All the grammar for HSK 3.0 Level 1, taken from the 2025 HSK syllabus and grouped under its headings. Each point has example sentences with pinyin and English. If you're new to Chinese, start with Sentence Parts, because the earlier sections are easier once you've seen how a sentence is built. See also the HSK 1 word list, all HSK word lists and the HSK levels guide.
A prefix goes on the front of a word. Put 小 before a family name when you talk to or about a friend or someone younger, as in 小王. Put 第 before a number to make an order word, so 第一 means "first," and a measure word usually follows.
们 makes a word for people plural, as in 老师们 (teachers). Skip it when a number comes first, so "three teachers" is 三个老师. 边 turns a position word into a place word, as in 外边 (outside) and 后边 (behind).
Chinese uses position words like 上 (on, up), 下 (under, down), 里 (inside), 外 (outside), 前 (in front) and 后 (behind). They go after the noun, so "on the table" is 桌子上. 前 and 后 also work for time, as in 下课后 (after class).
会 means "know how to," for a skill you learned. 能 means "be able to," because of your ability or the circumstances. Both go before the main verb.
想 expresses "want to" or "would like to." 要 is stronger, meaning "want to" or "going to." Both are placed before the main verb.
可以 means "may" or "can." Use it to ask for permission or to say something is fine to do. It goes before the main verb.
These verbs are a verb plus its own object: 看病 (see a doctor), 睡觉 (sleep), 说话 (talk), 上课 (go to class), 下课 (finish class), 上班 (go to work), 下班 (get off work) and 生病 (get sick). The object is already inside, so "talk to the teacher" is 和老师说话. They can also split, and 了 can go in the middle.
Chinese question words go where the answer would go, so the word order doesn't change. 谁 is "who," 什么 is "what," 哪 is "which," and 哪些 is "which ones."
哪儿 and 哪里 both mean "where." 怎么 asks how to do something, and 怎么样 asks what something is like.
多 goes before an adjective to ask "how," so 多大 means "how old" or "how big." 多少 asks how many or how much, and the measure word is optional. 几 asks how many when you expect a small number, and it needs a measure word.
The basic pronouns are 我 (I), 你 (you), 您 (polite you), 他 (he) and 她 (she). Add 们 to make them plural: 我们, 你们, 他们, 她们.
它 (it) and 它们 (they) are for animals and things, and they sound just like 他 and 他们. 大家 means "everyone."
这 means "this" and 那 means "that." Add 个 for "this one" and "that one" (这个, 那个), or 些 for "these" and "those" (这些, 那些).
这儿 and 这里 both mean "here," and 那儿 and 那里 both mean "there." You'll hear the 儿 forms more in northern China.
有的 and 有些 both mean "some." 有的 often comes in pairs to set two groups side by side, like "some… and others…."
The basic numbers are 一 to 十, plus 百 (hundred), 千 (thousand), 零 (zero) and 半 (half). For the number two on its own, use 两 instead of 二 before a measure word: 两个, but 十二个 and 二十个.
Chinese requires a measure word between a number and a noun. 本 is for books, 个 is the general one, 家 is for stores and companies, and 口 counts the people in a family.
块 is for pieces of something and for money. 件 is for clothes, 只 is for animals, and 元 is the unit of Chinese money that you see on price tags.
Some measure words are borrowed from containers. 杯 comes from 杯子 (a cup or glass), so 一杯水 is "a glass of water."
日 and 号 both give the day of the month (日 in writing, 号 in speech). 岁 is years of age, 点 is the hour and 分 is the minute. 年 counts years and 天 counts days.
在 and 正在 are time adverbs too. They are on the Progressive Aspect card in the Aspect section.
These adverbs go before an adjective or a verb to say how much: 很 (very), 非常 (extremely), 太 (too), 真 (really), and 有点儿 or 有一点儿 (a little), which usually goes with something you don't like.
都 means "all" or "both." It sums up the people or things already mentioned, so it comes after them and before the verb or adjective. Words like 很 and 不 go between: 都很高兴, 都不在家.
再 means "again," and it's for something that will happen again, so it points to the future.
还 (also, in addition) adds one more thing. 也 (also, too) says the same goes for someone or something else. Both come before the verb.
不 says no to the present, the future, habits and adjectives. 没(有) says something didn't happen, and 没有 also means "don't have." 不要 tells someone "don't."
在 introduces the place or the time of an action. It comes before the verb. With a clock time, people usually drop 在 when they speak: 飞机上午十点到。
和 introduces the person you do something with. 对 introduces the person an action or feeling is aimed at, like "to" in English.
As a conjunction, 和 means "and" and joins words or phrases. To join two full sentences, Chinese often uses just a comma.
了¹ and 了² are on their own cards in the Aspect section.
的 links a modifier to a noun (like "of" or "'s"). The noun comes last.
吧 softens a sentence into a suggestion or a request. 吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question.
呢 has three uses here. After a noun or pronoun, it asks "what about…?" or "where is…?" At the end of a question, it makes the question softer. After a statement, it says an action is going on right now.
喂 is how Chinese speakers answer the phone, and on the phone you'll often hear it with a rising tone, wéi. It can also get someone's attention, but face to face it can sound rude.
A coordinate phrase (联合短语) sets equal parts side by side, with or without 和. In a modifier-head phrase (偏正短语), the first part describes the second, and the main word comes last. In a verb-object phrase (动宾短语), the verb comes first and the thing it acts on comes after it. A subject-predicate phrase (主谓短语) is a subject and its predicate, so add a period and you have a full sentence.
A number and a measure word together make a quantity phrase (数量短语). It can describe a noun, or stand alone as a subject or an object. A preposition and the word after it make a 介宾短语, and the pair usually goes before the verb. A noun plus a position word makes a 方位短语, which gives you a place or sometimes a time.
The subject says who or what the sentence is about, and it comes first. The object comes after the verb and says what the verb acts on. Either one can be a noun, a pronoun, or a noun phrase.
Chinese can use a noun, a pronoun, a number, or a quantity phrase as the predicate with no 是. Dates, ages, and prices often work this way. To say no, add 不是.
The predicate can be a verb, a verb phrase, an adjective, or an adjective phrase. With a verb, the word order is subject, verb, object, as in English. An adjective needs no 是. 很 often goes in front of it, and it can be light, so 房间很大 usually just means "the room is big."
An attributive (定语) describes a noun and comes before it. It can be a noun, an adjective phrase, or a number with a measure word.
Adverbials (状语) modify verbs and adjectives and come before them. Adverbs do this all the time, and a few short adjectives can too, such as 多 (more) and 早 (early).
Words for time and place also work as adverbials. They go before the verb, and a time word can also go before the subject.
A count complement comes after the verb and says how many times the action happens. The one to know here is 一下, which means you do it once, just briefly. It also makes a request sound softer.
Sentences with a subject and a predicate (主谓句) are on the two predicate cards in Sentence Parts.
Some sentences have no subject because none is needed. Weather, warnings, and short replies work this way.
A statement tells the listener something and ends with a period.
For a yes/no question (是非问句), add 吗 to the end of a statement and keep the word order. For a question-word question (特指问句), put a word like 什么, 谁 or 哪 in the spot where the answer would go, and you don't add 吗. For an A-not-A question (正反问句), say the verb or adjective twice with 不 or 没 in the middle. You can also end the question with 没有. These ask the same thing as a 吗 question. The "or not" in the English only shows the form.
These sentences tell someone to do something. 请 makes the request polite, and 不要 tells someone not to do it.
Exclamations show strong feeling, and 太…了 and 真 are the easiest ways to make one.
是 links two things that are the same, or says what group something belongs to.
有 says what someone or something has. To say "doesn't have," use 没有.
These sentences start with a place and say what is there. 是 names the thing at that place. 有 says there is some of it, with a number and a measure word before the noun.
Two verbs share one subject. Sometimes the second action is the purpose of the first, so 我去超市买东西 means you go to the supermarket to buy things. Sometimes the first verb says how the second happens, so 我坐飞机去北京 means you get to Beijing by plane.
Some verbs take two objects, the person first and then the thing. 给 (give) and 问 (ask) work this way.
Two clauses can stand side by side with just a comma, and the meaning shows how they connect. Use 也 when the second clause says the same thing about someone else, or adds another quality of the same thing. Use 还 when it adds one more action or item.
了 directly after a verb says the action is complete, and the object often includes a quantity. The ¹ separates it from 了², the 了 at the end of a sentence. To say it didn't happen, use 没 and drop 了.
了 at the end of a sentence says the situation has changed or something new has happened, so things are now different from before.
在 or 正在 before the verb says an action is going on, and you can add 呢 at the end. 呢 at the end with neither word says the same thing. 正在 puts a little more weight on "right now."
Ordinal numbers (第 + number) are on the first card in Morphemes.
Prices use 块 when you speak and 元 when you write. A number right after 块 means tenths of a yuan, so 九块三 is 9.30. You can drop the last unit when it's clear, as in 一百五十 for 150 yuan.
Dates go from largest to smallest: 年 (year), 月 (month), 日/号 (day). For the days of the week, 星期 plus a number gives you Monday to Saturday, and Sunday is 星期天 or 星期日.
Clock times use 点 (o'clock), 分 (minute), 半 (half). Two o'clock is 两点, with 两 in place of 二.
Source: Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test (November 2025). A script last checked this page against the syllabus's grammar outline on November 1, 2026.
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