred to is obvious, sometimes measure words are used alone.

For instance, when answering the question "How many books do you have?" A person

might answer (ling bn)". A customer might point to a newspaper and tell a

store clerk, " (y zhng)". No measure word is used if a possessive pronoun is

used immediately before a noun as in the sentence, "This is my book." .

(zh sh wde sh). (li) has the same meaning as (ling g) as in this

sentence, Those two are good friends., . (tmen li sh ho

pngyou.)


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Unit 5Adjectives

This unit deals with how to use adjectives to modify nouns. It describes one sentence

pattern that does not use a verb and also introduces multi-syllabic words in

affirmative-negative questions.

New Words1. i short

2. d big

3. d y coat

4. d gu Germany

5. fng square

6. fi chng very, extremely

7. go tall

8. go xng happy, pleased9. hn very

10. hng red

11. jin measure word for articles of clothing

12. ji old (things not people or animals)

13. ln lazy

14. lu building

15. mng busy

16. n xi those17. nn kn ugly

18. pio liang pretty

19. qn kui diligent, hardworking

20. r bn Japan

21. shugu fruit

22. ti too

23. xn new

24. xn xin fresh

25. yng wn English language

26. yun round

27. zh xi these

28. zhuzi table

29. zu measure word for buildings

Note:Some two character words appear to be adjective-noun combinations, but they


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are not; for instance: (d rn) (adult) and (d y) (coat) are two-character

nouns.

To Be an Adjective

If the entire predicate is an adjective, then no verb is needed in the sentence and the

predicate adjective must be modified to show degree. In sentences of this kind theadverb (hn) is used for grammatical correctness but does not carry any meaning.

In these kinds of sentences, to clearly modify the adjective to express very, other

adverbs such as(ti) and (fi chng) are used (sentences 2 and 3).

(w) may be replaced by (n), (t), (t), or by the name of a person;

(wmen) may be replaced by (zn men), (nmen), (tmen) or

(tmen).

1. I am busy.

2. We are very busy.3. I am very busy.

4. I am also busy.

5. We all are busy.

6. My table is round.

7. Our table is old.

8. My coat is ugly.

9. Your coat is pretty.

10. This bicycle is big.11. This bicycle is small.

1. w hn mng.2. w fichng mng.3. w fichng mng.4. w y hn mng.5. wmen du hn mng.6. wde zhuzi hn yun.

7. wmen de zhuzi hn ji.8. wde dy hn nnkn.9. nde dy hn pioliang.10. zh ling zxngch hn d.11. zh ling zxngch hn xio.


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If the entire predicate is an adjective, the adjective may remain unmodified if a direct

comparison is being made.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1. He is diligent. He is lazy.

2. This book is big. That book is small.

3. My table is old. Your table is new.

4.My table is round.

Your table is square.

5. My coat is ugly. Your coat is pretty.

1. t qnkui. t ln.

2. zh bn sh d. n bn sh xio.

3. wde zhuzi ji. nde zhuzi xn.

4. wde zhuzi yun. nde zhuzi fng.

5. wde dy nnkn. nde dy pioling.

Negative Statements

If the entire predicate is an adjective, then (b) goes before the adjective. Theadjective does not need to be modified to show degree, but it can be. In negative

statements, unlike positive statements, (hn) does carry meaning.

1. I am not busy.

2. I am not busy either.

3. We are not too busy.

4. None of us are busy.

5. China is not small.

6. Japan is not big.

7. My table is not round.

8. My table is not very old.

9. My coat is not ugly.

1. w b mng.

2. w y b mng.

3. wmen b ti mng.


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4. wmen du b mng.

5. zhnggu b xio.

6. rbn b d.

7. wde zhuzi b yun.

8. wde zhuzi b ti ji.9. wde dy b nnkn.Questionsquestions

When asking (ma) questions, if the entire predicate is an adjective, (hn) does

carry meaning but is optional.

1. Are you busy?

2. You arent busy?

3. Are you very busy?

4. Are you also very busy?

1. n mng ma?

2. n b mng ma

3. n hn mng ma?

4. n y hn mng ma?

questions1. I am not busy, what about you?

2. We are busy, and you (plural)?

1. w b mng, n ne?

2. wmen hn mng, nmen ne?

affirmative negative questions

Single Character Adjectives

Questions using adjectives may also be created using the affirmative-negative pattern.

In this case, adverb modifiers such as (hn) may not be used. Likewise, (ma)

may not be used.

n mng bu mng? Are you busy?

t go bu go? Is he tall?

Two Character Adjectives

If the entire predicate is a two character adjective, then there are two ways to create

affirmative-negative questions. In the first sentence below, both characters of the

adjective are repeated. In the second sentence, only the first character is repeated.


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1. two new pencils

2. three English books

3. four old bicycles

4.five happy students

Example Sentences

When referring to that or this (thing) measure words are needed (sentences 3-6).

When referring to these or those (things) (sentences 7 and 8) measure words are

not needed.

1. Your table is old.

2. Her coat is red.

3. That old computer is mine.

4. That ugly coat is mine.5. That very old computer is mine.

6. That very pretty coat is hers.

7. Those computers are ours.

8. These computers are ours.

1. nde zhuz sh ji de.

2. tde dy sh hng de.

3. n ti ji dinno sh wde.

4. n jin nnkn de dy sh wde.5. n ti hn ji de dinno sh wde.

6. n jin hn pioliang de dy sh tde.

7. nxidinno sh wmende

8. zhxidinno sh wmende


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31. shng yn voice, sound

32. sh tree

33. tin qi weather

34. tio measure word for roads

35. xi tin summer

36. xing jio banana

37. xng f. happiness

38. y dinr a little bit

29. y xi some

40. y yng the same

41. yn yu music

42. yu li yu used to state a progression

43. zh me this much

44. zhun y university major

45. zu tin yesterday

Sentence Patterns for ComparisonsComparing two things

A is greater than B A B comparison standard

A is greater than B A B comparison standard degree

A is not greater than B A B comparison standard

A is not greater than B A B comparison standardA is as _____ as B A B comparison standard

A is not as _____ as B A B comparison standard

Stating two things are the same

A is the same as B

A / B

A / B comparison standard

Stating two things are not the same

A is the not same as BA / B

A / B comparison standard

Stating a relative condition

A is relatively (standard of comaparison)

A standard

Stating a progressive condition

A is progressing in (standard of comaparison)

A standard


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Comparing Two Things ()When using (b) to compare two things (A and B), the first thing mentioned, is the

greater of the two. The standard of comparison is stated last. Adverbs such as (hn)

and (fi chng) cannot be used to modify the comparison standard. The degree

of difference may be stated but is optional. When stating the degree of difference, an

exact number or an approximation may be used. When stating an approximation,

(y dinr) and (y xi) are used for small differences while (de du) and

(dule) are used for relatively large differences.

A B comparison standard degree1.

2.

3.

4.

1. Today is colder than yesterday. jntin b zutin lng.

2. Today is 5 degrees colder thanyesterday.

jntin b zutin lng w d.

3. Today is much colder thanyesterday.

jntin b zutin lng de du.

4. Today is a little colder thanyesterday.

jntin b zutin lng y dinr.

1. Mr. Wang is taller than me.2. His voice is lower than mine.

3. Apples are cheaper than bananas.

4. He is more experienced than I am.

1. Wng xinsheng b w go.

2. tde shngyn b wde shngyn d.

3. pnggu b xingjio pinyi.

4. t b w yu jngyn.

To compare two things (A and B) and the first thing mentioned (A), is the lesser of the

two, (b b) is used; however, this pattern is only used to express disagreement

or refutation. The standard of comparison is stated last. Adverbs such as (hn) and

(fi chng) cannot be used to modify the comparison standard.


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A B comparison standard

Mr. Wang is not taller than me. Wng xinsheng b b w go.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1. He is not more experienced than I am.

2. His Chinese is not better than yours.

3. Winter in Beijing is not warmer than Shanghai.4. This coat is not newer than that one.

1. t bb w yu jngyn.

2. tde hny bb nde hny ho.

3. Bijng de xitin bb Shnghi de xitin r.

4. zh jin dy bb n jin xn.

Questions

questionsAdding (ma) to the end of a (b) statement creates a question.

Is today colder than yesterday?

jntin b zu tin lng ma


Statements using (b) may be changed into affirmative-negative questions by

replacing (b) with (bbu b). In this sentence pattern, (ma) cannot be

used.

Is winter in Beijing colder than inNew York?

Bijng de dngtin bbub niyu de dngtin lng


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Comparing Two Things ()To compare two things (A and B) and the first thing mentioned (A), is the lesser of the

two, (b r) is normally used. The standard of comparison is stated last. Adverbs

such as(hn) and(fi chng) cannot be used to modify the comparison

standard.


I am not as tall as him. w br t go.

1. This cup isnt as big as that one.

2. This street is not as wide as that street.

1. zh ge bizi br n ge bizi d.

2. zh tio l br n tio l kun.

QuestionsquestionsAdding (ma) to the end of a (b r) statement creates a question.

This street is not as wide as that street (is it)?

zh tio l br n tio l kun ma

Comparing Two Things

A is equal to or greater than B ()A is less than B ()

When comparing two things (A and B), and the first thing mentioned (A), is equal to

or greater than (B); (yu) is used. The standard of comparison is stated last.

Adverbs such as (hn) and(fi chng) cannot be used to modify the

comparison standard.In this sentence pattern, (n me) and (zh me) are

optional and may be used before the comparison standard.

He is at least as tall as you.


t yu n go

1. That tree is at least as tall thatbuilding.


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2. His little brother is at least as tallas I am.

3. This building is at least as tall asthat building.

4. Shanghai is as cold as this (in

Beijing).5. Shanghai is as cold as that (in

Beijing).

1. n k xio sh yu n zu fngzi nme go.

2. t ddi yu w zhme go.

3. zh zu lu yu n zu lu nme go.

4. Shnghi yu Bijng zhme lng.

5. Shnghi yu Bijng nme lng.

A is less than BWhen comparing two things, the following pattern is used to express A is less than B,

(mi) or(mi yu) may be used. The standard of comparison is stated last.

Adverbs such as (hn) and(fi chng) cannot be used with the comparison

standard.

He is not as tall as me.

A () B comparison standard ()

t mi(y

u) w

g

o

1. Winter in Beijing is not as cold as Harbin.

2. Hangzhous population is not as big as

Beijings.

3. My little sister is not as tall as I am.

1. Bijng de dngtin miyu Hrbn lng.

2. Hngzhu de rnku miyu Bijng du

3. w mimei miyu w go.

QuestionsquestionsAdding (ma) to the end of a (yu) statement creates a question.

Is he as tall as you? t yu n go ma

1. Is this room as big as that one?


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2. Is Shanghai as cold as Beijing?

3. Is Shanghai as cold as this (in Beijing)?

4. Is Shanghai as cold as that (in Beijing)?

1. zh ge fngjin yu n ge fngjin d ma

2. Shnghi yu Bijng lng ma

3. Shnghi yu Bijng zhme lng ma

4. Shnghi yu Bijng ame lng ma


Statements using (yu) or (mi yu) may use the (yu mi yu)

affirmative-negative question pattern. In this sentence pattern, (ma) may not be

used.

Is he as tall as you? t yu mi yu n go

1. Is Shanghai as cold as this (in Beijing)?

2. Is Shanghai as cold as that (in Beijing)?

1. Shnghi yu mi yu Bijng zhme lng ma

2. Shnghi yu mi yu Bijng ame lng ma

Stating Two Things are the Same (/)When stating that two things are the same, A and B, both things are linked with

(gn) or(h) followed by ( y yng). This means that (A is the same as B). The

comparison standard is optional. A measure word may be used alone, without a noun,

in the second phrase of (sentence 2).

A / B comparisonstandard

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1. This map is the same as that map.

2. This map is the same as that map.

3. This maps size is the same as that maps size.

4. This map is the same size as that map.


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5. This maps price is the same as that maps price.

1. zh zhng dt gn n zhng dt yyng.

2. zh zhng dt h n zhng yyng.

3. zh zhng dt dxi

o h n zh

ng dt yyng.4. zh zhng dt gn n zhng yyng d.

5. zh zhng dt gn n zhng dt jiqin yyng.

1. Your book is the same as his.

2. This table is the same as that one.

3. We have the same number of childrenas they do.

4. I am the same height as he is.

1. nde sh h tde yyng.2. zh zhng zhuzi gn n zhng zhuzi yyng.

3. wmen de hizi gn tmen de yyng du.

4. w gn t yyng go.

Stating Two Things are the not Same ()When stating that two things are not the same, both things are linked with (gn) or

(h) and followed by(b y yng). These sentences mean : A is not the same

as B.

A / B comparison

standard1.

2.

1. This map is the not the same as that map.

2. This map is the not the same size as that map.

1. zh zhng dt gn n zhng dt b yyng.

2. zh zhng dt h n zhng dt b yyng d.

3. Today is not the same asyesterday.

4. Hainans weather is not the sameas Beijings.

5. His major is not the same as mine.

6. This suit is not the same length asthat one.

7. Little Zhang is not the sameheight as little Wang.


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3. jntin h zutin b yyng.

4. Hinn de qhu gn Bijng b yyng.

5. t xu de zhuny h w b yyng.

6. zh jin xfu gn n jin xfu b yyng chng.7. xio Zhng gn xio Wng b yyng go.

QuestionsquestionsAdding (ma) to the end of a statement creates a yes-no question.

1. Is this map the same as thatmap?

2. Is this map the same size asthat map?

1. zh zhng dt gn n zhng dt yyng ma

2. zh ge dt gn n ge dt b yyng d ma


In statements ending with (y yng) or (b y yng), putting

(y yng b y yng) at the end of a the sentence creates a yes-no

question.

The word (yfu) means clothing but, if it is clear to the listener what article ofclothing is being discussed, it can be used for any specific article of clothing. In

sentence 1, (dy) (coat) could replace (yfu).

1. Are this coat and thatcoat the same?

2. Are these maps thesame?

3. Are these two books thesame price?

4. Is the weather in Beijing

the same as in Shanghai?

1. zh jin yfu h n jin yfu yyng bu yyng

2. zh zhng dt h n zhng dt yyng bu yyng

3. zh ling bn sh de jiqin yyng bu yyng

4. Bijng de tinqi h Shnghi de tinqi yyng bu yyng


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Relatively / Comparatively ()To state that something (A) is relatively (standard of comparison), the following

sentnece pattern is used:

A standard of comparison1.

2.

1. zh ge chngsh bjio d. This is a relatively big city.

2. tde qch bjio gu. His car is relatively expensive.

Progression

(yu li yu) is used to show that something (A) changes as time goes on.

A standard of comparison1.

2.

3.

1. tinqi yuliyu lng.

2. tmen de sh yuliyu du.

3. wmen shnghu yuliyu xngf.

1. The weather is getting colder.2. They are getting more and more books.

3. Our lives are getting happier.


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Unit 8Days and Dates

This unit introduces statements and questions concerning days, days, weeks, months,

years and dates.

New Words1. ho number (expressing a day)

2. jn nin this year

3. lbi week

4. mng nin next year

5. mng tin tomorrow

6. nin year

7. q nin last year

8. r day9. shng ge xng q last week

10. shng ge yu last month

11. shng r birthday

12. tin day

13. xi ge xng q next week

14. xi ge yu next month

15. xng q week

16. xu q term, semester17. yu month

18. zh ge xng q this week

19. zh ge yu this month

20. zhu week

Months and Days

The names of the 12 months are formed by combining the numbers 1 to 12 with

(yu). (Note: (yu fn) may also be used) The numbers from 1 to 6 follow

(xng q), (lbi) or (zhu) to express the days of the week from Monday to

Saturday. Sunday is spoken using (xng q tin), (lbi tin) or

(zhu tin) and written as (xng qr), (lbi r) or(zhu r).

January July

February August

March September

April October


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May November

June December

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday (spoken)

Sunday (written)

Dates and Years

When expressing the date - the day follows the month. The day is expressed by

combining numbers 1 to 31 with (ho) (spoken form ) or (r) (written form).

b yu b ho August 8 (spoken)

b yu b r August 8 (written)

The four figures making up the a year are read out as four separate numbers with

(nin) at the end. While (lng) is the character for "zero", the numeral is usually

used when writing the year. When expressing a year, (r) is used, (ling) cannot

be used.

2 0 1 0 r lng y lng nin the year 2010

The word order for expressing the complete date goes from largest unit to smallest.

Friday, August 8, 2008 would be expressed as follows:

2008 8 8

r lng lng b nin b yu b ho xngqw

Note: The words year [(nin)], week [ (zhu)], day [ (tin)], minute [ (fn)],

and second [(mio)] are nouns of quantity and are not used with measure words. The words

month [(yu)], week [(xng q)], week [(lbi)] and hour [(xio sh)]

are not nouns of quantity and require measure words. (Refer to Appendix B Advanced Measure

Words)


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Unit 9Time

This unit introduces questions and statements about lengths of time and stating the

(clock) time.

New Words1. bn half

2. ch short of

3. din zhng o'clock

4. duchng how long? (time)

5. fn zhng minute

6. jdin what time?

7. k a quarter of an hour

8. kui fast, quick9. shng w morning

10. sh jin time

11. wn shang evening, late, night time

12. xi w afternoon

13. xio sh hour

14. zo shang morning

15. zhng w noon

Stating the Time

To express AM, (zo shang) is generally used to discuss early morning hours

such as before one goes to work or school. When discussing ones workday,

(shng w) is more commonly used to talk about things that happen before lunch. To

express PM, (xi w) is used for times in the afternoon and (wn shang) is

used for evening times. These expressions are placed before the (clock) time is stated.

These may be omitted if it is already clear what part of the day it is. For early morning

hours, when most people are asleep, (wn shang) is commonly used because it is

considered to be night time. When stating the time, as in "It is 2 o'clock"; (ling) is

used. When stating the time, the minutes place, as in "2 minutes after 10"(r) isused. When stating the time of day, (kui) is used to express 'almost' and (ch)

is used to say until the hour. (k) may be used to state the 15 or 45 minute

"quarter hour" times but is not used for half hour times. (bn) may be used to state

"half past". When stating the time, (zhng) is optional; however, it is not used after

(k) or (bn). Time phrases always are stated from the largest unit of time to

the smallest unit.


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1. () 10:00 am

2. 10:15 am

3. 10:30 am

4. 10:30 am5. 10:45 am

6. 10:45 am

7. () noon

8. 12:01 pm

9. 2:02 pm

10. () midnight

11. () almost 2 oclock

12. () a quarter to 1 oclock13. () 10 minutes until 1 oclock

14. 2:45

15 3:15

1. shngw sh din (zhng)2. shngw sh din y k3. shngw sh din bn

4. shngw sh din snsh fn

5. shngw sh din sn k6. shngw sh din sshw fn

7. zhngw shr din (zhng)

8. xiw shr din y fn9. xiw ling din r fn10. wnshng shier din (zhng)11. kui ling din (zhng)

12. ch y k y din (zhng)13. ch sh fn y din (zhng)

14. ling din sn k15. sn din yk

In China, public places that have digital clocks, such as subway stations, it is common

to have the time displayed in 24 hour time format. Radio time announcements are

commonly spoken in 24 hour format. (sh s din ) would be used to express 2

pm.


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Length of Time

To express a length of time in minutes, measure words are not used. For a number of

hours, the measure word (g) is used. (The words minute [ (fn)] and

second [(mio)] are nouns of quantity and are not used with measure words. The

word hour [(xio sh)] is not a noun of quantity and requires a measure words.

Refer to Appendix B Advanced Measure Words)

ling fn zhng two minutes

ling ge xiosh two hours

Questionsquestions() sh din (zhng) ma? Is it 10 o'clock? (now)


() j din (zhng)? What time is it? (now)

? duchng sh jin? how long? (length of time)

? dushao ge xiosh? how many hours?

? j ge xiosh? how many hours?

? dushao fn zhng? how many minutes?

? j fn zhng? how many minutes?


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Habitual actionsQuestion: What do you do after school everyday?

Answer: w q tshgun. I go to the library.

Intentional actions

Question: (as someone walks out the door) Where are you going (now)?

Answer: w q tshgun. I am going to thelibrary.

Question: Where will you go tomorrow?

Answer: w q tshgun. I will go to the library.

Time Phrases

To express the time that actions occurs, time phrases are always placed at the

beginning of sentences or immediately following the subject. In the examples below,

(w) is the subject.

Habitual actions

Both sentences below express, " I go to the library every afternoon."

mitin xiw w q tshgun.

w mitin xiw q tshgun.

Intentional actions

I am going to the store tomorrow afternoon. (sentences 1, 2)

He is going to come to Beijing tomorrow morning. (sentences 3, 4)

1. mngtin xiw w q shngdin.

2. w mngtin xiw q shngdin.

3. mngtin zoshang t li Bijng.

4. t mngtin zoshang li Bijng.

In the example (xinzi) below, means "now". However, based on the context of

the question, the sentence still refers to an action that is intentional.

Question: (as someone prepares to walk out the door) Where are you going (now)?

Answer: I am going to the library.

w xinzi q tshgun.


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1. Are you going to the store tomorrow?

2. Are you going to Shanghai on Friday?

3. Are you going to the store at 9 oclock?

1. n mngtin q shngdin ma

2. xngqw n q Shnghi ma

3. n jidinzhng q shngdin ma


1. Where are you going?

2. What store are you going to?

3. What do you study?

4. Who is going to the store?

5. Where are you going?

6. What are you doing?

7. What are you doing?

8. What do you do on Fridays?

9. What are you going to do this afternoon?

10. What time are you going to the store?

1. n q shnme dfang2. n q shnme shngdin

3. n xux shnme

4. shi q shngdin

5. n q nr

6. n gn shnme

7. n zu shnme

8. n xngqw gn shnme

9. n xiw zu shnme10. n jdin q shngdin

'question word' questions with time phrases

In the questions below, the subject (n) could go at the beginning of the questions

or after the time phrases.

1. Where do you go every afternoon?

2. Where are you going tomorrow?


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4. She is talking on the phone to a friend.

5. They are playing basketball.

1. tmen zi kihu

2. t zhng zi dng tde i rn ne3. t zhng xixi

4. t zhng zi gi pngyou d dinhu ne

5. t men zi d lnqi

6.

7.

8.

9. 10.

6. She is erasing the blackboard.

7. She is sleeping.

8. Because he is sick, he has been at home resting for last few days.

9. She is singing.

10. Recently, he has been looking for a job.

6. t zhng zi c hibn ne

7. t shu jio ne8. yn wi t shnt b hozh jtin t zhng zi jilxixi

9. t zhng zi chng g ne

10. t zujn zi zho gngzu ne


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Unit 12'Action Verb' Sentences

Completed Actions ()Actions (as part of past experience) ()

This unit introduces how to express actions that have been completed as well as how

to express actions that occurred as part of an experience in the past.

New Words

1. b y granduate

2. ch to eat

3. cng from (a place)

4. d xu university

5. Guln a province of China

6. guparticle for indicating past

experience

7. ji measure word for shops and stores

8. ji borrow

9. ji then

10. le particle for indicating completedaction

11. mo y sweater

12. s sh dormitory

13. xi kto end a class

14. yhu after

15. yqin before

16. yu y shng din Friendship Store

17. zo fn breakfast

18. zu walk, to leave a place

19. zh live

Completed Actions ()Note: (le) has many complex grammatical functions. This unit explains some of them, but does

not cover every way (le) can be used. For this reason, some of the explanations below will state

that it is always correct to use (le) in the way shown. For a complete explanation of (y

qin) (before) and (yhu) (after), refer to Unit 27.

When the verb is followed directly by the object (there is no pronoun, attributive, or

numeral-measure word following the verb) then (le) may be placed at the end of the

sentence or after the verb to indicate the action of the verb has been completed.


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Completed actions with time phrases:

Time phrases are always placed at the beginning of sentences or immediately

following the subject. In the examples below, (w) is the subject. Since there is no

pronoun, attributive or number between the verb and the object, it is always correct to

place (le) at the end of the sentence or after the verb.

1. I borrowed a dictionary on Friday.

2. I borrowed a dictionary on Friday.

3. I saw a movie on Friday.

4. I saw a movie on Friday.

5. I went to the store on Friday.

6. I went to the store on Friday.

1. w xngqw ji cdin le.

2. xngqw w ji le cdin.

3. w xngqw kn dinyng le.

4. xngqw w kn le dinyng.

5. w xngqw q shngdin le.

6. xngqw w q le shngdin.

Since there is a pronoun, attributive or number between the verb and the object, then

it is always correct to place (le) directly after the verb.

(pronoun)

1. I borrowed his dictionary on Friday.(attributive)

2. I saw a Chinese movie on Friday.(number)

3. I went to two stores on Friday.

1. w xngqw ji le tde cdin.

2. xngqw w kn le zhnggu dinyng.

3. w xngqw q le ling ji shngdin.

Note: Using the particle(le) is not the same as using past tense in English, it

indicates an actions completion, which may occur in a future time frame.

mngtin ch le zofn yhu wmen j zu

Tomorrwo eat (completion) breakfast after we then go.


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Negative Statements

To express an action that has not occured, (le) is not used, (mi) or (mi

yu) are placed directly before the verb and (le) is omitted. In these type sentences

(b) may not be used.

1. 1a. I did not borrow adictionary.

2. 2a. I did not see a movie.

3. 3a. I did not go to the store.

1. w mi ji cdin. 1a. w miyu ji cdin.2. w mi kn dinyng. 2a. w miyu kn dinyng.

3. w mi q shngdin. 3a. w miyu q shngdin.

No numeral-measure word examples are given below since it would be uncommon to

express an idea such as "I did not go to two stores." This thought would be expressed

in an affirmative way, for example, "I only went to one store."

4. () I did not borrow his dictionary. (pronoun)

5. () I did not see a Chinese movie. (attributive)

4. w mi ji tde cdin.

5. w mi kn zhngwn dinyng.

negative statements with time phrases

1. I didn't go to the store on Friday.

2. I didn't go to the store on Friday.

1. xngqw w mi q shngdin.

2. w xngqw mi q shngdin.

QuestionsquestionsSince the verb is not followed by a pronoun, attributive or number; (le) may placed

directly after the verb or just before (ma).

1.? 1a.? Did you borrowed a dictionary?

2.? 2a.? Did you see a movie?

3.? 3a.? Did you go to the store?


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n ch gu jiozi ma

When more specific information is asked for, a (le) sentence is used.

When did you go to Shanghai?

shnme shhu n q Shnghi le

questions Have you (ever) been to Shanghai?

n q gu Shnghi ma?

questionsWhen using (gu), (mi yu) may be added to the end of a statement to create

a question.

Have you (ever) been to Shanghai?

n q gu Shnghi miyu?


1.

Where have you been?

2. What place(s) have you been to?

3. What have you studied?

4. Who has been to Shanghai?

1. n q gu nr

2. n q gu shnme dfang

3. n xux gu shnme

4. shi

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