If you are looking to build a solid foundation in Mandarin Chinese grammar, or simply want to have a basic understanding of how the Chinese language works, you’ve come to the right place. As one of the world’s biggest websites about learning Chinese, we’ve helped thousands of people improve their grammatical skills, and speak …
The Basic Chinese Grammar Guide: Everything Beginners Need to Know Read More »
Mandarin Chinese and English have the same basic sentence pattern ‘subject-verb-object’, AKA ‘S-V-O’. But when it comes to using two or multiple verbs in one sentence, Chinese works somewhat differently. In this article, we’ll look at how to connect different verbs in a Chinese sentence, and we’ll also talk about a common mistake that many …
How to Connect Two or Multiple Verbs in Chinese? The Beginner’s Guide Read More »
应该 (yīnggāi) is one of the most important modal verbs in Chinese. In many ways, it works like the English word “should”, but still there is some difference, which could be somewhat confusing for Chinese beginners. Have no fear if that happens to be your case. In this post, you’ll learn how to say “should” in Chinese …
Expressing ‘Should’ in Chinese with 应该 (yīnggāi): The Essential Guide Read More »
Are you sure you know how to use “HAO” in Chinese? Think twice. It means so much more than just “good”. In fact, 好 (hǎo) is one of the most versatile words you can find in Chinese. You’ll be surprised to find out that there are altogether 11 ways you can use 好 (hǎo) in everyday …
11 Ways of Using 好 (hǎo) in Chinese You’ve GOT to Know (with Examples) Read More »
Family is a key part of Chinese culture. Confucianism believes that the concept of family is as important as that of a nation or the world. This is why Chinese people attach great importance to their family surnames. Consequently, when you first get to know a Chinese person, it’s customary to ask his family name instead of his full name or given …
Introducing Your Family Surname in Chinese with ‘XING’: The Quick Guide Read More »
‘My name is’ and ‘what’s your name’, this would often be the very first interaction between you and a native Chinese speaker. An appropriate self-introduction starting with your name is the first step for people to know you. In this article, we’ll help you master the art of introducing your name in Chinese right away with …
How to Introduce Your Name in Chinese with ‘JIAO’: The Beginner’s Guide Read More »
You might have been familiar with the pattern 虽然 (suīrán)… 但是 (dànshì)… for a while, but when you reach an intermediate level in Chinese, another common pattern 尽管 (jǐnguǎn)… 但是 (dànshì)… shouldn’t be something new. It’s very much like the expression “Even though …, ….” in English. However, to use it correctly, you need to pay attention to a few details …
Chinese Pattern 尽管… 但是… (jǐnguǎn… dànshì…): The Complete Guide Read More »
虽然 (suīrán)… 但是 (dànshì)… is considered one of the core, basic patterns in Chinese grammar. You can use it to express adversative transitions like “Although …, …” and “…, but…”, however, to use it correctly, you need to pay attention to a bunch of distinctions that don’t exist in English. In this article, we’ll take a look at …
Chinese Pattern 虽然… 但是… (suīrán… dànshì…): A Quick Guide Read More »
但是 (dànshì), 可是 (kěshì), 不过 (búguò). Are you confused about the three different words for saying “but” in Chinese? It can be tricky as all of them have the same translation in English. Then what’s the difference between 但是 (dànshì), 可是 (kěshì) and 不过 (búguò)? Well, at the end of the article you definitely won’t …
DANSHI vs KESHI vs BUGUO: 3 ‘BUT’ in Chinese Compared Head to Head Read More »
One of the first phrases you might want to pick up in Mandarin Chinese is: I don’t understand. Learning to say “I don’t understand” is actually quite simple, but because of the way this phrase can be used in different contexts, learning its direct translation is not enough. We also need to learn the various ways …
Beyond ‘Ting Bu Dong’: 11 Better Ways to Say I Don’t Understand in Chinese Read More »