1.6 Sentence Structure
Unit 1 – Sentence Structure (1_Sentence Structures)
1. Verb是 shì
“是” means “to be” in English. It is used to describe or identify things, people, or situations.
In Chinese sentences, “是” typically follows a subject and is followed by a complement. The basic sentence structure is: Subject + 是 + Complement
Examples:
我是学生。 (Wǒ shì xuéshēng.) – “I am a student.”
他是老师。 (Tā shì lǎoshī.) – “He is a teacher.”
这是书。 (Zhè shì shū.) – “This is a book.”
Negation: To negate a sentence with “是,” you can use the word “不” (bú), which means “not” in Chinese. Place “不” before “是” to negate the sentence.
我不是学生。 (Wǒ búshì xuéshēng.) – “I am not a student.”
这不是书。 (Zhè bú shì shū.) – “This is not a book.”
2. 叫 jiào
“叫” is a verb that means “to be called” or “to call” in English.
When introducing oneself in Chinese, you can use “叫” to state your name. The basic sentence structure is: 我 + 叫 + [Your Name]
For example: 我叫小明。 (Wǒ jiào Xiǎo Míng.) – “I am called Xiaoming.”
When referring to others by their names in Chinese, you can use “叫” followed by their name. The basic sentence structure is: [Subject] + 叫 + [Name]
For example: 他叫王老师。 (Tā jiào Wáng Lǎoshī.) – “He is called Teacher Wang.”
3. 也 yě
“也” is an adverb in Chinese that typically translates to “also” or “too” in English. “也” usually appears before the verb or adjective it modify,
“也” is often used to express similarity between two ideas or actions.
Example: 她喜欢这个, 我也喜欢这个。 (Wǒ yě xǐhuān zhège.) – “I also like this.”
Negation：To negate a sentence with “也,” you can use the word “不” (bú) after 也。
Example：他不是学生， 我也不是学生。
Unit I. 2. Getting to know each other through text messages
- 吗 ma
“吗” is a question word in Chinese that is added to the end of a statement to turn it into a yes-no question.
Example: 你是学生吗？ (Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?) “Are you a student?”
你喜欢玩儿游戏吗(Nǐ xǐhuān wánr yóuxì ma?) “Do you like playing games?”
- 呢 ne
“呢” is a particle in Chinese that is often used to continue or follow up on a topic that has been previously mentioned.
Example: 我是大学生。你呢？（Wǒ shì dàxuéshēng. Nǐ ne？）I am a college student. How about you?
- 什么 shénme
“什么” is a question word in Chinese that means “what.” It is used to ask questions about unknown information or to seek clarification.
In Chinese, “什么” can be placed where the answer goes. For example:
你喜欢什么？”nǐ xǐhuān shénme ” (what do you like?)
你叫什么名字？ Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? What is your name?
4. 哪
“哪” (nǎ) is a question word in Chinese that means “where” or “which.” It is used to ask questions about specific choices or specific items.
Examples:
你喜欢哪个？(Nǐ xǐhuān nǎge?) – “Which one do you like?”
你是哪国人？(Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?) – “Which country are you from?”
5. 那里/哪儿 （nǎlǐ/ nǎr）
哪里 and 哪儿 both mean “where,” specifically when asking about a location or direction. 哪儿 is used in more information context.
Examples:
你在哪里？(Nǐ zài nǎlǐ?) – “Where are you?”
你在哪儿？ (Nǐ zài nǎr?) – “Where are you?”
6. 过 (guò)
过 (guò) is a particle that indicates the completion of an experience or an action in the past. It is used to express that someone has done something or experienced something at least once before. For example:
你去过中国吗？ Nǐ qù guò Zhōngguó ma? “Have you been to China before?” （The question asks if the person has the experience of going to China.）
我在丹佛工作过。Wǒ zài Dānfó gōngzuò guò. I have worked in Denver before. （The sentence expresses that the speaker has the experience of working in Denver.）
