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Writer's pictureNeha Choudhary

Essential Mandarin Rules To Get Started In Chinese

Updated: Apr 23

While it is important to learn grammar in detail, becoming familiar with the general rules of Chinese grammar can be very useful. This is not a grammatical structure, but general information about Chinese used in many situations. They can help you understand Mandarin Chinese and how it works.

Chinese grammar is quite unique. Unlike English and Romance languages, which follow a fixed structure, Chinese is often perceived by foreigners as a language without grammar. Others say Chinese grammar is difficult.

As an art, the Chinese language has a unique and highly variable grammatical structure. If you have studied other languages ​​before, you will find that learning Chinese grammar will not be a language learning experience; There may be many ideas you haven't heard of before.


Chinese Vocabulary Test

Learning Chinese is notoriously difficult. So if you've ever tried to master a so-called simple language like French or German, you're probably wondering what horrors await you when you start dabbling in Chinese grammar.


Let's start with the good news: Chinese grammar is actually very simple. (Despite what grammar is trying to tell you).


The language is known to be one of the most difficult languages ​​to master, mainly due to its writing system and intonation.


Essential  Mandarin Rules
Essential Mandarin Rules


Learning words can be difficult because it is a language rich in idioms and expressions. However, from a grammatical perspective, there really isn't much to occupy your mind.

However, Chinese grammar can be very different from English grammar. To give you an idea of ​​what to expect, here's a primer on what to expect.



Things That Chinese Grammar Doesn't Have

Sometimes Chinese will tell you that Chinese has no grammar. This is not true because every language has its own grammar. But what they mean is that it doesn't include things like verb conjugations and word endings that can make other languages ​​difficult to learn.


Chinese words mean nothing, which is a nice way of saying they haven't changed. Verbs do not have different endings depending on who does the action or when it occurs. And there is no other way to distinguish between singularity and pluralism.

There is no separate article. For example, the word 我 wŏ contains the words "me" and "I". The same word is also used to mean "mine" or "mine" (often combined with 的de, which has no meaning on its own).


You may be surprised to learn that there are no words for "yes" or "no" in Chinese. There is never the word 'please'. The use of the Chinese equivalent of 'and' is limited to talking about two or more items, as in 'X, Y and Z'.



You may be surprised to learn that there is no word for "yes" or "no" in Chinese. There is never the word 'please'. The use of the Chinese equivalent of 'and' is limited to talking about two or more items, as in 'X, Y and Z'.


Of course, all these expressions and explanations can also be expressed in Chinese, they are just given in different ways. Now let's look at some of the most important aspects of Chinese grammar and how it differs from English.


Chinese Test Words


One of the most common features of Chinese grammar is the use of "test words" or "categories".

When we say coffee, which is an uncountable noun in English, we can count the coffee by saying how many cups: "three cups of coffee." Here it serves as a reference for the word “bowls”.

Chinese words for things like "cup", "cup" and "cup" also serve as measuring words.


Special Chinese Grammar Article

Although this rule seems a little complicated at first glance, it is actually quite simple. This just means that modifiers come before the object they modify. From the ancient written language to the traditional spoken languages, the Chinese language has always had this rule.


The first 500 words are easy 

Once you understand the sounds and numbers, it's time to learn simple Mandarin Chinese words. It's like learning another language: the more words you remember, the faster you can improve your language.


 Learn basic expressions for everyday conversation.

This is the fun part because you can actually have basic conversations with Chinese people. Try saying “Ni Hao” (hello) to a Chinese person you meet in a cafe, park, or anywhere else.


Soft Possession


My last name is Banks. So it is always good if something is Banks or Banks. In China, there is no such thing as mine, his, hers, theirs or ours. All you have to do is add the letter "the" to create something. So mine is just "I + he" and his is "he + she" and his is "he + she"


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