Grammar Reference

数量补语1：动词+动量补语

Sentence element / complement · 数量补语1(动词 (dòngcí)+动量补语)

• 我去过一次。 Wǒqù guò yícì. I've been once.
• 我们休息一下儿。 Wǒmen xiūxi yíxiàr. Let's rest a little.

数量补语2：形容词+数量补语

Sentence element / complement · 数量补语2(形容词 (xíngróngcí)+数量补语)

• 我比弟弟大两岁。 Wǒ bǐ dìdi dà liǎng suì. I am two years older than my younger brother.
• 昨天很热，今天凉快一点儿。 Zuótiān hěn rè, jīntiān liángkuai yìdiǎnr. It was hot yesterday; today is a little cooler.
• 坐地铁比坐公交车快一些。 Zuò dìtiě bǐ zuò gōngjiāochē kuài yìxiē. Taking the subway is a bit faster than taking the bus.
• 我哥哥比我大两岁。 Wǒ gēge bǐ wǒ dà liǎng suì. My older brother is two years older than I.

主谓句3：名词谓语句

Subject–predicate sentence · 主谓句 (zhǔwèijù)3(名词谓语句)

主谓句3：名词谓语句

• 明天阴天。 Míngtiān yīntiān. Tomorrow will be overcast.
• 他中国人。 Tā zhōngguó rén. He is Chinese.

“有”字句2

Sentence type / special pattern · “有 (yǒu)”字句 (zìjù)2

• 他有一米八高。 Tā yǒu yì mǐ bā gāo. He is 1.8 meters tall.
• 他有三十多岁。 Tā yǒu sānshí duō suì. He is in his thirties.
• 王老师有三十岁吗？ Wáng lǎoshī yǒu sānshí suì ma? Is Teacher Wang thirty years old?
• 这些水果有一百块钱吗？ Zhèxiē shuǐguǒ yǒu yì bǎi kuài qián ma? Do these fruits come to a hundred yuan?

存现句1：表示存在

Sentence type / special pattern

• 桌子上放着一本词典。 Zhuōzi shàng fàng zhe yì běn cídiǎn. A dictionary lies on the table.
• 教室前边站着一位老师。 Jiàoshì qiánbian zhàn zhe yí wèi lǎoshī. At the front of the classroom stands a teacher.

连动句1：表示前后动作先后发生

Serial-verb sentence · 连动句1(表示前后动作先后发生 (fāshēng))

连动句1：表示前后动作先后发生

• 他开门出去了。 Tā kāimén chūqù le. He opened the door and went out.
• 我们吃完饭去图书馆吧。 Wǒmen chīwán fàn qù túshūguǎn ba. Let's go to the library after we eat.

比较句2

Sentence type / special pattern

• 姐姐比我大两岁。 Jiějie bǐ wǒ dà liǎng suì. My older sister is two years older than me.
• 房间外边比里边凉快一些。 Fángjiān wàibian bǐ lǐbian liángkuai yìxiē. Outside the room is a bit cooler than inside.

比较句3

Sentence type / special pattern

• 我的爱好跟姐姐一样。 Wǒ de àihào gēn jiějie yíyàng. My hobbies are the same as my older sister's.
• 他的想法跟我相同。 Tā de xiǎngfǎ gēn wǒ xiāngtóng. His idea is the same as mine.

“是⋯⋯的”句1：强调时间、地点、方式、动作者

Sentence type / special pattern · “是 (shì)⋯⋯的 (de)”句 (gōu)1：强调时间、地点、方式、动作者

• 我是昨天到北京的。 Wǒ shì zuótiān dào běijīng de. It was yesterday that I arrived in Beijing.
• 他是在网上买的手机。 Tā shì zài wǎngshàng mǎi de shǒujī. He bought his phone online.

双宾语句

Object

• （1）主语+动词+宾语1+宾语？ (1) zhǔyǔ+ dòngcí+ bīnyǔ 1+ bīnyǔ? (1) Subject + verb + object 1 + object?
• 我给妹妹一本书。 Wǒ gěi mèimei yì běn shū. I'll give my younger sister a book.
• 爸爸送给我一个新手机。 Bàba sònggěi wǒ yìge xīn shǒujī. Dad gave me a new phone.
• 他卖给我一本中文书。 Tā mài gěi wǒ yì běn zhōng wénshū. He sold me a Chinese book.

双宾语句2

承接复句

Sequential compound

• 吃了晚饭，我们出去走走。 Chī le wǎnfàn, wǒmen chūqù zǒu zǒu. After dinner, let's go out for a walk.
• 他回房间拿了衣服，去教室上课了。 Tā huí fángjiān ná le yìfu, qù jiàoshì shàngkè le. He went back to his room to get his clothes, then went to the classroom for class.

递进复句

Progressive compound

• 那个地方我去过了，去过两次了。 Nàge dìfāng wǒqù guò le, qù guò liǎng cì le. I've been to that place — twice already.
• 他弟弟会说中文，说得很流利。 Tā dìdi huì shuō zhōngwén, shuō dehěn liúlì. His younger brother can speak Chinese — and very fluently at that.

选择复句

Alternative compound

• 这次旅行你坐火车，坐飞机？ Zhè cì lǚxíng nǐ zuò huǒchē, zuò fēijī? For this trip — do you take the train, or the plane?
• 我们星期六去，星期天去？ Wǒmen xīngqīliù qù, xīngqītiān qù? Shall we go on Saturday, or on Sunday?
• 你（是）喝茶，还是喝咖啡？ Nǐ ( shì) hēchá, háishi hē kāfēi? Do you drink tea, or coffee?
• 你（是）喜欢白色的，还是黑色的？ Nǐ ( shì) xǐhuan báisè de, háishi hēisè de? Do you like the white one, or the black one?

转折复句

Adversative compound

• 这件衣服样子不错，有点儿贵。 Zhè jiàn yìfu yàngzi bùcuò, yǒudiǎnr guì. This one looks nice, but it's a bit pricey.
• 这次去饭店，我们花钱不多，吃得很不错。 Zhè cì qù fàndiàn, wǒmen huāqián bù duō, chī dehěn bùcuò. Eating out this time we spent little and ate very well.
• 虽然学习的时间不长，但是他汉语说得很好。 Suīrán xuéxí de shíjiān bù zhǎng, dànshì tā hànyǔ shuō dehěn hǎo. Though he hasn't studied long, he speaks Chinese very well.
• 学汉语虽然难，但是很有意思。 Xué hànyǔ suīrán nán, dànshì hěn yǒuyìsi. Although learning Chinese is hard, it is very interesting.

假设复句

Hypothetical compound

• 明天下雨，我们在家休息。 Míngtiān xiàyǔ, wǒmen zàijiā xiūxi. If it rains tomorrow, we'll rest at home.
• 明天不下雨，我们出去玩儿。 Míngtiān bú xiàyǔ, wǒmen chūqù wánr. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll go out and have fun.

条件复句：只要⋯⋯，就⋯⋯

Conditional compound · 条件复句(只要 (zhǐyào)⋯⋯，就 (jiù)⋯⋯)

条件复句：只要⋯⋯，就⋯⋯

• 只要你认真学习，就一定能取得好成绩。 Zhǐyào nǐ rènzhēn xuéxí, jiù yídìng néng qǔdé hǎo chéngjì. As long as you study hard, you are sure to get good results.
• 只要你通过这次考试，我就送你一件礼物。 Zhǐyào nǐ tōngguò zhè cì kǎoshì, wǒ jiù sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù. As long as you pass this exam, I'll give you a present.

因果复句

Causal compound

• 我今天太忙了，午饭都没吃。 Wǒ jīntiān tài máng le, wǔfàn dōu méi chī. I was so busy today I didn't even eat lunch.
• 那个学生病了，没来上课。 Nàge xuésheng bìng le, méi lái shàngkè. That student was sick and didn't come to class.
• 因为机票太贵了，所以我准备坐火车去。 Yīnwèi jīpiào tài guì le, suǒyǐ wǒ zhǔnbèi zuò huǒchē qù. Since the plane ticket is too expensive, I'm planning to go by train.
• 因为我爸爸在中国工作，所以我来这儿学习中文。 Yīnwèi wǒ bàba zài zhōngguó gōngzuò, suǒyǐ wǒ lái zhèr xuéxí zhōngwén. Because my father works in China, I came here to study Chinese.

紧缩复句：一⋯⋯就⋯⋯

Compound sentence · 紧缩复句(一 (yī)⋯⋯就 (jiù)⋯⋯)

紧缩复句：一⋯⋯就⋯⋯

• 他一起床就去洗脸。 Tā yìqǐ chuáng jiù qù xǐliǎn. He goes to wash up as soon as he gets up.
• 我一喝酒就脸红。 Wǒ yì hējiǔ jiù liǎnhóng. Whenever I drink, my face turns red.
• 他一下课就去打篮球了。 Tā yíxià kè jiù qù dǎ lánqiú le. He went to play basketball the moment class ended.
• 我一到商场就想买东西。 Wǒ yí dào shāngchǎng jiù xiǎng mǎidōngxi. The moment I get to the mall, I want to buy things.

持续态：动词+着

Durative aspect · 持续态(动词 (dòngcí)+着 (zhāo))

持续态：动词+着

• 灯一直亮着。/灯没亮着。 Dēng yìzhí liàng zhe. / dēng méi liàng zhe. The light has been on all along. / The light isn't on.
• 电脑开着。/电脑没开着。 Diànnǎo kāi zhe. / diànnǎo méi kāi zhe. The computer is on. / The computer isn't on.
• 门开着，你进去吧。 Mén kāi zhe, nǐ jìnqù ba. The door is open — go in.
• 别站着，快请坐。 Bié zhàn zhe, kuài qǐngzuò. Don't stand there — please sit down.

经历态：用动态助词“过”表示

Action aspect · 经历态(用动态助词“过 (guò)”表示 (biǎoshì))

• 他学过中文。/他没学过中文。 Tā xué guò zhōngwén. / tā méi xué guò zhōngwén. He has studied Chinese. / He hasn't studied Chinese.
• 我吃过饺子。/我没吃过饺子。 Wǒ chī guò jiǎozi. / wǒ méi chī guò jiǎozi. I have eaten dumplings. / I've never eaten dumplings.
• 你学过中文吗？ Nǐ xué guò zhōngwén ma? Have you studied Chinese?
• 我没去过北京。 Wǒ méi qù guò běijīng. I've never been to Beijing.