Chinese Grammar Guide

Chinese grammar has no conjugation and no plurals — but it has its own logic. These guides explain the structures and function words that decide whether your sentence sounds right, one focused topic at a time.

• The Ba Sentence (把字句): Chinese's Way of Saying What You Did to Something

  The ba sentence moves the object before the verb to emphasize handling it: 他把西瓜吃了. Learn the structure, the four rules, which verbs are allowed, and when to use 把 instead of a normal sentence.

• The Bei Passive (被字句): Why Chinese Rarely Uses It

  The bei sentence is Chinese's passive voice — but unlike English, it carries a flavor of misfortune, and Chinese usually expresses passive meaning without it. Learn the structure, the tone, and the topic-based alternative.

• Chinese Measure Words: The Complete Beginner's List and the Rules

  Chinese requires a measure word between numbers and nouns: 三本书, not 三书. Learn the rule, when measure words are NOT needed, a high-frequency list organized by shape and function, and the safe default 个.

• Chinese Separable Verbs (离合词): Why 睡觉 Splits but 学习 Doesn't

  Separable verbs like 睡觉, 结婚 and 帮忙 look like single words but split open to take 了/过, measure words and modifiers: 睡了一个好觉. Learn what can be inserted, a list of common ones, and a one-second test.

• The Three De Particles (的 地 得) and How to Tell Them Apart

  的, 地 and 得 are all pronounced de, but they mark different grammar: 的 before nouns, 地 before verbs, 得 after verbs. Learn the rules, the exceptions, and a quick test for choosing the right one.

• 吧 (ba): Suggestions, Guesses and Softened Commands in Chinese

  The particle 吧 (ba) turns commands into suggestions (我们走吧), statements into confirmed guesses (你是学生吧?), and hard refusals into reluctant agreement (好吧). All four uses explained with examples.

• 才 (cái): The Adverb of "Late, Hard-Won and Defiant"

  才 (cái) marks lateness (十点才来), hard conditions (努力了很多年才成功), disappointing quantity (才三个人), and strong denial (我才不怕呢). The four uses of 才 and its systematic opposition to 就, explained with examples.

• 都 (dōu): "All", "Both", "Even" — and Where It Points

  都 (dōu) totals up whatever stands before it: 他们都来了 (they all came), 什么都可以 (anything works), 连小孩都知道 (even a child knows). Learn 都's position rule, its two directions, question-word patterns, and the 连…都 structure.

• 过 (guo): Talking About Past Experience in Chinese

  The particle 过 (guo) after a verb marks past experience: 我去过中国 means "I have been to China (before)". Learn how 过 differs from 了, how to negate it with 没, the 过了 combination, and its use for future actions.

• 还 (hái): Still, Also, Fairly, and "You Even…?" — Four Meanings in One Adverb

  还 (hái) means "still" (我还没说完), "in addition" (还会弹钢琴), "fairly" (还不错), and marks counter-expectation (你还好意思说?). How to tell the four uses apart, with examples and the 还/再/又 contrast.

• 会 (huì): Learned Skills, Confident Predictions, and Plain Future

  会 (huì) has three lives: a learned ability (我会游泳), a confident prediction (明天会下雨), and a plain future marker (我明天会去). How to tell them apart, how 会 differs from 能 and 可以, and what 不会 really negates.

• 就 (jiù): The Adverb of "Early, Easy, Immediate — and Insistent"

  就 (jiù) is one of the hardest Chinese adverbs because it packs time, condition and attitude into one syllable: earlier than expected (八点就到了), as soon as (一到就开始), only (就他一个人), and stubborn insistence (我就不信). All eight uses, plus the 就/才 contrast.

• 可以 (kěyǐ): Permission, Possibility and "Good Enough" in Chinese

  可以 (kěyǐ) grants and asks permission (我可以用你的电脑吗?), states that something works (这个办法可以试试), and rates things as acceptable (他的表现还可以). Its uses, its negation 不可以/不能, and how it differs from 能 and 会.

• 了 (le): How the Two le's in Chinese Really Work

  了 is not a past-tense marker. Chinese has two 了: one after the verb marking a completed action, one at the end of the sentence marking a new situation. Learn both uses, how they combine, how to negate them, and when to use no 了 at all.

• 吗 (ma): The Yes-No Question Particle in Chinese

  Adding 吗 (ma) to the end of a statement turns it into a yes-no question: 你去吗? Learn when 吗 is required, when it must NOT be used (你去不去? 你去哪里?), its rhetorical-question use, and how it compares with 吧 and 呢.

• 呢 (ne): The Five Jobs of Chinese's Most Versatile Particle

  呢 (ne) softens wh-questions, asks "and what about…?", marks ongoing actions (他睡觉呢), adds emphasis, and pauses mid-sentence. A guide to all five uses of the particle 呢 with examples.

• 能 (néng): Ability, Circumstances and Permission in Chinese

  能 (néng) says the action is possible — by personal capacity (一分钟能打两百个字), by circumstances (今天信号不好，不能视频通话), or by permission (我能坐这儿吗?). How 能 differs from 会 and 可以, and what 不能 covers.

• 也 (yě): "Also" in Chinese — Position, Concession and 谁也/什么也

  也 (yě) means "also/too", but always before the verb: 我也去, never 我去也. Learn its position rule, the concessive 再难也要坚持, the 谁也/什么也 patterns, and how 也 differs from 又 and 再.

• 又 (yòu): "Again" for Things That Already Happened — and 又…又…

  又 (yòu) marks repetition that has already occurred (他又来了), pairs qualities with 又…又… (又香又辣), stacks new developments, and powers the retort 又不是. The full guide, with the 又/再 rule.

• 再 (zài): "Again" — but Only for Things That Haven't Happened Yet

  再 (zài) marks repetition or continuation in the future: 请再说一遍, 明天再说. Learn the 再/又 rule (再 = not yet happened, 又 = already happened), the "…以后再…" sequencing use, 再也不, and 再+adjective for "even more".

• 着 (zhe): Ongoing Actions and Lasting States in Chinese

  The particle 着 (zhe) after a verb marks the continuous aspect: an action in progress (下着雨) or a state that persists (门关着). Learn its three uses, the V1着V2 pattern (躺着看书), how it differs from 在, and its negation.