HSK 1 · 187 grammar notes

HSK1 Grammar

Particles, modal verbs, connectors and grammatical structures from the official HSK1 vocabulary, explained in English with examples and usage context.

Quantity and measure 23 notes

点 · point; o'clock; a little

Besides "point", it is used for hours (三点) and approximate quantities (一点儿).

多 · many; much

Very flexible word: 多少 (quantity), 多久 (duration), 多 + adjective (how).

多 · many; much

Very flexible word: how much (多少), much (很多), more (多吃点儿). The meaning depends on the structure.

多少 · how much; how many

When not asking about quantity, it can indicate an approximate amount.

第 · ordinal number prefix

Turns numbers into ordinals: 第一, 第二. Requires a number after it.

分钟 · minute

The character 分 has many uses in numbers, time, and measurements.

个 · general classifier

Most commonly used general classifier. It can replace other classifiers when the learner does not know the specific one.

号 · number; day of the month

For dates: 一号, 十号. It can also mean number or signal in other contexts.

件 · classifier for clothes, matters, objects

Classifier for clothing, matters and abstract objects: 一件衣服, 一件事.

块 · piece; chunk; yuan (colloquial)

Classifier for block-shaped objects and colloquial money: 一块钱.

两 · two (for quantities and classifiers)

Used with classifiers and quantities: 两个人, 两本书. For phone numbers, dates and counting, 二 is used.

两 · two (for quantities and classifiers)

Used with classifiers and quantities: 两个人, 两本书. For phone numbers, dates and counting, 二 is used.

Standard character required to express numbers with zeros and in phone numbers, years and decimals.

千 · thousand

Part of large numbers and common numerical combinations.

少 · few; little

Often confused with 小: 少 indicates quantity; 小 indicates size.

小时 · hour (time unit)

Time classifier: 三小时, 两个小时. Normally, not use 三个小时? (both exist depending on context).

元 · yuan (Chinese currency)

Basic Chinese monetary unit; 块 is the equivalent colloquial form.

一点儿 · a little; a bit

一点儿 and 一些 are not the same: 一点儿 usually indicates a small quantity.

一些 · some; a few

一些 indicates a non-exact quantity; 一些 and 一点儿 have different uses.

一些 · some; a few

一些 indicates an indefinite quantity; it is not normally used with exact numbers.

半 has special uses with time and quantities: 半年, 半天, 一半.

有点儿 · a little, a bit

Expresses "a little." Used mainly with adjectives, usually carrying a negative or limiting nuance.

For simple numbers 二 is used, but before classifiers 两 is normally used (两个人).

Comparación 1 notes

今年 · this year

It combines with 来/去 to express temporal comparison: 今年比去年...

Connectors 1 notes

和 · and; with

As a conjunction it means "and", but in spoken Chinese it is sometimes avoided between long clauses.

Negación 3 notes

The negation changes to bú/bù depending on the tone of the following character (不对, 不好, 不是).

不要 · don't want to; don't do

Do not confuse 不要 (don’t want / don’t do) with 不 (general negation).

没有 · not have; there is not

Important grammatical word: can negate existence (没有钱) or experiences (没去过).

Partículas 6 notes

吧 · modal particle (suggestion, assumption or agreement)

phrase-final particle: softens a command or makes a suggestion. Example: 走吧 = let's go / let's leave.

的 · possessive or attributive particle

Structural particle: connects modifier + noun. Example: 我的书, 好吃的东西.

了 · particle indicating change or completed action

Particle with two main functions: change of state (下雨了) and completed action (吃了饭). It does not always equal past tense.

吗 · question particle

Question particle placed at the end of a sentence to turn it into a question.

呢 · modal or interrogative particle

Sentence-final particle with several uses: follow-up question, emphasis, or indicating an ongoing situation.

是 · to be; yes (affirmation)

Used to identify or classify, but normally not used before predicative adjectives.

Frequent patterns 84 notes

汉语 · Chinese language

The character 汉 appears in several words related to the Chinese language and culture.

汉字 · Chinese character

The character 汉 appears in several words related to the Chinese language and culture.

中国 · China

中 appears in many compounds: 中国, 中文, 中学, 中间.

中文 · Chinese language

中 + 文 forms vocabulary related to the Chinese written language.

不客气 · you're welcome

Fixed response after thanks; not used as a simple negation.

包子 · baozi; steamed stuffed bun

The character 包 appears in many words related to wrapping or containing.

超市 · supermarket

市 appears in places related to cities or commerce: 超市, 市场.

电话 · telephone; phone call

The character 电 is very productive: 电话, 电脑, 电视, 电车.

电脑 · computer

The character 电 is very productive: 电话, 电脑, 电视, 电车.

电视 · television

The character 电 is very productive: 电话, 电脑, 电视, 电车.

电影 · movie; cinema

The character 电 is very productive: 电话, 电脑, 电视, 电影.

对 · correct; toward; regarding

Besides meaning correct, it forms structures: 对 + person/topic = regarding someone/something.

对 · correct; toward; regarding

Besides "correct", it appears in 对不起 and structures with 对 + person/object.

对不起 · sorry; excuse me

Fixed expression for apologizing.

大 · big; large

Besides size, it forms frequent compounds: 大家, 大学, 大人, 大概. It does not always mean "big".

读书 · to study; to read

Can mean reading or studying depending on the context.

东西 · thing; object

Can mean an object in general; it should not be analyzed literally as 东 + 西.

都 · all; both; already

Indicates totality: 都 + verb/adjective. Normally comes after the subject.

打电话 · make a phone call

打 has many uses: 打电话, 打球, 打工.

房间 · room; chamber

The character 房 appears in several words related to housing.

非常 · very; extremely

Usually placed before adjectives or psychological verbs.

分 · minute; divide; part

Polysemous: divide (分开), minute (分钟), part (部分), score/grade (分数).

分 · minute; divide; part

Polysemous: divide (分开), minute (分钟), score/grade (分数), part (部分).

给 · to give; for

Besides "give", it introduces the recipient: 给我看 = show me. It also appears in beneficiary structures.

公司 · company; corporation

The character 公 appears in many modern words.

还 · still; also; additionally

As hái it expresses continuity (还在 = still is), addition (还有 = there is also), and alternative (还是 = or). Context determines the use.

还 · still; also; additionally

As huán it means to return or give back. Appears in 还钱 (return money), 还书 (return a book), 还债 (pay a debt).

It does not always mean "very": it often functions as a natural marker before adjectives: 很好.

好 · good; well

Has many uses besides "good": 好吃, 好看, 好像, 好了. Very common in compounds.

好吃 · delicious; tasty

Common pattern: 好 + verb to express quality or ease.

好看 · good-looking; interesting

Common pattern: 好 + verb to express quality or ease.

好听 · pleasant to listen to

Common pattern: 好 + verb to express quality or ease.

好玩儿 · fun; entertaining

Common pattern: 好 + verb to express quality or ease.

叫 · to be called; to call; to shout

Besides calling/name, it introduces names: 我叫王明.

家 · home; family

Besides family/home, it is also a suffix for professions and people: 作家, 画家.

家人 · family members

The character 家 appears in numerous words related to home and family.

觉得 · to think; to feel; to believe

Verb of opinion/feeling: normally followed by a complete clause or adjective, e.g. 觉得很好.

看 · see; look; read

Besides looking, it appears in 看病 (see a doctor), 看起来 (seem), 看见 (see).

看病 · to see a doctor

看 does not only mean “to look”: 看病 = go to the doctor, 看电影 = watch a movie.

看见 · to see

Similar to 看到: emphasizes having perceived something visually. In many contexts they are interchangeable.

课 · class; lesson

Forms frequent educational compounds: 上课, 下课, 课本, 课文.

开 · open; begin

Highly polysemous verb: open, switch on, drive, hold. Forms many compounds.

开车 · drive

开 has many uses; in 开车 it means “to drive”, unlike 开门 (open) or 开会 (hold a meeting).

老师 · teacher; instructor

In some compounds, 老 does not mean “old”: 老师 is a fixed example.

没关系 · it doesn't matter; it's okay

Fixed expression used to respond to apologies or downplay something.

没事 · no problem, it's nothing

没事 has two main uses: (1) as a response to an apology, meaning "no problem / it's nothing"; (2) as a question or statement about availability: 你今天没事吧 means "you're free today, right?". Context determines which meaning applies.

女儿 · daughter

儿 in 女儿 is not always pronounced separately; it forms a fixed word.

漂亮 · beautiful; pretty

Can be used for people, objects, or results: 漂亮的衣服.

便宜 · cheap

Do not confuse it with 方便; 便宜 mainly refers to price.

朋友 · friend

Common compound with 老/好: 老朋友, 好朋友.

请 · please; to invite; to ask

Besides "please", it is used to invite or ask someone to do something: 请坐, 请进.

请问 · excuse me; may I ask

Fixed expression used to begin a question politely.

认识 · to know; to recognize

It does not mean exactly "to know" in the sense of information; it is used for knowing people or recognizing.

睡 · to sleep

Often appears in the structure 睡觉.

睡觉 · to sleep

觉 in 睡觉 is pronounced jiào, different from 觉得 (jué).

说 · to speak; to say

Can mean to speak or to say, depending on context.

说话 · to speak

话 appears in many compounds related to communication: 电话, 说话.

手机 · mobile phone

机 is a productive character in technology: 手机, 电视机, 计算机.

太 · too much; very

Frequent pattern: 太 + adjective + 了.

听 · to listen; to hear

Often appears in structures such as 听说 and 听见 at later levels.

听见 · to hear; to listen

Similar to 听到; emphasizes having heard something.

喂 · hello! (on the phone); to feed

Used especially when answering or starting telephone calls.

Can mean to ask or to inquire.

问题 · problem; question; issue

Can function as a noun or as a verb in certain formal contexts.

谢谢 · thank you

Fixed expression; usually does not take a direct object as in Spanish.

先生 · Mr.; gentleman

Besides meaning "Mr.", it also appears in professional titles and formal names.

小 · young (prefix); small

Besides size, it appears as an affectionate prefix in names and nicknames.

学校 · school

学 is a productive character: 学生, 学习, 小学, 中学.

学习 · to study; to learn

Can function as a verb or a noun depending on the context.

喜欢 · to like; to be fond of

Common pattern: 喜欢 + verb/noun. Example: 喜欢吃饭, 喜欢中文.

Always appears before the main verb or predicative adjective.

In certain contexts its tone changes depending on the following word.

一下 · a moment, briefly, just a bit

一下 is placed after a verb and serves two functions: (1) it indicates the action is brief or done once: 看一下 "take a quick look"; (2) it softens the tone of an imperative, making it more polite: 等一下 sounds less abrupt than 等. It is very common in everyday speech.

有 · have; there be

Used to indicate existence or possession.

Distribution pattern: 有的...有的... = some...others...

住 · to live; to stay

Can function as a main verb or as a result complement: 记住, 抓住.

真 · true; really

Often used before adjectives to intensify: 真好, 真漂亮.

找 · look for; find; give change

Often appears with result complements: 找到, 找不着.

只 · only; merely

Can be pronounced zhǐ or zhī depending on its function.

只 · only; merely

As zhī, it is a very common classifier for animals and certain objects.

做 · do; make

A highly polysemous verb that appears in numerous common contexts and combinations.

做饭 · to cook

The verb 做 has many common uses; this is one of them.

字 · Chinese character; written word

Very productive in compounds related to writing and characters: 汉字, 字典.

怎么样 · how is it?; how about...?

Can it be like this?; What do you think of this?

Posición y dirección 17 notes

边 · floor; layer; level

Very productive character for positions: 旁边, 北边, 东边, 这边.

出租车 · taxi

The character 出 appears in many compounds related to outward movement.

到 · to arrive; until

Indicates arrival or result: 看到, 听到, 找到. It does not always mean only "arrive".

回 · return; occasion

Movement verb with direction: 回家, 回来, 回去.

Very common motion verb in complements: 回来, 进来, 出来. Indicates movement toward the speaker.

里 · inside; interior

Used as a locator after a place or noun: 家里, 学校里.

前 · in front of; before

Can function as a position (前面) or a time reference (以前).

Can function as a main verb or as a directional complement after another verb.

起床 · to get out of bed

起 appears in many verbs related to starting or getting up: 起床, 起来.

上 · on; above; to go up; previous

Can indicate direction or upward movement when acting as a complement.

上 · on; above; to go up; previous

Very productive in compounds: 上学, 上班, 上车, 上网.

上班 · to go to work

上 + activity indicates attending/starting an activity: 上班, 上课, 上学.

上学 · to go to school

上 + activity: 上学, 上课, 上班.

下 · below; to go down; next

Can indicate downward direction or a brief action as a verbal complement.

下 · below; to go down; next

Can indicate downward direction or a brief action as a verbal complement.

下 · below; to go down; next

Very productive in compounds: 下车, 下雨, 下午.

下 · below; to go down; next

Widely used in compounds: 下午, 下车, 下雨.

Pronouns 31 notes

大家 · everyone; everybody

家 in 大家 does not mean family; it is a very common collective pronoun.

们 · plural suffix for pronouns and people

Plural suffix for people or pronouns: 我们, 你们, 他们.

In Chinese, people normally ask: 你叫什么名字? It is not used the same way as 姓 (surname).

那 · that; those

Besides being a demonstrative, it can be pronounced nèi before classifiers: 那个人 → nèi ge rén.

那 · that; those

Besides being a demonstrative, it can be pronounced nèi before classifiers: 那个人.

那个 · that one

Demonstrative pronoun. Used to refer to something distant or already known in context (more distant than 这个).

那个 · that one

那 (nà) is the distal demonstrative ("that"). It combines with the classifier 个 (ge) for people or generic objects. With other nouns, use the appropriate classifier: 那本书 (that book), 那只猫 (that cat). Its opposite is 这个 (zhè ge, "this").

那里 · there

那里/那里边 indicate a place far from the speaker.

那儿 · there

Colloquial variant of 那里.

那些 · those; those ones

那些 = 那 + 些; 些 functions as an indefinite plural classifier.

您 · you (polite)

Polite form of 你.

哪 · what; which

Interrogative form usually followed by a classifier or noun: 哪个人, 哪本书.

哪个 · which, which one

Interrogative pronoun. Used to ask about a choice within a known group.

哪个 · which, which one

Interrogative pronoun. Used to ask about a choice within a known group.

哪里 · where

Question word for places; also appears in modest negative responses: 哪里哪里.

哪儿 · where

Colloquial variant of 哪里.

哪些 · which ones

Interrogative classifier: 哪些 + noun means "which".

你们 · you (plural)

们 is a plural suffix for pronouns/persons: 你们, 我们, 他们.

In indirect questions it can mean "whoever": 谁都知道.

Very productive question word: 什么样 = what kind, 什么时候 = when.

Its pronunciation is identical to 她.

Its pronunciation is identical to 他.

他们 · they (male/mixed)

们 functions as a plural marker for people.

它们 · they (animals or things)

Suffix 们 used to pluralize pronouns.

些 · some, a few

Indicates plural or an indefinite quantity. Not used alone — always appears combined with another word (这些, 一些, 那些).

有些 · some, somewhat

Means "some / to a certain degree or extent." Refers to a portion within a larger set.

这 · this; this one

Besides being a demonstrative, it can be pronounced zhèi before classifiers: 这个.

这个 · this, this one

Demonstrative pronoun. Used for nearby objects or those already mentioned.

这边 · this side; here

这/那 form pairs: 这边, 那边, 这里, 那里.

这些 · these

这些 = 这 + 些; 些 indicates an indefinite plural.

Manner question word: 怎么办 and 怎么样 are very common structures.

Time 15 notes

半 · half; half of

In time expressions it often appears as 半天, 半年, 半小时; it does not always work as "half" before any word.

今天 · today

Forms common time expressions: 今天早上, 今天晚上. No classifier is needed.

上午 · morning (before noon)

Time expressions with 上/下: 上午, 下午.

时候 · moment; time

Forms patterns such as: 什么时候, 那时候, 这时候.

时间 · time; hour

Difference between 时间 and 时候: 时间 usually refers to duration/general time; 时候 usually refers to a specific occasion.

晚 · evening; night; late in the day

Forms frequent time-related words: 晚上, 晚饭.

下雨 · to rain

Fixed pattern: 下 + weather phenomenon. 做雨 is not used.

下课 · to finish class

下 + activity indicates finishing: 下课, 下班.

Very common time word; often used with 正在: 现在正在学习.

Forms day-of-week expressions: 星期一, 星期天.

正在 · to be doing; in progress

Pattern: 正在 + verb indicates an ongoing action.

再 · again; once more

Indicates repetition or a future action: 再说, 再见.

在 · to be; at; in

Can function as a verb ("to be at/in") or as a marker of an ongoing action.

在 · to be; at; in

Common pattern: 正在 + verb.

再见 · goodbye; see you

再 indicates future repetition: 再见 = see each other again.

Modal verbs 6 notes

会 · to know how to; can; meeting

Polysemous: ability (会说), future possibility (会下雨), meeting (开会).

会 · to know how to; can; meeting

Has several uses: ability (会说), future possibility (会下雨), meeting (开会).

可以 · can; be allowed to

Very versatile: can indicate permission, possibility, or ability depending on the context.

能 · can; be able to

Can express ability, possibility or permission depending on context.

想 · think; want; miss

Can express desire ("want") or thought/opinion ("think").

要 · want; need; should

Can express desire, intention, or the near future depending on the context.

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