This is step 3 of 5 of our review process. All characters are ordered according to their strokes number. Please, review all grammar points as explained in the Sentence Structure tables below.
yī ATTENTION: When alone, before 十character: 十 pinyin: shí details or at the end of a word or a sentence, it is pronounced in the first tone. When it precedes a syllable of the first, second or third tone, it is pronounced in the fourth tone. It is pronounced in the second tone when it is followed by a fourth tone.
Measure word used before nouns which do not have special measure words of their own (some nouns can be preceded by either it or other special measure words)
Used as a suffix to a few nouns indicating categories of people
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In this lesson it's the second character of the words 先生word: 先生 pinyin: xiānsheng details ("Mister") and 医生word: 医生 pinyin: yīshēng details ("Physician")
Used to show plural number: 1. after a personal pronoun; 2. after a noun that refers to people ATTENTION: It's not used when the noun is preceded by a numeral or an intensifier
As we will see, both verbs and adjectives can be used to show the result of an action.
Negative Form
The negative form of the complement of result is formed by putting the negative adverb 没character: 没 pinyin: méi details before the verb indicating the action, indicating that the expected result was not achieved.
The verb indicating the action and the verb/adjective showing the result are closely linked together and no element can be put between them, 没character: 没 pinyin: méi details included.
A sentence with a verb as the main element of its predicate is called a verbal predicate sentence. If the verb takes an object, the object usually follows the verb.
Sentence Structure 4 The Declarative “是” Sentence—Part 1 Lesson 17
The "是character: 是 pinyin: shì details" sentence is a sentence with its predicate composed by the verb 是character: 是 pinyin: shì details together with its object. Its declarative basic form is "A是character: 是 pinyin: shì detailsB".
Sentence Structure 5 The Negative “是” Sentence Lesson 17
The negative form of the "是character: 是 pinyin: shì details" sentence is formed by putting the negative adverb 不character: 不 pinyin: bù details before 是character: 是 pinyin: shì details.
Sentence Structure 6 The Declarative “是” Sentence—Part 2 Lesson 17
The verb 是character: 是 pinyin: shì details ties two things, indicating that they are identical or that the second explains or states the case of the first.
Both forms "A是character: 是 pinyin: shì detailsB" and "B是character: 是 pinyin: shì detailsA" are correct, but their meanings are slightly different. Examples:
Example
我character: 我 pinyin: wǒ details是character: 是 pinyin: shì details李character: 李 pinyin: lǐ details先生word: 先生 pinyin: xiānsheng details。 The point here is which name I have.
李character: 李 pinyin: lǐ details先生word: 先生 pinyin: xiānsheng details是character: 是 pinyin: shì details我character: 我 pinyin: wǒ details。 Here the point is who has that name.
是character: 是 pinyin: shì details, stressed, may be used as an adverb to indicate certainty. For example, in a verbal predicate sentence it may be put before the verb.
Example
我character: 我 pinyin: wǒ details是character: 是 pinyin: shì details爱character: 爱 pinyin: ài details她character: 她 pinyin: tā details。 meaning: I really love her.
是character: 是 pinyin: shì details is also a Chinese surname, even if not at all common. Surnames must be put before titles. So let's say we find a teacher whose surname is 是character: 是 pinyin: shì details. We would call her 是character: 是 pinyin: shì details老师word: 老师 pinyin: lǎoshī details (that is SURNAME + TITLE) and would cacophonically say "他character: 他 pinyin: tā details是character: 是 pinyin: shì details是character: 是 pinyin: shì details老师word: 老师 pinyin: lǎoshī details".
A modifier (i.e. any word, phrase, or clause, except conjunctions, grammatical particles, interjections, and exclamations) is used in this structure to qualify or modify a noun (headword). 的character: 的 pinyin: de details is placed between modifier and headword.
MODIFIER + 的character: 的 pinyin: de details + HEADWORD
To make learning easier, the examples will be divided as follows:
Pronoun+的+Noun
Noun+的+Noun
Substantive+的+Noun
Time word+的+Noun
Place+的+Noun
Verb+的+Noun
Adjective+的+Noun
Adverb+的+Noun
Prepositional phrase+的+Noun
Onomatopoeia+的+Noun
Phrase+的+Noun
IMPORTANT: remember that the noun (headword) is always placed AFTER 的character: 的 pinyin: de details.
This structure is used to indicate a relationship of belonging, possession, etc.
Let's take the phrase "my teacher" as example. Since "my" is the possessive genitive of "I", we would literally say "I 的character: 的 pinyin: de details teacher".
"My teacher" is literally: I 的character: 的 pinyin: de details teacher
我character: 我 pinyin: wǒ details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
my
Chinese
你character: 你 pinyin: nǐ details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
your (singular)
Chinese
他character: 他 pinyin: tā details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
his
Chinese
她character: 她 pinyin: tā details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
her
Chinese
它character: 它 pinyin: tā details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
its
Chinese
我们word: 我们 pinyin: wǒmen details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
our
Chinese
你们word: 你们 pinyin: nǐmen details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
your (plural)
Chinese
他们word: 他们 pinyin: tāmen details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
their (of males, or males and females)
Chinese
她们word: 她们 pinyin: tāmen details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
their (of females)
Chinese
它们word: 它们 pinyin: tāmen details的character: 的 pinyin: de details
English
their (of animals or things)
Sentence Structure 11 Inflection in Chinese? Lesson 18
The concept of inflection, that is the change of form that nouns, verbs and adjectives undergo in English to mark such distinctions as those number, tense, or person is foreign to Chinese language, so that the phrase 我character: 我 pinyin: wǒ details的character: 的 pinyin: de details老师word: 老师 pinyin: lǎoshī details might be translated both as "my teacher" and "my teachers".
So the good news is that all English rules about inflection can just be ignored!
Sentence Structure 13 Modifier Without 的 Lesson 20
When a personal pronoun is used as a modifier and the headword is a word for relatives, parts of the body or units or collectives to which the pronoun belongs, the structural particle 的character: 的 pinyin: de details may be omitted.
The adjectival predicate sentence is a sentence with an adjective as the main element of its predicate. This type of sentence describes the state which a person or thing is in. No 是character: 是 pinyin: shì details is used to join the predicate with the subject. In an affirmative sentence the adjectival predicate is usually preceded by 很character: 很 pinyin: hěn details, which is a weakened adverb here without much significance of an adverb of degree.
Sentence Structure 16 The Elliptical Question With “呢” Lesson 24
Elliptical questions may be formed by adding the modal particle 呢character: 呢 pinyin: ne details to a noun, pronoun or nominal construction. The meaning of this kind of question is determined by the context.
meaning: "What about you? What's your profession?"
If asked without any context, it concerns the whereabouts of somebody or something. For example, if you meet Mary and just ask her "Lucy呢character: 呢 pinyin: ne details？", it would mean "Where is Lucy?"
The adverb 都character: 都 pinyin: dōu details must be placed after the subject and before the predicate verb or adjective. As a rule, it indicates all of the persons or things referred to by the preceding noun (phrase).
Sentence Structure 18 Adverbs “也” And “都” Used Together Lesson 24
When both the adverbs 也character: 也 pinyin: yě details and 都character: 都 pinyin: dōu details are used to modify the same predicate, 也character: 也 pinyin: yě details comes before 都character: 都 pinyin: dōu details.
Sentence Structure 20 The Subject-Predicate Construction—Part 1 Used as the Predicate of a Sentence Lesson 29
A subject-predicate construction can be used as the subject, the object or the predicate of a sentence. Here we pay special attention to its use as the predicate of a sentence.
When a sentence has a subject-predicate construction as its predicate, the person or thing denoted by the subject of this subject-predicate construction is often related to the subject of the whole sentence.
An adverbial adjunct is used to modify a verb or an adjective. Adverbs, adjectives, time words and prepositional constructions can all be used as an adverbial adjunct. They usually precede the part which is being modified.
Sentence Structure 22 Time Words used as adverbial adjuncts Lesson 30
Time words are nouns or numeral-measure compounds indicating time.
They may be used as subjects, objects, predicates, modifiers, headwords in a "的character: 的 pinyin: de details" structure, complements, or adverbial adjuncts. Here we pay special attention to their use as adverbial adjuncts.
When used as an adverbial adjunct, time words generally come before the main element of the predicate.
The sentence with a nominal predicate is a sentence in which the main element of the predicate is a noun, a nominal construction or a compound consisting of a numeral and a measure word.
In the affirmative sentence, 是character: 是 pinyin: shì details is not used (是character: 是 pinyin: shì details is used in the sentence with a verbal predicate).
This type of sentence is mainly used to show time, age, one's birthplace, and quantity.
Sentence Structure 24 Time Words used as subjects Lesson 30
Time words may be used as subjects, objects, predicates, modifiers, headwords in a "的character: 的 pinyin: de details" structure, complements, or adverbial adjuncts. Here we pay special attention to their use as subjects.
Sentence Structure 26 Time Words used as modifiers Lesson 30
Time words may be used as subjects, objects, predicates, modifiers, headwords in a "的character: 的 pinyin: de details" structure, complements, or adverbial adjuncts. Here we pay special attention to their use as modifiers.
Sentence Structure 27 Time Words used as headwords in a "的" structure Lesson 30
Time words may be used as subjects, objects, predicates, modifiers, headwords in a "的character: 的 pinyin: de details" structure, complements, or adverbial adjuncts. Here we pay special attention to their use as headwords in a "的character: 的 pinyin: de details" structure.
The negative form of a nominal predicate sentence is made by using 不character: 不 pinyin: bú details是character: 是 pinyin: shì details between the subject and the predicate, resulting in a sentence with a verbal predicate at the same time.
Sentence Structure 29 Time Words used as objects Lesson 30
Time words may be used as subjects, objects, predicates, modifiers, headwords in a "的character: 的 pinyin: de details" structure, complements, or adverbial adjuncts. Here we pay special attention to their use as objects.
Sentence Structure 32 Interrogative Word “什么” Lesson 35
An interrogative word may be used to raise a question and it is placed where the answer is expected. Therefore, the word order of the answer is the same as that of the question, with the interrogative word being replaced by the corresponding answer. Here we pay special attention to the interrogative word 什么word: 什么 pinyin: shénme details.
什么word: 什么 pinyin: shénme details, when used alone as interrogative word, refers to things.
Please note that the word order is the same in both answer and question. The interrogative word 什么word: 什么 pinyin: shénme details is in the same position of the part being questioned (that is the surname 王character: 王 pinyin: wáng details).
什么word: 什么 pinyin: shénme details, when used as an interrogative word before nouns, refers to things or persons.
Examples
他character: 他 pinyin: tā details是character: 是 pinyin: shì details什么word: 什么 pinyin: shénme details人character: 人 pinyin: rén details？ (What sort of person is he?) 什么word: 什么 pinyin: shénme details工作word: 工作 pinyin: gōngzuò details？ (Which job?)
Sentence Structure 33 The Sentence with Verbal Constructions in Series—Part 1 Lesson 43
If a sentence with a verbal predicate is composed of two (or more) verbs or verbal phrases which share the same subject, it is known as the sentence with verbal constructions in series.
Sentence Structure 34 The Sentence with Verbal Constructions in Series—Part 2 Indicating the purpose of an action Lesson 43
In this kind of sentence with verbal constructions in series, the second verb (or verbal phrase) tells the purpose of the action indicated by the first verb (or verbal phrase).
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