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Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) ›

Example Sentences

Example sentences are the most effective way to learn both grammar and vocabulary simultaneously. A single well-chosen sentence teaches word meaning, grammatical context, tonal environment, and natural usage all at once. Grammar rules are generalizations — sentences are the data. How to Use This Section By grammar pattern. Each major pattern has a dedicated page with 20–50 examples at increasing complexity. Use these when you encounter a pattern you do...
chinese mandarin sentences grammar examples hsk patterns May 30, 2026
Language Learning ›

Learn Chinese (Mandarin)

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by ~1.1 billion native speakers. This guide covers everything from zero to C2 — HSK vocabulary, grammar patterns, all six skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing, tones, characters), and the best apps, textbooks, and resources. Quick Start (Week 1) Install Pleco — the essential Chinese dictionary app (free, iOS/Android) Learn Pinyin — the romanization system; 2–4 weeks of focused study Master the 4 tones — non-negotiable from...
chinese mandarin language-learning hsk pinyin hanzi May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) ›

Chinese Grammar Patterns

Grammar patterns organized by CEFR level. Source: Chinese Grammar Wiki by AllSet Learning. Pattern Counts by Level Level Patterns Cumulative A1 40 40 A2 99 139 B1 143 282 B2 154 436 C1 69+ 505+ Total 572 572 Core Grammar Concepts Word Order Default SVO (Subject–Verb–Object), but time and place go before the verb: English Wrong (direct translation) Correct Mandarin I went to Beijing yesterday. 我去了北京昨天。 我昨天去了北京。 She reads at...
chinese grammar mandarin cefr May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › How to Learn Chinese ›

15 Common Mistakes

These are the 15 most common errors English speakers make when learning Mandarin. Most can be avoided entirely if you know about them from day 1. Each entry shows the error, a wrong example, the correct form, and why it matters. 1. Ignoring Tones Entirely The error: Treating tones as optional accent marks that you will "get to later." Producing all syllables with a flat or random pitch. ❌ Saying...
chinese mandarin mistakes grammar pronunciation methodology tones particles May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Chinese Grammar Patterns ›

C1 Grammar Patterns (HSK 6)

69+ grammar patterns at HSK 6 / CEFR C1 level — advanced pre-native structures. # Pattern Structure Example ZH Pinyin English Note 1 Classical 于 (in/at/toward) V + 于 + Place/Time/Object 生于北京；有益于健康 shēng yú Běijīng; yǒuyì yú jiànkāng born in Beijing; beneficial to health Formal/literary replacement for 在/对/给 2 所 + V nominalization 所 + V (+ 的 + N) 他所说的话 tā suǒ shuō de huà the words he said...
chinese grammar mandarin c1 hsk6 May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) ›

Chinese Vocabulary

Vocabulary organized by frequency corpus, HSK level, and thematic topic. Coverage List Words Source Frequency Top 100 100 SUBTLEX-CH corpus Frequency Top 500 500 SUBTLEX-CH corpus Frequency Top 3000 3,000 SUBTLEX-CH corpus HSK 1 (A1) 299 HSK 3.0 official HSK 1–3 (A1–A2) 997 HSK 3.0 official HSK 1–6 (A1–C1) 5,397 HSK 3.0 official HSK 1–9 (A1–C2) 10,877 HSK 3.0 official → See HSK vocabulary by level Thematic Vocabulary Topic Key...
chinese vocabulary mandarin hsk May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Skills ›

Tones

Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language : the pitch contour (shape of the voice pitch over a syllable) determines meaning. The same sequence of sounds, spoken with a different pitch pattern, is a completely different word. There are four tones plus a neutral tone (sometimes called the fifth tone). Getting tones right from day one is essential. Bad tone habits are extremely difficult to correct after 6–12 months of practice....
chinese mandarin tones pinyin tone-sandhi May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Chinese Grammar Patterns ›

A1 Grammar Patterns (HSK 1–2)

40 grammar patterns at HSK 1–2 / CEFR A1 level. # Pattern Structure Example ZH Pinyin English Note 1 是 copula S + 是 + N 我是学生。 Wǒ shì xuésheng. I am a student. Only before nouns, NOT adjectives 2 Adjective predicate S + 很/太/真 + Adj 她很高。 Tā hěn gāo. She is tall. No 是 needed; bare adj implies comparison 3 有 possession S + 有 + Object 我有一本书。...
chinese grammar mandarin a1 hsk1 hsk2 May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) ›

How to Learn Chinese

The Learning Order Follow this sequence to avoid the most common pitfalls: Stage 1 — Foundation (0–150 hours, A1) Pinyin (2–4 weeks) — Learn all initials, finals, spelling rules. Master this completely before moving on. Use Yoyo Chinese's pinyin series. 4 tones (concurrent with pinyin) — Practice until tone production is automatic. Tone errors are the biggest barrier to being understood. Basic vocabulary + characters together — Learn the first...
chinese methodology learning mandarin srs May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Chinese Grammar Patterns ›

A2 Grammar Patterns (HSK 3)

99 grammar patterns at HSK 3 / CEFR A2 level. The 50 most important are listed below. # Pattern Structure Example ZH Pinyin English Note 1 比 comparison A + 比 + B + Adj 他比我高。 Tā bǐ wǒ gāo. He is taller than me. No 更 needed; add by how much after Adj 2 没有 comparison A + 没有 + B + Adj 我没有他高。 Wǒ méiyǒu tā gāo. I'm...
chinese grammar mandarin a2 hsk3 May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Chinese Grammar Patterns ›

B1 Grammar Patterns (HSK 4)

143 grammar patterns at HSK 4 / CEFR B1 level. The 60 most important are listed below. # Pattern Structure Example ZH Pinyin English Note 1 不但…而且 不但 + S1, 而且 + S2 他不但聪明，而且努力。 Tā bùdàn cōngmíng, érqiě nǔlì. He is not only smart but also hardworking. Adds extra positive quality 2 既然…就 既然 + fact, 就 + conclusion 既然来了，就好好玩吧。 Jìrán lái le, jiù hǎohǎo wán ba. Since you're here,...
chinese grammar mandarin b1 hsk4 May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Skills ›

Pinyin

Pinyin (拼音, pīnyīn, literally "spell sound") is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese (Putonghua). It was developed in the 1950s and adopted by the People's Republic of China in 1958. Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet plus four diacritic marks for tones, and one special letter (ü). Pinyin is how Chinese is typed on computers and phones, how words appear in dictionaries, and how children in China learn to read...
chinese mandarin pinyin pronunciation romanization May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Skills ›

Listening

Listening is widely considered the hardest skill for Mandarin learners. Unlike European languages where you can often piece together meaning from familiar word roots, Mandarin listening requires your brain to simultaneously decode unfamiliar sounds, tonal distinctions, and compressed connected speech — all at native speed. Why Listening Is Hard for Mandarin Learners Tones at native speed. In slow, isolated speech, a learner can distinguish 妈 (mā) from 马 (mǎ). At...
chinese mandarin listening comprehensible input shadowing chinesepod skills May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Chinese Grammar Patterns ›

B2 Grammar Patterns (HSK 5)

154 grammar patterns at HSK 5 / CEFR B2 level. The 60 most important are listed below. # Pattern Structure Example ZH Pinyin English Note 1 不仅…还/而且 (formal) 不仅 + S1, 还/而且 + S2 不仅如此，还需要更多努力。 Bùjǐn rúcǐ, hái xūyào gèng duō nǔlì. Not only that, but more effort is also needed. More formal than 不但…而且 2 反而 on the contrary S + 不但不 + V1, 反而 + V2 他不但不道歉，反而骂我。 Tā...
chinese grammar mandarin b2 hsk5 May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Skills ›

Chinese Grammar

Chinese grammar differs from English in ways that require deliberate re-learning, not translation. Key Differences from English Feature English Chinese Verb conjugation (tense) Yes No — aspect markers instead Subject-verb agreement Yes No Plural marking Yes (-s) No Articles (a/the) Yes No Relative clauses After noun Before noun Time/place placement After verb Before verb Adjective as predicate Needs "to be" Direct: 她很高 (She [is] tall) Measure words No Mandatory Topic...
chinese grammar mandarin particles measure-words May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › How to Learn Chinese ›

Spaced Repetition (SRS)

Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) are the single highest-ROI study habit for Mandarin vocabulary. 15–20 minutes of consistent Anki practice daily outperforms hours of unfocused re-reading or passive review. What SRS Is and Why It Works The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve (1885) describes how memory decays exponentially after initial learning. Without review, you forget ~70% of new material within 24 hours and ~90% within a week. SRS exploits the spacing effect :...
chinese mandarin srs anki spaced repetition vocabulary methodology pleco skritter May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Skills ›

Speaking

Speaking Mandarin well requires integrating four distinct systems simultaneously: tones, initials, finals, and rhythm. Unlike European languages where pronunciation errors are easily forgiven, Mandarin tonal errors can make speech unintelligible — the same syllable with the wrong tone is simply a different word. The Four Pillars of Chinese Pronunciation 1. Tones Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral (unstressed) tone: Tone Mark Shape Example 1st tone ā High, flat 妈...
chinese mandarin speaking pronunciation shadowing tones italki skills May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) ›

Skills

Mandarin Chinese has six core skill areas. Unlike European languages, three of them — Tones, Pinyin, and Hanzi — are foundational prerequisites that English speakers must explicitly study. The rest (Grammar, Listening, Speaking) develop more naturally through input and practice but have their own challenges. The Six Skills at a Glance Skill Description Difficulty Page Tones Mandarin uses 4 tones + a neutral tone. Same syllable, different pitch = different...
chinese mandarin skills tones pinyin hanzi grammar listening speaking May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › How to Learn Chinese ›

Learning Roadmap

This roadmap covers the full arc from zero to C2 Mandarin. Each phase has concrete milestones, recommended resources, and realistic time estimates based on 10 hours of study per week. Phase 1: Foundation (0–3 months, A1) Goal: Pinyin mastery, all 4 tones, 299 HSK 1 vocabulary words, core grammar skeleton. What to Study Pinyin system (weeks 1–2) — Every initial (21), every final (36), all tone marks. Use Yoyo Chinese's...
chinese mandarin roadmap methodology hsk learning beginner intermediate advanced May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Chinese (Mandarin) › Skills ›

Hanzi (Characters)

Hanzi (汉字, hànzì) — Chinese characters — are the writing system of Chinese. Unlike alphabets, which map symbols to sounds, Chinese characters are logographic: each character represents a morpheme (a meaningful unit), with pronunciation encoded separately (sometimes within the character itself, sometimes not at all). Chinese is the only major living writing system that is logographic. Learning it requires explicit study in a way that learning, say, Spanish script does...
chinese mandarin hanzi characters radicals stroke-order May 30, 2026