Chinese Grammar Guide

Chinese grammar is famously light on conjugation — no verb endings, no plurals, no tenses to memorize — but that doesn't mean there's nothing to learn. Meaning in Mandarin lives in word order and in a toolkit of small, powerful patterns: 了 for completed actions, 把 for what you did to something, 被 for what happened to you, 就 and 才 for whether things happened sooner or later than expected.

This free guide covers 173 Chinese grammar points across five levels, from your very first sentence to advanced written patterns. Every point has the pattern formula, a plain-English explanation, example sentences with pinyin and translations (Simplified and Traditional), and the most common mistake learners make with it.

Grammar only sticks when you meet it in real sentences, so many points link to free graded stories where you can see the pattern used naturally.

Level 1: Beginner 24 points

The foundation: word order, questions, negation, and the little words (的, 了, 也, 都) that hold every Chinese sentence together. Roughly HSK 1 territory.

Level 2: Elementary 32 points

Comparisons, completed and changing states, time and duration, and everyday helper verbs. Roughly HSK 2–3.

Level 3: Intermediate 39 points

The patterns that make Chinese feel like Chinese: 把 and 被 sentences, verb complements, 就 vs 才, and connectors for real conversation. Roughly HSK 3–4.

Level 4: Upper Intermediate 36 points

Emphasis, rhetorical questions, formal connectors, and the nuanced adverbs that separate textbook Chinese from natural Chinese. Roughly HSK 4–5.

Level 5: Advanced 42 points

Advanced and written-register patterns: formal prepositions, literary passives, and the expressive adverbs native speakers reach for. Roughly HSK 5–6 and beyond.