Grammar set - 2 Flashcards
How to do something with “zenme”
=》怎么 (zěnme) means “how” in Chinese, and it’s not hard to use at all: just put it before a verb.
The Basic “How to Verb” Usage
=》The question word 怎么 (zěnme) is used to ask how in Chinese. It is inserted in front of the verb that’s being asked about:
% Structure = Subj. + 怎么 + Verb + Obj.
》Note that the subject can often be omitted from general "how to" questions, and there doesn't always have to be an object.
你们 怎么 学 中文？ = How do you study Chinese?
你 怎么 上班（shàngbān）？坐 地铁 吗？= How do you get to work? By metro?
你 知道 怎么 去 外滩（Wàitān）吗？= Do you know how to get to the Bund?
你 怎么 知道 我 喜欢 旅行（lǚxíng）？= How did you know I like to travel?
我 不 知道 怎么 跟 女孩子 说话。= I don’t know how to talk to girls.
Topic First
=》Starting a “how to” question with the topic at the beginning of the question is very common. That is, the thing being asked about is introduced first, then a question is asked about how to do something involving it.
% Structure = Topic + 怎么 + Verb
》The object doesn’t have to come after the verb. Sometimes it moves to the front of the question, establishing what the question is going to be about, before getting specific with the “how” question.
Examples
芒果 怎么 吃？= How do you eat mangos?
iPad 怎么 用？= How do you use an iPad?
语法 怎么 学 ？= How do you study grammar?
# 中国 菜 怎么 做？= How do you cook Chinese food?
"Apple" 怎么 说？ =（the "in Chinese" is implied"Apple"）How do you say apple?
Negation of past actions with “meiyou”
=》 Use 没有 (méiyǒu) to negate past actions (to say that someone didn’t do something, or something didn’t happen).
》Usually verbs can be negated with 不 (bù), but that construction is used for habitual or present actions. If the verb is about an action in the past, though, 没有 (méiyǒu) should be used:
% Structure = Subj. + 没有 / 没 + Verb
》Note that you can shorten 没有 (méiyǒu) to just 没 (méi).
我 没有 去 上班。= I didn’t go to work.
他们 没有 说话。= They didn’t speak.
我 没有 喝 你 的 啤酒。= I didn’t drink your beer.
她 没有 看到 你。= She didn’t see you.
我 没有 吃 早饭。=I didn’t eat breakfast.
宝宝 没 哭。 = The baby didn’t cry.
你 昨天 没 回家 吗？= You didn’t go back home yesterday?
老板 今天 没 来 吗？ = The boss didn’t come today?
老师 今天 没 生气 。= The teacher didn’t get angry today.
妈妈 晚上 没 做饭。= Mom didn’t cook food this evening.
Negative commands with “buyao”
=》 You can use 不要 (bùyào) to command someone: “don’t” (do something). This is similar to the other negative command “别 (bié).”
% Structure = 不要 + Verb
》Negative commands in Chinese ("do not" or "don't") are formed with 不要. Usually the subject is omitted, as in English.
不要 走。= Don’t leave.
不要 打 我！ = Don’t hit me!
不要 生气 ， 好吗 ？ = Don’t get angry, OK?
不要 哭！ = Don’t cry!
不要 吃 很 多 肉。= Don’t eat a lot of meat.
你们 不要 喝酒。= You guys, don’t drink alcohol.
不要 说 英文。 = Don’t speak English.
晚上 不要 喝 咖啡。 = Don’t drink coffee at night.
上课 的 时候 不要 玩 手机！= In class don’t play with your phone!
不要 很 晚 睡觉！= Don’t go to bed too late.
Negative commands with “bie”
=》Instead of saying “do not” with 不要 (bùyào), we can say “don’t” a little more quickly and forcefully by using 别 (bié).
% Structure = 别 + Verb (+ Obj.)
》As well as 不要 (bùyào), negative commands can also be formed with 别 (bié). You could think of 别 (bié) as a contraction of 不要 (bùyào), as the structure is the same for both:
别 走。= Don’t leave.
别 说话！= Don’t speak!
别 笑！= Don’t laugh!
别 动！= Don’t move!
别 过来！= Don’t come over here!
别 打 孩子！= Don’t hit the child!
别 喝 太 多。= Don’t drink too much.
喝酒 以后 别 开车。= After drinking alcohol, don’t drive.
吃饭 的 时候 别 玩 手机。= When eating, don’t play with your cell phone.
上课 的 时候 别 说 英文。= Don’t speak English in class.
Simple “noun + adjective” sentences
=》 In English, nouns can be “linked” to adjectives and other nouns with the verb “to be.” In Chinese, nouns are linked to other nouns in one way, but linked to adjectives in a completely different way. Nouns are linked to other nouns with 是 (shì). Nouns are linked to adjectives with 很 (hěn).
% Structure = Noun + 很 + Adj.
》The noun in this structure is the subject of the sentence. Sometimes the 很 (hěn) in this structure is translated as "very," but often it is just a way to link a noun to an adjective. 》In the following examples, 很 (hěn) is just a link (you could think of it as a substitute for the verb "to be"), and the sentences could be translated as "(Noun) is (adjective)."
我 很 好。= I’m good.
你 很 漂亮。 = You are pretty.
他 很 高兴。 = He is happy.
中文 很 难。 = Chinese is difficult.
老板 很 生气。= The boss is angry.
我们 很 累。 = We’re tired.
我 哥哥 也 很 高。 = My older brother is also tall.
你 家 也 很 远 吗？ = Is your house also far away?
爸爸 很 忙，妈妈 也 很 忙。 = Dad is busy, and mom is also busy.
他 和 他 弟弟 都 很 帅。 = He and his younger brother are both handsome.
What 很 (hěn) Really Means
=》If you’re like most learners, when you first learn this pattern, you’re thinking, “How can 很 (hěn) mean “very” one minute, but then nothing but a “link” the next? How do I know if anything means anything in this language?” That’s a reasonable response. But in the case of these “Noun + Adj.” sentences, you just have to think of this usage of 很 (hěn) as an exception. It’s just part of the structure.
X - 他 是 高。Tā shì gāo.
✔ - 他 很 高。 Tā hěn gāo.He is tall.
》 If you actually want to add the meaning of "very" into the sentence, you could use another adverb instead of 很 (hěn). One good choice is 非常 (fēicháng).
# 他 非常 高 。Tā fēicháng gāo.
Basic sentence order
=》 In its most basic form, Chinese word order is very similar to English word order. These similarities definitely have their limits, though; don’t expect the two languages’ word orders to stay consistent much beyond the very basic sentence orders outlined below.
% Structure = 太 + Adj. + 了
》As in English, this can express that something really is excessive (often as a complaint), or can also colloquially express the meaning of "so" or "very."
米饭 太 多 了 。= There is too much rice.
现在 太 晚 了 。= Now it’s too late.
老板 太 忙 了 。= The boss is too busy.
老师 太 累 了 。= The teacher is too tired.
这个 厕所（cèsuǒ） 太 脏（zāng）了 。 = This restroom is too dirty.
》n the following examples, the same exact pattern is used to exclaim how good something is, so these uses are totally not complaints. The English translations have to get a little more creative to express the same feeling in English.
你 太 好 了 。 = You are so great.
他 太 帅 了 。 = He is very handsome.
这 个 女孩 太 漂亮 了 。 = This girl is so pretty.
小猫 太 可爱 了 ！ = The kitten is so cute!
你 的 孩子 太 聪明 了 。= Your kids are wicked smart.
Affirmative-negative question
CONTINUA*******
=》 A common way to form questions in Chinese is to first use a verb in the positive, then repeat the same verb in its negative form, similar to how in English we can say, “Do you have money or not?” or “Have you or have you not been to the park?” This sentence pattern feels a lot more natural in Chinese than those admittedly awkward English equivalents, however.
% Structure = Verb + 不 + Verb
是 不 是 ？ = Is it (or not)?
他们 来 不 来 ？ = Are they going to come or not?
你 想 不 想 我 ？ = Do you or do you not miss me?
我们 要 去 酒吧， 你 去 不 去？= We are going to the bar. Do you want to go?
我 去 买 咖啡 ，你 要 不 要 ？= I’m going to buy coffee. Do you want some?
Verb-Not-Verb with an Object
% Structure = Subj. + Verb + 不 + Verb + Obj.
=》If you want to add an object after the verb, the general sentence structure is:
你 回 不 回 家？ = Are you coming back home or not?
她 吃 不 吃 鱼？ = Does she eat fish?
你们 要 不 要 米饭？= Do you want rice?
你爸爸 喝 不 喝 酒？= Does your dad drink alcohol or not?
今天 老板 来 不 来 办公室？= Is the boss coming to the office today?
Tag questions with “bu”
=> In the same way you can tag questions with 吗 (ma), tag questions can also be formed using 不 (bù). This is done by putting an affirmative-negative question at the end of a sentence.
% Structure = Verb + 不 + Verb
> This can then be attached to the end of a sentence to form a tag question. Tag questions seek confirmation or acceptance of what has been said. In English, "right?" and "OK?" are often used as tag questions.
你 会 说 中文 ， 对 不 对 ？= You speak Chinese, right?
他 是 你 的 老板 ， 对 不 对 ？= He’s your boss, right?
我们 是 好 朋友 ， 对 不 对 ？= We are good friends, right?
你 昨天 没 回家， 对 不 对 ？= You didn’t come back home yesterday, right?
你 有 新 女朋友 了 ， 是 不 是 ？= You have a new girlfriend, right?
九 点 开会 ， 是 不 是 ？= We are going to hold a meeting at 9, right?
你 姓 王 ， 是 不 是 ？= Your last name is Wang, is it not?
我们 回家 吧 ， 好 不 好 ？= Let’s go home, OK?
周末 去 看 电影， 好 不 好 ？= Let’s go to a movie this weekend, OK?
你们 明天 来， 好 不 好 ？= You come here tomorrow, OK?
Tag questions with “ma”
=》As well as yes/no questions, you can also form tag questions with 吗 (ma). Tag questions are quick questions that are tagged on the end of a sentence to ask for confirmation. In English, this is often done with “right?” or negatively with “isn’t it?”
》The easiest way to do this in Chinese is to add some kind of confirmation word and 吗 (ma) on the end of the sentence.
% Structure = ⋯⋯， 好 / 对 / 是 / 可以 + 吗？
》As you can see below, the pattern typically involves words like 好 (hǎo), 对 (duì), 是 (shì), or 可以 (kěyǐ), followed by 吗 (ma).
这样（ Zhèyàng） 做，对 吗 ？Do it like this, right?
你们 见 过，对 吗 ？ = You’ve met, right?
他们 昨天 都 没 去， 是 吗 ？ = They didn’t go yesterday, right?
你 没 来 过（guo）， 是 吗 ？ = You haven’t been here, right?
你 喜欢 我妹妹， 是 吗 ？= You like my younger sister, huh?
我们 去 你 家 ， 好 吗 ？ = Let’s go to your place, OK?
不要 告诉 他 ， 好 吗 ？ = Don’t tell him, OK?
今天 我们 都 不 喝酒， 好 吗 ？ = Let’s all not drink alcohol today, OK?
我 现在 想 去 洗手间， 可以 吗 ？= I want to go to the bathroom now. Is that OK?
妈妈，我 要 吃 巧克力(qiǎokèlì） ， 可以 吗 ？ = Mom, I want to eat chocolate. May I?
Expressing “with” with “gen”
你 什么 时候 跟 你 女朋友 结婚？= When are you gonna marry your girlfriend?
=》 Using 跟 (gēn) to express “with” is so simple and helpful, after studying it briefly, it will always be with you! 跟 (gēn) is a very common word that will help complete many other sentence structures.
》The preposition 跟 (gēn) is commonly used to express "with." Just remember that the "with" phrase comes before the verb.
% Structure = Subj. + 跟 + Person + Verb + Obj.
》The word 一起 (yīqǐ) is used a lot with 跟 (gēn), expressing the idea of "doing something together with somebody." It may seem kind of redundant, but it's totally normal in Chinese to use both. Also, for most of the examples below, 跟 (gēn) is interchangeable with 和 (hé), which you may remember, also means "and," just like 跟 (gēn) does.
% Structure = Subj. + 跟 + Person + 一起 + Verb + Obj.
我 昨天 跟 朋友 去 海滩（hǎitān） 了。 = I went to the beach with friends yesterday.
不要 跟 我 说话！= Don’t talk to me!
我 明天 要 跟 新 客户 见面。= I’m going to meet new clients tomorrow.
你 喜欢 跟 你 父母 聊天 吗？= Do you like to talk with your parents?
你 想 跟我 一起 去 吗？ = Do you want to go with me?
请 你们 跟 老师 一起 读。= Please read together with the teacher.
下 周 谁 跟老板 一起 出差？= Who is going on a business trip together with the boss next week?
结婚 以后，你 想 跟 父母 一起 住 吗？= Do you want live together with your parents after you get married?
今年 中秋节 你 会 跟 家人 一起 过 吗？= Are you going to spend this Mid-Autumn Festival with your family?
=》 One of the most common beginner mistakes is to fail to use 跟 (gēn) with 见面 (jiànmiàn), “to meet.” It might help to think of 见面 (jiànmiàn) as “to meet with (somebody),” the “with” cluing you into the fact that you need a 跟 (gēn) in there. The verbs 结婚 (jiéhūn), “to marry,” and 聊天 (liáotiān), “to chat” are used with 跟 (gēn) in the exact same way.
Check out the examples below:
X 我 要 见面 你。Wǒ yào jiànmiàn nǐ.
✔ 我 要 跟 你 见面。Wǒ yào gēn nǐ jiànmiàn.I want to meet with you.
X 我 昨天 见面 他 了。Wǒ zuótiān jiànmiàn tā le.
✔ 我 昨天 跟 他 见面 了。Wǒ zuótiān gēn tā jiànmiàn le.I met with him yesterday.
X 你 什么时候 见面 她 ？Nǐ shénme shíhou jiànmiàn tā?
✔ 你 什么时候 跟 她 见面 ？Nǐ shénme shíhou gēn tā jiànmiàn? When are you going to meet with her?
X 明天 我 要 见面 我 男朋友 的 家人。Míngtiān wǒ yào jiànmiàn wǒ nánpéngyou de jiārén.
✔ 明天 我 要 跟 我 男朋友 的 家人 见面。Míngtiān wǒ yào gēn wǒ nánpéngyou de jiārén jiànmiàn.Tomorrow I am going to meet my boyfriend’s family.
X 你 有没有 见面 过 Obama?Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu jiànmiàn guo Obama?
✔ 你 有没有 跟 Obama 见 过 面？Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu gēn Obama jiàn guo miàn?Have you ever met Obama?
Where 和 (hé) and 跟 (gēn) Differ
=》We mentioned earlier that 跟 (gēn) is essentially interchangeable with 和 (hé). There’s at least one common usage where this is not the case, though:
X 和 我 读 。Hé wǒ dú.
✓ 跟 我 读 。Gēn wǒ dú.Read after me.
》The reason is that although 跟 (gēn) and 和 (hé) can both mean "and" or "with," the word 跟 (gēn) also has a sense of "to follow" embedded in it. There's a before/after aspect.
The following sentences are both correct, because they’re simultaneous rather than before/after:
✓ 和 我 一起 读。Hé wǒ yīqǐ dú.
✓ 跟 我 一起 读。Gēn wǒ yīqǐ dú. （Read with me.）
》Because of this slight difference between 跟 (gēn) and 和 (hé), it's recommended to start out using 跟 (gēn) to mean "with."
The filler word “neige”
那个 ⋯⋯ 这样 做 不 好 吧？= Ummm, it’s not good to do it this way?
＝》In conversation, you may find yourself at a loss for words, unable to find the correct phrase you are looking for, or simply needing time to gather your thoughts. When you experience this feeling, in English, you may say “umm” or “uhhh” or another filler word. In Chinese, the word for this is 那个 (nèige). (The word 那个 can be pronounced both “nàge” and “nèige,” but for this usage, “nèige” is normally used.)
% Structure = (那个⋯⋯) (那个⋯⋯) + [anything] + (那个⋯⋯)
那个 ⋯⋯ 我 不 跟 你们 一起 去 了，可以 吗？= So, ummm… I won’t go with you guys, OK?
我 想 吃 那个 ⋯⋯ 那个 ⋯⋯ 湖南（Húnán） 菜。= I want to eat that… ummm, you know… Hunan cuisine.
那个 ⋯⋯ 我 明天 不 来 了。= Ummm… I’m not coming tomorrow.
＃ 那个 ⋯⋯ 你 可以 做 我 的 女 朋友 吗？= Like… could you be my girlfriend?
＃ 那个 ⋯⋯ 不好意（bù hǎoyìsi）思 ， 我 要 走 了。= Ummmm… sorry, but I’ve gotta go.
＃ 她 很 漂亮 ， 就 像 那个 ⋯⋯ 明星(míngxīng ) 一样。= She’s very pretty, just like, you know, a celebrity.
＃我 想 看看 你 买 的 那个 ⋯⋯ 那个 ⋯⋯ iPhone。= I’d like to take a look at your, ummm, you know… iPhone you bought.
＃ 昨天 那个 ⋯⋯ 那个 ⋯⋯ 小笼包 （xiǎolóngbāo ）真 好吃。= Yesterday the, you know, steamed soup dumplings were so delicious.
Expressing “or” in statements
＝》In English, “or” can be used to connect words when offering or considering choices (“do you want chicken or beef?”). It can also be used as an “or” statement (“it doesn’t matter if we eat chicken or beef”), in Chinese, this is what 或者 (huòzhě) is used for.
》While 还是 (háishì) is used for “or” in questions, 或者 (huòzhě) is used for “or” in statements.
％Structure = Possibility 1 + 或者 + Possibility 2
Examples
我 喝 咖啡 或者 茶 ，都 行(dōu xíng)。= I drink coffee or tea. Either is OK.
星期六 或者 星期天 ， 都 可以 。= Saturday or Sunday are both OK.
今天 晚上 我 想 吃 披萨(pīsà) 或者 寿司(shòusī)。= Tonight I would like to eat pizza or sushi.
周末 的 时候，我 喜欢 在 家 做饭 或者 看 电影 。= During the weekend, I like to cook or watch movies at home.
你 去 或者 她 去 ，都 可以 。= You go or she goes, either way is fine.
下班 以后 我 去 你 家 或者 你 来 我 家 ， 都 可以。= After work I will go to your house, or you can come to my house, either way is fine.
下 个 月 我 打算(dǎsuàn) 去 杭州(Hángzhōu) 或者 苏州 (Sūzhōu)旅行。= Next month I plan to go to Hangzhou or Suzhou to travel.
我们 可以 坐 飞机 或者 坐 高铁(gāotiě) 去。= We can go by plane or by high-speed train.
晚饭 以后 我 和 家人 聊天 或者 看 电视 。= After dinner I chat with or watch TV with my family.
你 可以 用 手机 或者 电脑 上网。= You can use either a cell phone or computer to go online.
Expressing “will” with “hui”
=》会 (huì) has multiple uses, but in this context, it is being used to express the possibility of an action happening in the future.
》As well as expressing a learned skill, 会 (huì) can also be used to indicate that something will happen or that someone will do something.
% Structure = Subj. + 会 + Verb + Obj.
明天 你 会 来 吗 ？ = 他 会 来 看 你 吗？ = Will he come to see you?
明天 会 下雨 吗？ = Will it rain tomorrow?
我 出去 一下，很 快 会 回来。 = I’m going out for a little while. I’ll come back very soon.
老板 会 同意 吗？= Will the boss agree?
你 女儿 会 听 你 的 话。= Your daughter will listen to you.
下班 以后 ， 我 会 给 你 打 电话。 = After getting off work, I will give you a call.
Negative adjectives with “-si le”
=》In English, you might use the expression “you scared me to death!” In Chinese, 死了 (sǐ le) is used similarly to intensify an adjective with an unpleasant connotation.
% Structure = Adj. + 死了
》You might say that -死了 (sǐ le) is much more versatile in Chinese than the English expression "to death."
Examples
我 饿 死了。= Literally, “hungry to death” = I’m starving!
今天 累（lèi） 死了。= Literally, “tired to death” = Today was so exhausting!
热 死了！= Literally, “hot to death” = It’s ridiculously hot!
* 这 几 天 忙 死了。* = Literally, “busy to death” = It’s been so terribly busy these days!
这 件 衣服 丑 死了。Literally, “ugly to death” = This clothing is totally hideous!
你 的 房间 脏 死了。= Literally, “dirty to death” = Your room is absolutely filthy!
吵 死了！= Literally, “noisy to death” = It’s so terribly noisy!
** 这里 的 东西 贵 死了。** (doesn`t seams to need 很) = Literally, “expensive to death” = The things here are criminally expensive!
我们 都 急（jí） 死了。Literally, “anxious to death” = We are all so terribly anxious!
这 个 孩子 烦 死了。= Literally, “annoying to death” = This kid is so freaking annoying!
For Positive Connotations
=》Traditionally, -死了 (sǐ le) is only for adjectives with negative connotations, while positive connotations use a similar degree complement, 极了 (jí le). In recent years, however, it’s become quite popular to also use -死了 (sǐ le) with positive adjectives:
哇，可爱 死了 ！= Literally, “cute to death” = OMG, adorbs!
漂亮 死了 ！ Literally, “pretty to death”= Drop-dead gorgeous!
这 个 蛋糕 好吃 死了。Literally, “delicious to death” = This cake is to die for!
Emphasizing quantity with “dou”
=》都 (dōu) is one of those words that on the surface may seem simple, but actually has many different subtle uses. In this article, we will look at using 都 (dōu) to emphasize quantity.
》You can use 都 (dōu) to emphasize the large quantity of something. The subject should be some sort of large group (like a majority of people or things), e.g. 很多人 (hěn duō rén) or 大家 (dàjiā).
% Structure = Subj. + 都 + Verb + Obj.
Examples with 很多 (hěn duō)
=》First let’s look at some typical examples using 很多 (hěn duō) to emphasize that it’s “a lot.” Note that in English, it would be totally redundant and unnecessary to add “all” into these sentences, but in Chinese it’s totally natural (and kind of weird not to). If you remember to follow the rule and keep using the 都 (dōu), eventually it will become more natural for you too.
很 多 地方 都 有 wifi。= A lot of places have wifi.
我 的 很 多 朋友 都 有 车。= A lot of my friends have cars.
很 多 美国人 都 喜欢 喝 咖啡 。 = A lot of Americans like drinking coffee.
很 多 孩子 都 不 喜欢 上学。= A lot of kids don’t like to go to school.
很 多 年轻人 都 想 在 大 城市 工作。= A lot of young people want to go to work in big cities.
Examples with 大家 (dàjiā)
=》Now let’s look at some examples using 大家 (dàjiā) or “everyone.” Again, in English, it would be totally redundant and unnecessary to add “all” into these sentences, but in Chinese it’s totally natural (and kind of weird not to). You just have to get used to it.
大家 都 来 了 吗？ = Is everyone here?
大家 都 应该 知道。= Everyone should know.
大家 都 说 你 很 聪明。= Everyone says you’re smart.
大家 都 忘 了 他 的 名字。= Everyone forgot his name.
大家 都 喜欢 吃辣 吗？= Does everyone like eating spicy food?
Examples with 每天 (měi tiān)
=》One other common way to use 都 (dōu) is when you’re talking about something that happens really often, such as “every day”: 每天 (měi tiān). Use 都 (dōu) here in Chinese, even if it feels unnatural. (Fake it ‘til you make it!)
我 每天 都 要 上班 。= I have to go to work every day.
老师 每天 都 迟到。= The teacher comes late every day.
她 每天 都 不 吃 早饭。 = Every day, she does not eat breakfast.
我 女朋友 每天 都 上 淘宝 。= My girlfriend goes on Taobao every day.
妈妈 每天 都 给 我们 做 晚饭。 = Mom cooks dinner for us every day.
Other Examples
=》Here are some other examples that don’t use 很多 (hěn duō) or 大家 (dàjiā) or 每天 (měi tiān), but are still quite typical:
美国人 都 说 英文。= Americans all speak English.
我们 五 个 人 都 去。= All five of us are going.
四川（Sìchuān）人 都 喜欢 吃辣。= Sichuanese people all like eating spicy food.
我 的 家人 都 没 去 过 中国。= None of my family members has been to China.
我 的 学生 都 喜欢 问 问题。 = My students all like to ask questions.
