Lesson 15: HSK 1 Review and Practice

A comprehensive review of all A1 grammar patterns and the top 50 most useful HSK 1 words, with practice exercises.

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Overview

You have now covered every topic and grammar structure in the HSK 1 syllabus. This final lesson is your consolidation session. Rather than introducing new material, it pulls together the most important patterns from all fourteen lessons and gives you focused practice on the points where beginners most commonly make mistakes.

Work through this lesson slowly and honestly. If any section feels shaky, go back to the original lesson for a focused review before taking the HSK 1 exam. The goal is not just to recognise these patterns but to produce them automatically.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

  • Use all core HSK 1 grammar patterns with confidence
  • Recall and use the 50 most useful HSK 1 vocabulary items
  • Identify and correct the most common beginner mistakes
  • Hold a short conversation on any HSK 1 topic

Top 50 Most Useful HSK 1 Words

This list prioritises frequency and utility across all the lesson topics.

Character Pinyin Type Meaning Lesson
我 wǒ pronoun I, me 1
你 nǐ pronoun you 1
他/她 tā pronoun he/she 1
是 shì verb to be 1
不 bù adverb not 1
有 yǒu verb to have 3
没有 méiyǒu verb to not have 3
在 zài verb/prep to be at, at 5
去 qù verb to go 9
来 lái verb to come 5
的 de particle possessive/modifier 3
了 le particle completion marker 14
吗 ma particle yes/no question 1
呢 ne particle and you? / continuing 3
很 hěn adverb very 8
也 yě adverb also, too 1
都 dōu adverb all, both 3
要 yào modal want to, will 6
想 xiǎng modal would like to 6
喜欢 xǐhuan verb to like 10
会 huì modal can, know how to 10
能 néng modal can, is able to 9
什么 shénme question what 1
哪 nǎ question which 1
哪里 nǎlǐ question where 5
几 jǐ question how many (small) 2
多少 duōshao question how many/much 2
怎么 zěnme question how 9
今天 jīntiān noun today 4
明天 míngtiān noun tomorrow 4
昨天 zuótiān noun yesterday 4
现在 xiànzài adverb now 4
上面 shàngmian noun above, on 5
里面 lǐmian noun inside 5
一 yī number one 2
两 liǎng number two (with MW) 2
个 gè measure general measure word 2
吃 chī verb to eat 6
喝 hē verb to drink 6
说 shuō verb to speak 13
看 kàn verb to look, to read 10
学习 xuéxí verb to study 13
工作 gōngzuò noun/verb work 14
家 jiā noun home, family 3
学校 xuéxiào noun school 13
朋友 péngyou noun friend 1
老师 lǎoshī noun teacher 1
钱 qián noun money 7
天气 tiānqì noun weather 8
汉语 Hànyǔ noun Chinese language 13

Grammar Review

Group 1: Sentence structure patterns

Subject + 是 + Noun (identity and classification)

  • 我是学生。 Wǒ shì xuésheng. I am a student.
  • Negation: 我不是老师。 Wǒ bú shì lǎoshī.

Subject + 很 + Adjective (adjective predicate, no 是 needed)

  • 今天很热。 Jīntiān hěn rè. Today is hot.
  • Negation: 今天不冷。 Jīntiān bù lěng.

Subject + Time + Verb + Object (time before verb, always)

  • 我明天去北京。 Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng.
  • Wrong: 我去北京明天。

Group 2: Possession and modification

Subject + 有/没有 + Object (having or not having)

  • 我有一个哥哥。 Wǒ yǒu yī gè gēge.
  • 我没有妹妹。 Wǒ méiyǒu mèimei. Note: never 不有.

Modifier + 的 + Noun (possession and adjective modification)

  • 我的书 (my book), 红色的衬衫 (red shirt)
  • 老师的学生 (the teacher's student)

Group 3: Question patterns

Question type Structure Example
Yes/no Statement + 吗？ 你是学生吗？
What 什么 in answer position 你叫什么名字？
Where 在哪里 银行在哪里？
How many (small) 几 + MW 你有几本书？
How many (large) 多少 + N 多少钱？
How 怎么 + V 怎么去？
How is it 怎么样 天气怎么样？

Group 4: Modal and aspect markers

想 + V (would like to, softer desire)

  • 我想吃面条。 Wǒ xiǎng chī miàntiáo.

要 + V/N (want to, firm intention, or ordering)

  • 我要一杯茶。 Wǒ yào yī bēi chá.

会 + V (learned ability)

  • 我会说汉语。 Wǒ huì shuō Hànyǔ.

V + 了 (completed action)

  • 我吃了饭。 Wǒ chīle fàn.

Common Mistakes Checklist

Review each item and mark whether you have fully corrected this habit.

  1. Using 不 to negate 有: it must always be 没有, never 不有.
  2. Adding 是 before adjective predicates: 天气很热, not 天气是热.
  3. Placing time expressions at the end of the sentence: 我明天去, not 我去明天.
  4. Forgetting the measure word between a number and a noun: 三个人, not 三人.
  5. Using 几 to ask about prices: always use 多少钱, never 几钱.
  6. Omitting 了 from completed actions when telling a story.
  7. Reversing position word order: 桌子上面 (on the table), not 上面桌子.
  8. Using 坐 with bicycles: must use 骑自行车.
  9. Adding 了 to habitual past actions: 我小时候喜欢看书, no 了 needed.
  10. Forgetting 很 in adjective predicate sentences: 这本书很有意思, not just 很有意思 alone.

Full Dialogue: Review Conversation

A conversation covering vocabulary and structures from multiple lessons.

外国朋友: 你好！你叫什么名字？ Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? Hello! What is your name?

中国朋友: 你好！我叫王平。你是哪国人？ Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Wáng Píng. Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? Hello! My name is Wang Ping. Which country are you from?

外国朋友: 我是法国人，但是我在中国住了一年了。 Wǒ shì Fǎguó rén, dànshì wǒ zài Zhōngguó zhùle yī nián le. I am French, but I have been living in China for one year.

王平: 哇，你的汉语说得很好！你在哪里学习汉语？ Wā, nǐ de Hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo! Nǐ zài nǎlǐ xuéxí Hànyǔ? Wow, your Chinese is very good! Where do you study Chinese?

外国朋友: 我在大学学习，每天在图书馆看书、写汉字。你家在北京吗？ Wǒ zài dàxué xuéxí, měitiān zài túshūguǎn kàn shū, xiě hànzì. Nǐ jiā zài Běijīng ma? I study at university, every day I read and write characters at the library. Is your home in Beijing?

王平: 对，我家在北京。我家有四口人：爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和我。 Duì, wǒ jiā zài Běijīng. Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén: bàba, māma, jiějie hé wǒ. Yes, my home is in Beijing. There are four people in my family: dad, mum, older sister, and me.

外国朋友: 你们今天有什么安排？我想去颐和园，怎么去？ Nǐmen jīntiān yǒu shénme ānpái? Wǒ xiǎng qù Yíhéyuán, zěnme qù? What are your plans today? I want to go to the Summer Palace, how do I get there?

王平: 坐地铁四号线就到了，大概四十分钟。今天天气很好，去玩吧！ Zuò dìtiě sì hào xiàn jiù dào le, dàgài sìshí fēnzhōng. Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo, qù wán ba! Take Metro Line 4 and you will get there, about forty minutes. The weather is great today, go enjoy yourself!

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Spot the mistake

Each sentence has one error. Find and correct it.

  1. 今天天气是很好。
  2. 我不有弟弟。
  3. 她喜欢跑步每天。
  4. 他比我很高。
  5. 我去北京明天。

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

  1. My older sister is a doctor and she works in a hospital.
  2. Yesterday I went to the supermarket by subway. It took twenty minutes.
  3. Do you like listening to music? I enjoy it very much.
  4. Today it is a little cold. I want to stay at home.
  5. How much is this blue shirt? Is it cheaper than the red one?

Exercise 3: Free response

Answer each question with at least two sentences in Chinese.

  1. 介绍一下你自己。(Introduce yourself.)
  2. 你今天做了什么？(What did you do today?)
  3. 你喜欢什么？为什么？(What do you like? Why?)

What Comes Next

Completing HSK 1 means you can handle basic survival situations in Chinese: greetings, shopping, directions, ordering food, and simple conversations about yourself. The vocabulary you have learned, around 150 words, will appear again and again throughout your Chinese learning journey. They are the bedrock.

HSK 2 builds on exactly these foundations. You will learn to narrate events, describe comparisons more precisely, and express complex feelings. Your grammar will expand to include more aspect markers, resultative complements, and the ability to tell longer stories. The skills you have now are not just a starting point; they are the part of Chinese you will use most for the rest of your life.

Cultural Note

The HSK exam was first developed in the 1980s and has become the international standard for measuring Chinese language proficiency. HSK 1 corresponds to the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), meaning you can understand and use very basic phrases and simple sentences. Taking the official HSK 1 exam involves a listening section (20 questions) and a reading section (20 questions). There is no writing section at this level. The exam is offered at Confucius Institutes and official test centres around the world. Passing HSK 1 is not just a credential: the act of preparing for it systematically gives your learning structure, purpose, and a clear milestone to celebrate.