Looking for ways to improve your Chinese reading and listening skills?
Start small – by learning short but useful grammar points that locals use in speech every day.
1-Minute Chinese: 比 bǐ (Basic comparisons)
To compare one object to another, use 比 (bǐ).
The structure is simple:
A + 比 (bǐ) + B + Adj
Examples:
1. 这个苹果比那个苹果大
Zhè ge píngguǒ bǐ nà ge píngguǒ dà
This apple is bigger than that apple
A (this apple) + 比 (bǐ) + B (that apple) + Adj (big)
2. 这件衣服比那件衣服小
Zhè jiàn yīfu bǐ nà jiàn yīfu xiǎo
This dress is smaller than that dress
A (this dress) + 比 (bǐ) + B (that dress) + Adj (small)
2. 1-Minute Chinese: Measure Words
Measure words in Chinese are used to link a number (1, 2, 3) with a noun.
The structure is simple:
Numeral (1, 2, 3…) + Measure Word + Noun
The most common measure word is 个 (ge).
For example, 一个人 (yī ge rén) means “one person”, where 个 (ge) is a measure word.
There are many measure words in Chinese, used with different nouns. For instance, there are special measure words for flat objects, for buildings, or even for animals!
Examples:
- 一条裙子 yī tiáo qúnzi (a skirt)
- 三只猫 sān zhī māo (three cats)
3. 1-Minute Chinese: 了 le vs. 过 guo
If you want to talk about past actions in Chinese, it’s important to know the difference between 了 (le) and 过 (guo):
了 (le) is used to talk about completed actions in the past;
过 (guo) is used to talk about experiences in the past.
Examples:
他去了北京
Tā qùle Běijīng
He went to Beijing
(=He is in Beijing right now)
他去过北京
Tā qùguo Běijīng
He’ve been to Beijing
(=He is not in Beijing right now)
Pay extra attention to negative sentences::
他没去北京
Tā méi qù Běijīng
He didn’t go to Beijing
(没+v, but no 了)
他没去过北京
Tā méi qùguo Běijīng
He hasn’t been to Beijing
(没+v+过)
Chinese grammar can seem difficult at first, but it’s a matter of practice. You can master it by practicing frequently – ideally, by chatting with native speakers online or in person, or by adding a simple practice of describing your day to yourself in Chinese. Constant practice is the key to success!
