13 Useful Chinese Grammar Structures for Beginners

Just like in English, basic Chinese sentence structure follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern. Although basic Chinese grammar is often described as simple because of this, there’s a lot of emphasis on word order (and using the right particles).

To ensure you’re speaking and writing in Chinese correctly, take a look at the following grammar patterns that go beyond SVO sentences. These beginner Chinese grammar structures will help you build more complex sentences and sound more natural.

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Common Chinese Grammar Structures for 的 (de) vs. 得 (de) vs. 地 (de)

They even sound the same! How can words be so similar, without meaning the same thing?

It boils down to these main differences:

• 的 is used with nouns to indicate possession or attach an adjective to a noun.
• 得 appears after verbs to describe the degree to which the action is done.
• 地 appears after adjectives and turns them into adverbs.

1. Noun + 的 + Noun

Possessive words (like my, your, her, his, our, their) don’t directly translate into one word in Chinese.

Instead, you add 的 to the end of the pronoun.

For example, 我 (wǒ) means “I” on its own, but you can make it possessive by adding 的.

我的书
(wǒ de shū.)
my book

2. Attribute + 的 + Noun

When 的 is used between an attribute and a noun, it gives the noun the attribute (or attaches an adjective to the noun).

漂亮的老师
(piào liang de lǎoshī.)
pretty teacher

3. Verb + 得 + State

The particle 得 is used after a verb and indicates effect, degree, possibility, etc.

飞得快
(fēi de kuài.)
to fly quickly

4. Adj + 地 + Verb

The particle 地 is mainly used as an adverb, like “-ly” in English. It’s used between an adjective and a verb.

For example:

慢慢地走
(màn màn de zǒu.)
to walk slowly

5. Adj + 地 + Adj

地 can also be used to modify an adjective.

特别地珍贵
(tè bié de zhēn guì.)
Particularly precious

Common Chinese Grammar Patterns for 吗 (ma) vs. 吧 (ba) vs. 呢 (ne)

So maybe your mind was blown when you first heard about question words—words that convert sentences into questions when they’re placed at the end of a sentence.

Now you have more question words than you know what to do with.

How should you distinguish between them?

In short:

• 吗 is for yes-no questions.
• 吧 is for making suggestions or requests.
• 呢 is for shifting the conversation to another topic or the other person.

6. Clause + 吗

It might be helpful to think of this as the equivalent of a question mark.

The answer to a 吗 question will always be yes or no (or to be more precise, confirm or negate the verb).

For example:

你会说中文吗？
(nǐ huì shuō zhōng wén ma?)
Can you speak Chinese?

7. Clause + 吧

Unlike 吗 or 呢, 吧 doesn’t always indicate a question.

It’s commonly used when making a suggestion or request. Much like “how about…” or “let’s…” in English.

However, you can also add it to the end of a statement, and it suggests that you’re seeking confirmation.

我们出去吃饭吧。
(wǒ men chū qù chī fàn ba.)
How about we go eat? / Let’s go eat.

8. Clause + 呢

呢 is a great way to shift the conversation to another topic or the other person.

Unlike 吗, answers to a 呢 question don’t have to be a simple “yes” or “no” and can be more open-ended. The English equivalent is “and…” or “and what about…”

For example:

我过得很好，你呢？
(wǒ guò de hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?)
I‘ve been well, and you?

Common Chinese Grammar Patterns for 会 (huì) vs. 能 (néng)

So 会 and 能 both mean “can,” but here’s how they’re different: 

• 会 is for learned knowledge or the future.
• 能 is for physical ability and for indicating permission. 

9. 会 + Verb

会 most commonly means “can” or “able to,” specifically for learned knowledge. Use it for acquired skills, not abilities that you were born with.

For example:

他会做饭。
(tā huì zuò fàn.)
He can cook.

会 is also often used to indicate a future action, like “will” in English.

你会去吗？
(nǐ huì qù ma?)
Will you go?

10. 能 + Verb

In many cases, 能 is very similar to 可以 (kě yǐ), which you can see in the examples below.

Use 能 to indicate that you’re physically able to do something or complete a task.

你能帮我一个忙吗？
(nǐ néng bāng wǒ yí gè máng ma?)
Can you do me a favor?

Unlike 会, 能 can also mean “be allowed to” or “do.” 

在室内不能抽烟
(zài shì nèi bù néng chōu yān)
Do not smoke indoors

Common Chinese Grammar Patterns for 想 (xiǎng) vs. 觉得 (jué de)

想 and 觉得 both mean to think or feel, so what’s the difference?

• 想 is most commonly used to express that you want to do something casually.
• 觉得 is mainly used to express your opinion about something.

11. 想 + Verb

Use 想 when you feel like doing something.

我想吃东西。
(wǒ xiǎng chī dōng xi.)
I want to eat something. / I feel like eating something.

12. 觉得 + Verb

Use 觉得 when you’re expressing your opinion about something.

我觉得很好吃。
(wǒ jué de hěn hǎo chī.)
I think it tastes good.

Common Chinese Grammar Patterns for 了 (le)

Finally, we’re at 了, which might seem a little frustrating at first but is actually pretty simple once you understand the logic behind the grammar pattern.

了 is used to indicate the completion of an action or a change of circumstances.

13. Verb + 了

了 is mainly used in two situations.

First, it’s placed after a verb (or occasionally adjective) to indicate the completion of an action.

Usually, 了 indicates the past tense, but some instances indicate the expected completion of an action. In that case, it’s not necessarily past tense.

In English, it would be the equivalent of “when/after an action is finished.”

我吃了饭以后要出去。
(wǒ chī le fàn yǐ hòu yào chū qù.)
After I’m done eating, I want to go out.

Other than signaling the completion of a specific verb, 了 is also used to indicate a change of state or circumstance, also placed at the end of the sentence.

我饿了。
(wǒ è le.)
I’m hungry. (I wasn’t hungry before, but now I am.)

Resources for More Mandarin Chinese Grammar Structures

This post is just the tip of the iceberg regarding Chinese grammar. Practice is key to internalizing this list and other grammar concepts.

Here are my favorite resources:

• Chinese Grammar Wiki: This is by the one and only John Pasden and his consultancy, All Set Learning. 1,645 articles, carefully written and constantly growing. There are also books and courses available for purchase.
• FluentU Chinese: This is our web- and app-based language program with a vast collection of Chinese media clips.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

  P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

  

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• Chinese Grammar: This app is by Ninchanese and is specifically designed to address all grammar-related issues for every learning level. The lessons are available offline, making learning without an internet connection easier.

 

The sooner you start practicing, the better!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)