Chinese Chinese Grammar Basics Syllabus

Chinese Grammar Basics syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Chinese Grammar Basics in Chinese, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Sentence Structure

   2 topics

   • Subject-Verb-Object Order
   • Negation in Sentences
2. 2

   Basic Particles

   2 topics

   • The Particle 'de'
   • The Particle 'le'

Chinese Grammar Basics flashcards for Chinese

22 of 50 cards from the Chinese Grammar Basics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the basic word order of a standard Chinese declarative sentence?

   Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), the same basic order as English. Example: 我喝水 (wǒ hē shuǐ) = 'I drink water' — Subject 我 + Verb 喝 + Object 水.

2. In the sentence 他吃苹果 (tā chī píngguǒ), identify the subject, verb, and object.

   Subject = 他 (tā, 'he'); Verb = 吃 (chī, 'eat'); Object = 苹果 (píngguǒ, 'apple'). The sentence means 'He eats an apple.'

3. Does Chinese conjugate verbs for tense, person, or number the way English does?

   No. Chinese verbs never change form. 我吃, 你吃, 他吃 all use the same 吃 (chī). Time and aspect are shown by adverbs, time words, and particles (like 了), not by verb endings.

4. Where do time expressions (e.g., 'yesterday', 'tomorrow') normally go in a Chinese sentence?

   Before the verb — typically right after the subject (or at the very start). Example: 我昨天买书 (wǒ zuótiān mǎi shū) = 'I bought a book yesterday.' Time comes before the verb, not after the object as in English.

5. What is the standard order for place/location relative to the verb in Chinese?

   Place usually comes before the verb, introduced by a coverb like 在 (zài). Example: 我在家吃饭 (wǒ zài jiā chī fàn) = 'I eat at home.' The pattern is Subject + 在 + Place + Verb + Object.

6. State the general 'Time-Place-Manner-Verb' ordering principle in Chinese.

   Adverbial information precedes the verb in the order: Subject + Time + Place + Manner + Verb + Object. Chinese front-loads circumstantial info before the action, the reverse of typical English word order.

7. How does Chinese handle questions with regard to word order, compared to English?

   Chinese does NOT invert word order for questions. A yes/no question keeps SVO order and adds 吗 (ma) at the end, or uses the verb-not-verb form. Example: 你喝水吗？ (nǐ hē shuǐ ma?) keeps the statement order.

8. What is the 把 (bǎ) construction, and how does it change word order?

   The 把 construction moves a definite object before the verb to emphasize what is done to it: Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + (complement). Example: 我把书放在桌子上 (wǒ bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shàng) = 'I put the book on the table.'

9. In Chinese, where does an attributive (a modifier describing a noun) go relative to the noun?

   Always before the noun. Adjectives, possessives, and relative clauses all precede the noun they modify, usually linked by 的 (de). Example: 红色的车 (hóngsè de chē) = 'red car'; 我买的书 = 'the book I bought.'

10. How are indirect and direct objects ordered with a verb like 给 (gěi, 'give')?

    Indirect object (recipient) comes before the direct object: Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object. Example: 我给他一本书 (wǒ gěi tā yì běn shū) = 'I give him a book.'

11. What is a topic-comment structure in Chinese, and how does it relate to SVO?

    Chinese often fronts a topic, then comments on it: Topic + (Subject) + Comment. Example: 这本书我看过 (zhè běn shū wǒ kànguo) = 'This book, I have read it.' The object 这本书 is topicalized to the front.

12. How do you form a negative sentence in the present/general with 不 (bù)?

    Place 不 (bù) directly before the verb or adjective: Subject + 不 + Verb + Object. Example: 我不喝咖啡 (wǒ bù hē kāfēi) = 'I don't drink coffee.'

13. What are the two main negation words in Chinese, and what is the core difference between them?

    不 (bù) and 没 (méi). 不 negates habitual actions, present/future, willingness, and states/adjectives. 没(有) negates completed actions and existence/possession (the past). Choosing between them depends on aspect, not just tense.

14. How do you negate a completed or past action in Chinese?

    Use 没(有) (méi/méiyǒu) before the verb, NOT 不. Example: 我没吃饭 (wǒ méi chī fàn) = 'I didn't eat.' Note: 了 is dropped when 没 negates, because 没 already signals the action did not complete.

15. How do you negate possession or existence ('to have') in Chinese?

    The verb 有 (yǒu, 'to have/there is') is ALWAYS negated with 没, giving 没有 (méiyǒu). You can never say 不有. Example: 我没有钱 (wǒ méiyǒu qián) = 'I don't have money.'

16. How do you negate an adjectival (stative) predicate like 高 (gāo, 'tall')?

    Use 不 before the adjective: Subject + 不 + Adjective. Example: 他不高 (tā bù gāo) = 'He is not tall.' Adjectives describe states, so they take 不, not 没.

17. What tone change (tone sandhi) happens to 不 (bù) before a fourth-tone syllable?

    不 changes from 4th tone (bù) to 2nd tone (bú) when followed by another 4th-tone syllable. Example: 不是 is pronounced bú shì (not bù shì), because 是 (shì) is 4th tone.

18. How is a future intention or unwillingness negated in Chinese?

    With 不, because willingness/future is not a completed action. Example: 我明天不去 (wǒ míngtiān bù qù) = 'I'm not going tomorrow.' Even with a future time word, 不 is correct since the action reflects intention.

19. How do you express 'have never done something' as a negation in Chinese?

    Use 没(有) + verb + 过 (guo): Subject + 从来 + 没 + Verb + 过. Example: 我从来没去过中国 (wǒ cónglái méi qùguo Zhōngguó) = 'I have never been to China.' The experiential 过 is kept under 没.

20. Compare 我不吃 and 我没吃 in meaning.

    我不吃 (wǒ bù chī) = 'I don't/won't eat' (habitual or refusal). 我没吃 (wǒ méi chī) = 'I didn't eat / haven't eaten' (the action of eating did not happen). 不 = will/habit; 没 = did not occur.

21. How do you negate a sentence containing 是 (shì, 'to be')?

    With 不: 不是 (bú shì). Example: 他不是老师 (tā bú shì lǎoshī) = 'He is not a teacher.' The copula 是 takes 不, never 没.

22. How do you form a negative command ('don't...') in Chinese?

    Use 别 (bié) or 不要 (bú yào) before the verb. Example: 别走！ (bié zǒu!) = 'Don't leave!'; 不要说话 (bú yào shuōhuà) = 'Don't talk.'

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