Quick Chinese Lessons - Episode 1 -

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1. To Be Shì(是) Our 1st Quick Chinese Lesson is about one of the first verbs that beginners encounter on their Chinese-learning journey is the verb to be, which is pronounced as shì(是). It is equivalent to am, is, are in the present tense and was, were in the past tense. However, you should not use shì(是) in the same way you use it in English. For example, in English, the basic structure used to make a simple sentence is: noun + auxiliary verb (am/is/are) + adjec ve. For example: you are tall or China is beau ful. In Chinese, you need to use an adverb instead of am/is/are in front an adjec ve. The most commonly used adverb in Chinese is hěn(很), which literally means very. Therefore, in Chinese, you are tall should be nǐ hěn gāo (你很高). Let s have a look at two more examples: I am good. wǒ hěn hǎo (我很好) China is beau ful. zhōng guó hěn piàò liàng (中国很漂亮) EXTRA What if I want to say China is very beau ful? In this case, you can use a stronger adverb of degree, such as fēi cháng (非常). So, it will be zhōng guó fēi cháng piào liàng (中国非常漂亮). To wrap up, for beginners, just remember shì(是) is usually followed by a noun, whereas an adverb like hěn is usually followed by an adjec ve.

2. Using De(的) with Adjec ves In English, it s common to see phrases like a beau ful park, an interes ng person, a big room, etc. You don t need to put anything between an adjec ve and a noun in these cases. In Chinese, things get a bit more complicated. You might need to use de(的) between an adjec ve and a noun, depending on what adjec ve it is. Generally speaking, A de(的) is not needed if the adjec ve only contains one syllable. If an adjec ve contains two or more syllables, then a de(的) needs to be inserted in between the adjec ve and the noun. Just follow this simple rule and you will be fine. Now let s have a look at some examples: 1. Adjec ves with more than one syllable; use de(的) A beau ful park yī gè piào liàng de gōng yuán (一个漂亮的公园) An interes ng person yī gè yǒu qù de rén (一个有趣的人) 2. Adjec ve with only one syllable; do not add de(的) A big room yī gè dà fáng jiān (一个大房间)

3. Simple Sentence Structure The 3rd When Chinese learners are making sentences, they some mes have problems with the unfamiliar sentence structure. As a beginner, learning these four structures by heart will help you avoid commi ng gramma cal mistakes when crea ng simple Chinese sentences: Structure No.1: subject + verb + object I am going to school. Wǒ qù xué xiào (我去学校) Literal translation: I go to school. Structure No.2: subject + me + verb + object I am going to school at 8 o clock. Wǒ bā diǎn qù xué xiào (我八点去学校) Literal translation: I at 8 o clock go to school. Structure No.3: subject + place + verb + object I am having dinner at home. Wǒ zài jiā chī wǎn fàn (我在家吃晚饭) Literal translation: I at home eat dinner. Structure No.4: subject + me + place + verb + object I am having dinner at home at 6:30. Wǒ liù diǎn bàn zài jiā chī wǎn fàn (我六点半在家吃晚饭) Literal translation: I at 6.30 at home eat dinner.

4. How to Ask Basic Ques ons Many Chinese learners are told that ma( 吗 ) is used at the end to form a ques on. However, this is not always correct even when crea ng basic ques ons. Ma( 吗 ) needs to be added at the end of a yes-no ques on only. For ques ons like Where are you?, What me is it?, there is no need to add ma( 吗 ). Let s have a look at some examples: 1. Yes-no ques ons; use ma( 吗 ) Do you like Shanghai? Nǐ xǐ huān shàng hǎi ma? ( 你喜欢上海吗?) Does he have a Chinese name? Tā yǒu zhōng wén míng zì ma? ( 他有中文名字吗?) 2. Other types of ques ons; do not add ma( 吗 ) Where are you? Nǐ zài nǎ lǐ? ( 你在哪里?) In our future lessons, we will learn more about the other types of endings to convey different types of ques ons.

5. When to Use Hé (和) The Chinese word hé(和) is another basic, but important word which is o en misused by Chinese learners. Although its equivalent meaning in English is indeed and, when it comes to the usage of this word, we need to get rid of our English way of thinking. In English, the word and can connect nouns, adjec ves, phrases, and sentences. For example, I like apples and bananas (noun + and + noun); I am happy and excited (adjec ve + and + adjec ve); I am interested in reading novels and playing chess (phrase + and + phrase); I am Mike and this is my friend Tom (sentence + and + sentence). However, in the Chinese language, the word hé(和) can only connect two nouns or two phrases. To connect two adjec ves, you can use yòu(又). The structure is yòu(又) + adjec ve + yòu(又) + adjec ve, whereas for sentence + and + sentence, you just need to put a comma to separate them. Here are some examples to indicate the usage of hé(和) : I like apples and bananas. wǒ xǐhuān píng guǒ hé xiāng jiāo (我喜欢苹果和香蕉) I am happy and excited. Wǒ yòu gāo xìng yòu jī dòng (我又高兴又激动) I am interested in reading novels and playing chess. wǒ duì dú xiǎo shuō hé xià qí gǎn xìng qù (我对读小说和下棋感兴趣) I am Mike and this is my friend Tom. wǒ shì Mike, zhè hì wǒ de péng yǒu Tom. (我是Mike, 这是我的朋友Tom)

6. Hé Shì ( 合适 ) or Shì Hé ( 适合 ) Hé shì( 合适 ) and shì hé( 适合 ) some mes also cause trouble to Chinese learners as both words consist of exactly the same characters, the only difference is the word order. In addi on, their meanings are very similar. What you need to remember is that hé shì( 合适 ) is an adjec ve, meaning suitable, whereas shì hé( 适合 ) is a verb, which means to suit. 1. Sentence structure of hé shì( 合适 ) - an adjec ve Subject + hěn( 很 ) + hé shì( 合适 ) Example: This shirt is the right one. zhè jiàn chèn shān hěn hé shì 这件衬衫很合适 ) 2. Sentence structure of shì hé( 适合 ) - a verb Subject + hěn( 很 ) + shì hé( 适合 ) + noun Example: This shirt suits you well. zhè jiàn chèn shān hěn shì hé nǐ ( 这件衬衫很适合你 )

7. To Meet - Jiàn (见) or Jiàn Miàn (见面) Jiàn (见) and jiàn miàn (见面) both mean to meet; to see. You can use any of these two words in a sentence to express the say A meets B. Let s look at the examples: 1. Sentence structure of Jiàn (见) A + jiàn(见) + B Example: I want to see you. wǒ yào jiàn nǐ (我要见你) 2. Sentence structure of jiàn miàn (见面) A + hé(和) + B + jiàn miàn(见面) Example: I met him yesterday. zuó ān wǒ hé tā jiàn miàn le (昨天我和他见面了)

8. Should You Use Hái Shì (还是) or Huò Zhě (或者) Some Chinese learners also mix up hái shì(还是) with huò zhě(或者) as they both mean or. However, there is a big difference between hái shì(还是) and huò zhě(或者) when it comes to the usage of these two words. Hái shì(还是) is usually used to ask ques ons such as Do you want to drink tea or coffee? ; Do you like Shanghai or Beijing? Basically it s used when someone is asking you to make a choice from two or more op ons. Huò zhě(或者) is used to make a statement like Either tea or coffee is OK. Now let s have a look at some examples to help you understand the difference between the two words: Do you want tea or coffee? nǐ yào chá hái shì kā fēi? (你要茶还是咖啡?) Do you like Shanghai or Beijing? nǐ xǐ huān shàng hǎi hái shì běi jīng? (你喜欢上海还是北京?) A: Do you want to drink tea or coffee? nǐ yào chá hái shì kā fēi? (你要茶还是咖啡?) B: Either tea or coffee is OK. chá huò zhě kā fēi (茶或者咖啡)

9. How to Use Nega ves Bù ( 不 ) and Méi ( 没 ) In Chinese, both bù( 不 ) and méi( 没 ) can be used to negate a verb. However, when it comes to the verb to have, which is yǒu( 有 ), you can only say méi yǒu( 没有 ) to express not have. NEVER EVER say bù yǒu( 不有 ), because there is no such word. Here are some simple examples for you to understand the expression of méi yǒu( 没有 ) : I don t have a girlfriend. wǒ méi yǒu nǚ péng yǒu ( 我没有女朋友 I don t have any money. wǒ méi yǒu qián 我没有钱 When adding a verb Some Chinese learners are confused by the difference between bù + v. ( 不 + v.) and méi(yǒu) + v. 没 ( 有 )+ v. when nega ng ac ons. What you need to remember is that bù + v. ( 不 + v.) is used for nega on of present and future ac ons, whereas méi(yǒu) + v. 没 ( 有 )+ v. is used for nega on of past ac ons, in this case yǒu( 有 ) is op onal. Let s have a look at some examples: 1. méi(yǒu) + v. 没 ( 有 )+ v.: Yesterday I didn t go to school. zuó ān wǒ méi(yǒu) qù xué xiào 昨天我没 ( 有 ) 去学校 I didn t have breakfast today. jīn ān wǒméi(yǒu) chī zāo fān ( 今天我没 ( 有 ) 吃早饭 2. bù + v. ( 不 + v.) I don t go to school. / I am not going to school. wǒ bú( 不 ) qù xué xiào ( 我不去学校 ) I don t eat breakfast. / I am not going to eat breakfast. wǒ bù chī zāo fān ( 我不吃早饭 )