Essential Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook & Dictionary. Catherine Dai
(plural form) (possessive particle) laptop (or computer)
= “your laptop”
6 Measure Words
Just as we would say “two cups of coffee” in English, in Chinese, the number comes first, followed by a measure word like zhāng 张 “sheet” and běn 本 “measure word for books” and finally, the object zhǐ 纸 “paper” or shū 书 “books”.
yī zhāng zhǐ
one sheet paper
= “one sheet of paper”
liǎng bēi kāfēi
two cups coffee
= “two cups of coffee”
sān běn shū
three (measure word for books) books
= “three books”
Take note that when counting objects, the word for èr 二 “two” becomes liǎng 两 “a couple of”. Here are some common measure words.
| Measure words | Used for | Examples |
| zhāng 张 | flat, wide objects | yì zhāng zhǐ “one sheet of paper” |
| yì zhāng zhuōzi “one table” | ||
| běn 本 | bound books | sān běn shū “three books” |
| zhī 只 | one out of a pair | yì zhī shǒu “one hand” |
| zhī 支 | stick-like objects | liǎng zhī bǐ “two pens” |
| liàng 辆 | vehicles with wheels | sān liàng chē “three cars“ |
| shuāng 双 | a pair | yì shuāng xié “a pair of shoes” |
| tiáo 条 | long pieces of clothing or fabric and roads | liǎng tiáo kùzi “two (pairs of) pants” |
| bēi 杯 | cups or glasses | liǎng bēi kāfēi “two cups of coffee” |
If you can’t remember all these, there is an all-purpose measure word ge 个 which can be used instead of the above measure words yī ge shū ”one book“ or sì ge xíngli “four suitcases”.
The word ge 个 means “piece” and is also used in phrases like zhè ge 这个 “this one”, nà ge 那个 “that one”, nǎ ge 哪个 “which one” or jǐ ge 几个 “how many (items)?”
7 Verbs
Chinese verbs are never conjugated, and have only one simple form regardless of subject or tense. Thus the verb chī “to eat” is the same whether the subject is I, you, he/she or they, and whether the action took place in the past, present or future. For example,
Wǒ chī jiǎozi.
I eat dumplings = “I eat dumplings.”
This sentence can mean “I ate dumplings” or “I am eating dumplings”.
Wǒ qù Běijīng.
I go Beijing = “I am going to Beijing.”
Similarly, this could mean “I went to Beijing”, “I am going to Beijing” or “I will go to Beijing”.
8 Past and future tense
To indicate time in Chinese, you add in time words like “yesterday”, “today”, “tomorrow”, “already” and “will”. For example:
Wǒ zuótiān chī jiǎozi.
I yesterday eat dumplings
= “Yesterday I ate dumplings.”
Wǒ jīntiān chī jiǎozi.
I today eat dumplings
= “Today I am eating dumplings.”
Wǒ míngtiān chī jiǎozi.
I tomorrow eat dumplings.
= “Tomorrow I’ll eat dumplings.”
You can also add the following to indicate time:
• The addition of guo 过 = “passed” after the verb indicates that the action occurred at an unspecified time in the past:
Wǒ chī guo jiǎozi.
I ate (passed) dumplings
= “I’ve eaten dumplings already.”
• The use of le 了 = “completed” after the verb indicates actions that were just completed:
Wǒ chī le jiǎozi.
I ate (completed) dumplings
= “I’ve just eaten dumplings.”
• The addition of yào 要 = “want” or huì 会 = “will/shall” before the verb indicates a future action:
Wǒ yào chī jiǎozi.
I want eat dumplings
= “I’m going to eat the dumplings.”
Wǒ huì chī nàxiē jiǎozi.
I will eat those dumplings
= “I’ll be eating those dumplings.”
9 Adjectives
Adjectives generally precede the nouns they modify, sometimes with the possessive word de 的 added in between. For example,
| xiǎo xióngmāo | “a small panda” |
| zāng yīfu | “dirty clothes” |
| hǎo péngyou | “good friends” |
| měilì de fēngjǐng | “beautiful scenery” |
| míngguì de lǐwù | “expensive gift” |
| tǎoyàn de wénzi | “annoying mosquitoes” |
10 Adverbs
Adverbs are usually placed before the words they modify. Common examples are: hěn 很 “very”, yě 也 “also”, bǐjiào 比较 “comparatively, relatively”, jiù 就 “then”, zǒng 总 “always”. For example,
Chángchéng hěn cháng.
Great Wall very long
= “The Great Wall is very long.”
Wǒ yě xiǎng qù Shànghǎi.
I also want go Shanghai
= “I want to go to Shanghai too.”
Shànghǎi xiàtiān bǐjiào rè.
Shanghai summer rather hot
= “Shanghai is rather hot in summer.”
Nǐ xiān zǒu, wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái
You first go, I immediately then come
= “Go first, I’ll join you very soon.”
Wǔyuè de shíhou, zhè lǐ zǒng xiàyǔ.
May (month) (possessive) time this place always rains
= “In May, it always rains here.”
11 Negatives
There are two common words used to express the negative in Chinese: bù 不 and méi 没. The most often used one is bù 不 = “not”. The word méi 没 is used express actions not completed as in 没有 měiyǒu = “do not have”, “did not”.
Fàncài bù hǎo chī.
Food not good eat
= “The food is not good.”