语法GRAMMAR

Subject + 是 + Object

The verb 是 is used to affirm that thing A is thing B, equivalent to "is/are/am" in English.

Subject + 是 + [Emphasized element] + Verb + 的

The structure 是…的 is used to emphasize the time, place, or manner of an action that has already occurred.

Subject/Place + 有 + Object/Noun

The verb 有 is used to express possession (I have...) or the existence of a person/thing in a certain place.

Subject + 不 + Verb / Adjective

The adverb 不 is used to negate actions in the present or future, or to negate a fact or habit.

Subject + 没(有) + Verb + (Object)

The adverb 没 is used to negate actions in the past or to negate possession (with 有).

General negation: Subject + 不 + Verb/Adjective. Past/possession negation: Subject + 没(有) + Verb.

不 negates the present/future and habitual actions, while 没 negates past actions and possession (有).

Declarative sentence + 吗?

Particle 吗 is placed at the end of a declarative sentence to turn it into a yes/no question.

Subject/Noun + 呢?

The particle 呢 is used to ask a question back in return (a reciprocal question), or to ask about the location of a person/thing.

Clause + 吧

Modal particle 吧 used to make a suggestion or request in a mild tone, or to express supposition.

Sentence + 啊

Modal particle 啊 placed at the end of a sentence to express exclamation, surprise, or affirmation.

Subject + Verb + 了 + (Object)

Particle 了 placed after a verb to signal that an action has been completed.

Subject + (Adverb) + Adjective/Verb + 了

The sentence-final particle 了 signals that a new situation has arisen or a change of state has occurred.

Subject + 太 + Adjective/Psych verb + 了

The structure 太…了 is used to emphasize a high degree of an adjective or emotion, typically carrying an exclamatory tone.

Subject + 很 + Adjective

The adverb 很 typically precedes adjectives to complete a sentence, and does not necessarily carry the meaning "very."

Subject + 不太 + Adjective / Psych verb

Used to negate in a mild way, meaning "not very..." or "not necessarily."

Subject + 也 + Verb/Adjective

The adverb 也 is used to express similarity, meaning "also" or "too."

Subject (plural/enumerated) + 都 + Verb/Adjective

The adverb 都 (dōu) means "all/both," used to indicate that everything or everyone previously listed is included.

Subject + 正在 + Verb + (Object)

正在 is used to express an action that is currently in progress at the moment of speaking.

Subject + 在 + Verb + (Object)

Adverb 在 placed before a verb to express an action that is currently in progress at the moment of speaking.

Subject + 在 + Place + (Verb)

Preposition 在 is used to indicate the location of a person or thing, meaning 'at' or 'in'.

Noun 1 + 和 + Noun 2

Conjunction 和 is used to connect two or more nouns together, meaning 'and', 'with'.

Person/Thing possessor + 的 + Person/Thing possessed

The particle 的 is used to indicate possession, similar to 'of' or the possessive form in English.

Subject + 能 + Verb + (Object)

The auxiliary verb 能 (néng) expresses the ability to do something, or whether something can or cannot happen.

Subject + 会 + Verb + (Object)

The auxiliary verb 会 has two main meanings: 'know how to' do a learned skill, or 'will' happen in the future.

Subject + 想 + Verb + (Object)

想 is a modal verb used to express a desire or intention to do something, equivalent to "want to" in English.

Subject + 要 + Verb + (Object)

要 is used to express desire (want to), future intention (will), or necessity (must).

Subject + 可以 + Verb + (Object)

The auxiliary verb 可以 is used to ask for permission, grant permission, or express that something is possible to do.

请 + (Pronoun) + Verb + (Object)

请 is used to extend an invitation or make a polite request, equivalent to "please" or "kindly."

Subject + 叫 + Name

The verb 叫 is used to introduce or ask the name of a person, thing, or place.

Subject + 来/去 + (Place)

来 (lái) and 去 (qù) are two directional verbs expressing movement toward or away from the speaker.

Subject + 怎么 + Verb/Adjective + ...?

怎么 is an interrogative pronoun used to ask about the manner, method, or cause of something.

Subject + 怎么样? or Proposed sentence, 怎么样?

怎么样 is used to ask for an opinion or evaluation about a thing or matter, meaning "how is it?" or "what do you think?"

Subject + Verb + 什么 (+ Noun)?

The interrogative pronoun 什么 is used to ask about objects or matters, meaning 'what' or 'what thing'.

谁 + Verb...? / Subject + Verb + 谁?

谁 (shuí/shéi) is an interrogative pronoun used to ask about a person, meaning 'who'.

哪 + (Numeral) + Measure word + Noun?

哪 is an interrogative pronoun used to ask "which one," "who," or "which place" within a given range of choices.

Subject + Verb + (在) + 哪儿?

The interrogative pronoun 哪儿 (nǎr) is used to ask about a place, meaning 'where?'.

Subject + Verb + 几 + Measure word + Noun?

几 is used to ask "how many," typically applied to small quantities that the speaker expects to be under 10.

多少 + (Measure word) + Noun?

多少 is used to ask "how many/how much" about quantity, typically for numbers greater than 10 or when the quantity is unknown.

Subject + 多 + Adjective?

Used to ask about the degree of a quality, equivalent to "how much…?" or "how…?" in Vietnamese.

Subject + Verb/Adjective + 不 + Verb/Adjective + (Object)?

Used to form yes/no questions by repeating the verb or adjective in both affirmative and negative forms.

Numeral + 个 + Noun

个 is the most common measure word in Chinese, used for people or objects that do not have their own specific measure word.

两 + Measure word + (Noun) | Dùng 二 trong số đếm, số thứ tự, và các con số.

两 (liǎng) is used to express the quantity 'two' before measure words, while 二 (èr) is used in counting, ordinal numbers, and larger numbers.

Year + 年 + Month + 月 + Day + 日/号

In Chinese, dates are expressed from largest to smallest unit: year, month, then day.

Numeral + 点 + Numeral + (分)

Use 点 (hours) and 分 (minutes) to express specific times of day, for example 'eight ten'.

Subject + Age + 岁

岁 is a measure word used to indicate age, typically placed after a number to express the number of years old.

Numeral + 块/元 (+ small change)

块 (kuài) and 元 (yuán) are both monetary units in Chinese, with 块 being more commonly used in spoken language.

Place + 是 / 有 + Object

Use the structure 'Location + 是/有 + Object' to express the existence of a thing or person at a specific place.

Subject + Verb + Indirect Object (person) + Direct Object (thing)

Some verbs can take two objects: one referring to a person (indirect object) and one referring to a thing (direct object).

Subject + Verb + Object

The most basic sentence structure in Chinese is Subject - Verb - Object, similar to Vietnamese.

Time reference/Action + 以前/以后, Main clause

以前 and 以后 are used to indicate a time before or after a specific reference point.

Subject + Verb 1 + (Object 1) + Verb 2 + (Object 2)

A serial verb construction expressing a single subject performing multiple actions in sequence.

Subject + 还 + Verb / Adjective

The adverb 还 (hái) is used to indicate that an action or state is still ongoing, carrying the meaning of "still" or "yet."

Choice A + 还是 + Choice B?

还是 used in questions to present a choice between two or more options, meaning 'or'.

Choice A + 或者 + Choice B

Used to connect two or more alternatives in a declarative sentence, carrying the meaning of 'or/either…or'.

Subject + 就 + Verb/Verb phrase

Adverb 就 is used to emphasize that something happens immediately, sooner than expected, or to introduce a conclusion.

Subject + 再 + Verb + (Object)

The adverb 再 is used to indicate the repetition of an action in the future, meaning "again" or "once more."

Subject + 又 + Verb (+ Object)

Adverb 又 is used to indicate the repetition of an action that has already occurred in the past.

Subject + 已经 + Verb/Adjective + (Object) + 了

The structure 已经…了 is used to express an action or state that has already occurred, carrying the meaning of "already… (done)."

Subject + 快(要) + Verb/Adjective + 了

The structure 快…了 / 快要…了 is used to express that an action or event is about to happen in the near future.

Subject + (就)要 + Verb/Adjective + 了

The structure 要…了 / 就要…了 is used to express that an action or event is about to happen in the near future.

别 + Verb (+ Object)

Use 别 to request or advise someone not to do something.

别 + Verb / Verb phrase + 了

The structure 别…了 is used to request or advise someone to stop an ongoing action.

Subject + 更 + Adjective / Psych verb

The adverb 更 is used in comparisons, indicating a higher degree relative to an already existing object or state.

Subject + 最 + Adjective / Psych verb (+ Object)

The adverb 最 is used to indicate the highest degree, equivalent to 'most' or '-est' in English.

Subject + 真 + Adjective / Psych verb

Adverb 真 is used to emphasize degree, expressing exclamation, equivalent to 'truly', 'really', 'so'.

Subject + 有点儿 + Adjective / Psych verb

有点儿 is used to express an undesirable state or feeling at a mild degree, meaning 'a little, somewhat'.

Adjective/Verb + 一点儿 + (Object)

Used after an adjective/verb to indicate a small degree, or to soften a request/remark.

Noun/Pronoun (A) + 比 + Noun/Pronoun (B) + Adjective

Used with 比 to compare two objects A and B with respect to a certain quality, expressing that one exceeds or falls short of the other.

A + 比 + B + Adjective + 多了

Used for comparative constructions, emphasizing a very large gap between two subjects.

Subject A + 没有 + Comparative object B + (这么/那么) + Adjective

The structure 'A 没有 B + adjective' is used for unfavorable comparison, meaning 'A is not as ... as B'.

Noun 1 + 跟 + Noun 2 + 一样 + (Adjective/Verb)

The structure 跟…一样 is used to compare the similarity between two objects, meaning 'the same as'.

A + 离 + B + (有) + Distance / Adjective (远/近)

Preposition 离 is used to express 'how far A is from B' in terms of space or time.

从 + Time point/Place 1 + 到 + Time point/Place 2

The structure 从…到… is used to indicate a range in time or space, meaning 'from… to…'.

Subject + 从 + Place/Time (starting point) + Verb

Preposition 从 is used to indicate the starting point of an action or a point in time, meaning 'from'.

Verb + 到 + Place / Time

Preposition 到 is used to indicate the endpoint of an action, both in space (to where) and in time (until when).

Subject + 往 + Direction/Place + Verb

Preposition 往 is used to indicate the direction of an action, meaning 'toward', 'in the direction of'.

Subject + 给 + Object + Verb + (Object)

The preposition 给 is used to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, equivalent to 'for/to' in English.

Subject + 对 + Object + Verb / Adjective

Preposition 对 is used to indicate the object or direction of an action or attitude, generally translated as 'with' or 'toward/regarding'.

Subject + 跟 + Object + (Adverb) + Verb

Preposition 跟 is used to connect two nouns, meaning 'together with' or 'with', typically indicating accompaniment in an action.

为什么 + (Subject) + Predicate?

为什么 is used to ask for a reason, equivalent to 'tại sao' or 'vì sao' in Vietnamese.

因为 + Cause, 所以 + Result

The paired conjunctions 因为…所以… are used to express a cause-and-effect relationship (because… therefore…).

虽然 + Clause 1, 但是 + Clause 2

The paired conjunction 虽然…但是… is used to connect two clauses with contrasting meanings, equivalent to 'although... but...' in English.

Subject + 一边 + Verb 1 + 一边 + Verb 2

Used to express two different actions performed simultaneously by the same subject.

Subject + 一 + Verb 1 / Clause 1 + 就 + Verb 2 / Clause 2

The structure 一…就… expresses two actions occurring one immediately after the other, carrying the meaning of "as soon as…", "once… then…".

Subject + Verb + 过 + (Object)

Particle 过 placed after a verb to express an action that has occurred before or a past experience.

Subject + Verb + 着 + (Object)

The particle 着 is placed after a verb to express an ongoing action or a currently existing state.

Verb + 一下

Verb + 一下 is used to express an action that occurs briefly, or to do something tentatively/casually.

Verb monosyllabic: AA (e.g.: 看看) or A一A (e.g.: 看一看). Verb disyllabic: ABAB (e.g.: 学习学习).

Repeat a verb to express an action that is quick, light, or carries the meaning of "giving something a try."

Subject + Verb + 得 + Complement of degree (usually Adjective/Adverb)

Use the particle 得 after a verb to describe the degree, state, or result of that action.

Subject + Verb + 完 + (Object)

Resultative complement 完 is placed after a verb to indicate that an action has been completed or finished.

Subject + Verb + 好 + (Object)

Resultative complement 好 indicates that an action has been completed satisfactorily or is ready for the next step.

Subject + Verb + 错 + (Object)

Resultative complement 错 is used after a verb to indicate that the action was done incorrectly, mistakenly, or inaccurately.

Verb + 到 + (Object)

The resultative complement 到 indicates that an action has achieved its intended goal or desired result.

Verb (看/听) + 见 + (Object)

Resultative complement 见 is used after the verbs 看/听 to indicate that the action has produced a result — that is, one has "seen" or "heard" something.

Subject + Verb + 懂 + (Object)

Resultative complement 懂 indicates that the action has achieved the result of 'understanding'.

Verb + 来 / 去

来 (lái) and 去 (qù) are placed after a verb to indicate the direction of the action relative to the speaker.

Subject + 什么 + (Object) + 都/也 + Verb/Adjective

The structure 什么都/也 is used to emphasize the meaning of 'anything also...' or 'nothing at all...'.

谁 + 都/也 + Verb/Adjective

The structure 谁都/也 is used to mean "anyone" or "no one," emphasizing universality.

Clause, 是不是? or Subject + 是不是 + Predicate?

The structure 是不是 is used to ask for confirmation of information, equivalent to 'is it or isn't it?' in English.

Clause + ，+ 对不对？

Used at the end of a sentence to ask for confirmation, equivalent to 'right?', 'isn't it?'.