HSK1·Recap

HSK 1 Complete Review

HSK 1 复习总结

A comprehensive recap of all grammar points and vocabulary covered in HSK 1 Lessons 1–15. Use this as a study reference or end-of-course review.

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
你好	nǐ hǎo	hello
王老师	wáng lǎo shī	Ms. Wang
大家	dà jiā	everybody
好	hǎo	good; fine
学生	xué shēng	student
们	men	used after a personal pronoun or a noun to show plural number
老师	lǎo shī	teacher
您	nín	you (honorific)

Basic Word Order in Chinese

The basic word order in Chinese is: Subject + Predicate + Object. For example: wo (Subject) jiao (Predicate) Chen Tianzhong (Object).

你叫什么名字？ (Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?)
What's your name?
我叫白家月。 (Wǒ jiào Bái Jiāyuè.)
My name is Bai Jiayue.
我是学生。 (Wǒ shì xuésheng.)
I am a student.

shì Sentence (是)

The shi sentence is used to indicate what somebody or something equals or belongs to. The negative form is bu shi.

我是法国人。 (Wǒ shì Fàguó rén.)
I'm French.
她是中文老师。 (Tā shì Zhōngwén lǎoshī.)
She is a Chinese language teacher.
我老师不是法国人。 (Wǒ lǎoshī bú shì Fàguó rén.)
My teacher is not French.

Structural Particle de (的)

The structural particle de is placed between the attributive and the head noun to express a possessive relationship. If preceded by a personal pronoun and followed by a kinship term or a person noun, de can be omitted.

白家月的中文老师 (Bái Jiāyuè de Zhōngwén lǎoshī)
Bai Jiayue's Chinese language teacher
你的名字 (nǐ de míngzi)
your name
我老师 (wǒ lǎoshī)
my teacher
我学生 (wǒ xuésheng)
my student
你同学 (nǐ tóngxué)
your classmate
我妈妈 (wǒ māma)
my mom

Yes-No Question with ma (吗)

The word ma is a modal particle typically placed at the end of a sentence to indicate a yes-no question. Basic structure: ...ma?

你也很忙吗？ (Nǐ yě hěn máng ma?)
Are you busy too?
你是他的中文老师吗？ (Nǐ shì tā de Zhōngwén lǎoshī ma?)
Are you his Chinese language teacher?
你有姐姐吗？ (Nǐ yǒu jiějie ma?)
Do you have an older sister?

yǒu Sentence (1) (有)

The word you in this lesson indicates possession. Its negative form is mei/meiyou.

她有二十个学生。 (Tā yǒu èrshí gè xuésheng.)
She has twenty students.
她有一个姐姐。 (Tā yǒu yī gè jiějie.)
She has an older sister.
我没/没有姐姐。 (Wǒ méi/méiyǒu jiějie.)
I don't have an older sister.

Expression of Numbers

In Chinese, numbers can be written in two forms: Arabic numerals and Chinese characters. The number 2 can be written as er or liang. Generally, er is used in ordinal numbers (e.g. di-er), while liang is used before measure words.

零一二三四五六七八九十 (líng yī èr sān sì wǔ liù qī bā jiǔ shí)
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
一百=100, 一千=1000 (yī bǎi = 100, yī qiān = 1000)
100 = one hundred, 1000 = one thousand
两个人, 两口人, 两本书 (liǎng gè rén, liǎng kǒu rén, liǎng běn shū)
two people, two family members, two books

Modal Particle ne (1) (呢)

The word ne in this lesson is used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question, inquiring about the situation mentioned previously. Basic structure: A……, B ne?

我有两个哥哥，你呢？ (Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè gēge, nǐ ne?)
I have two older brothers. How about you?
我叫白家月，你呢？ (Wǒ jiào Bái Jiāyuè, nǐ ne?)
My name is Bai Jiayue. How about you?
我是中国人，你呢？ (Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén, nǐ ne?)
I'm Chinese. How about you?

Nominal Measure Words and [Num+M+(N)] Structure

When expressing quantity, a Chinese numeral is generally followed by a measure word. In this lesson, we focus on nominal measure words that indicate the quantity of people or objects, such as kou and ge, and the [Num+M+(N)] structure, such as si kou ren and liang ge gege.

四口 (sì kǒu)
four (people, measure word)
四口人 (sì kǒu rén)
four family members
两个 (liǎng gè)
two (of something)
两个学生 (liǎng gè xuésheng)
two students

Expression of Time (1)

This lesson focuses on how to express dates and days of the week in Chinese. The sequence for stating dates and days of the week is: year → month → day/date → day of week.

1992年5月16日/号，星期六 (yī jiǔ jiǔ èr nián wǔ yuè shíliù rì/hào, xīngqīliù)
Saturday, May 16, 1992
2024年10月22日/号，星期二 (èr líng èr sì nián shí yuè èrshí'èr rì/hào, xīngqī'èr)
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Months: 一月(Jan)～十二月(Dec); Days: 星期一(Mon)～星期日/天(Sun)
Months: January (一月) ~ December (十二月); Days: Monday (星期一) ~ Sunday (星期日/天)

Nominal-Predicate Sentences

In a nominal-predicate sentence, the predicate consists only of a noun or a nominal phrase, usually used to indicate time, date, age, and so on.

A: 今天几号？ B: 今天5月1号。 (A: Jīntiān jǐ hào? B: Jīntiān wǔ yuè yī hào.)
A: What's today's date? B: Today is May 1st.
我妹妹12岁。 (Wǒ mèimei shí'èr suì.)
My younger sister is 12 years old.

Modal Verb huì (会)

The word hui placed before a verb indicates the knowledge or ability to perform an action that is acquired through learning.

你会做饭吗？ (Nǐ huì zuò fàn ma?)
Do you know how to cook?
我会做面条儿。 (Wǒ huì zuò miàntiáor.)
I can make noodles.
我不会做菜。 (Wǒ bú huì zuò cài.)
I can't cook dishes.

Modal Verb '想' (xiǎng) (want to)

'想' (xiǎng) is a modal verb expressing subjective desire. It is placed before the main verb. The negative form is '不想' (bù xiǎng).

我想去超市。 (Wǒ xiǎng qù chāoshì.)
I want to go to the supermarket.
我不想去。 (Wǒ bù xiǎng qù.)
I don't want to go.

Serial Verb Sentences (1)

A serial verb sentence has one subject followed by two or more verb phrases, arranged in chronological or logical order.

我们坐地铁去超市。 (Wǒmen zuò dìtiě qù chāoshì.)
We take the subway to go to the supermarket.
他们去西安饭店吃饭。 (Tāmen qù Xī'ān Fàndiàn chīfàn.)
They go to Xi'an Restaurant to eat.

Interrogative Pronoun '怎么' (zěn me) (how)

'怎么' (zěn me) is used to ask about manner or method. It is placed before the verb.

你怎么去？ (Nǐ zěnme qù?)
How do you get there?
这个字怎么写？ (Zhège zì zěnme xiě?)
How do you write this character?

Expressing Time (2)

In Chinese, time expressions follow the pattern: o'clock → hour:minute → half past. Time words serve as adverbials and are generally placed after the subject and before the predicate.

我八点上课。 (Wǒ bā diǎn shàng kè.)
I have class at 8 o'clock.
他三点半下班。 (Tā sān diǎn bàn xià bān.)
He gets off work at 3:30.

Modal Particle '吧' (ba) (1)

'吧' (ba) placed at the end of a sentence indicates a suggestion or a proposal, equivalent to 'let's...' or 'shall we...' in English.

我们去看电影吧！ (Wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng ba!)
Let's go see a movie!
坐地铁去吧。 (Zuò dìtiě qù ba.)
Let's take the subway.

Position of Adverbs/Time Words as Adverbials

When adverbs and time words function as adverbials, they are generally placed after the subject and before the predicate verb.

我明天下午有课。 (Wǒ míngtiān xiàwǔ yǒu kè.)
I have class tomorrow afternoon.
他们一起吃饭。 (Tāmen yīqǐ chīfàn.)
They eat together.

Modal Particle '呢' (ne) (2)

'呢' (ne) at the end of a sentence can indicate that an action is in progress, similar to the present continuous in English.

我在学校呢。 (Wǒ zài xuéxiào ne.)
I'm at school (right now).
他们吃饭呢。 (Tāmen chīfàn ne.)
They are eating.

Positional Words

The positional words expressing direction and location introduced in this volume are: 上 (on/above), 下 (under/below), 里 (inside), 外 (outside), 前 (front), 后 (back), 外边 (outside).

房间里有一只小猫。 (Fángjiān lǐ yǒu yī zhī xiǎo māo.)
There is a little cat inside the room.
我们去书店外吧。 (Wǒmen qù shūdiàn wài ba.)
Let's go outside the bookstore.
小雪的手机在桌子上呢。 (Xiǎo Xuě de shǒujī zài zhuōzi shàng ne.)
Xiao Xue's phone is on the table.

Preposition "在" (zài)

The preposition "在" (zài) combines with words or phrases that indicate a location or place. This structure is placed before the verb to show where an action takes place.

我在学校吃午饭。 (Wǒ zài xuéxiào chī wǔfàn.)
I have lunch at school.
他爸爸在医院工作。 (Tā bàba zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.)
His father works at a hospital.
你在哪儿买菜？ (Nǐ zài nǎr mǎi cài?)
Where do you buy groceries?

Modal Verb "能" (néng)

The modal verb "能" (néng) is placed before the verb to indicate the ability, condition, or possibility of doing something.

下午两点你能到吗？ (Xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn nǐ néng dào ma?)
Can you arrive at 2 PM?
爸爸能去。 (Bàba néng qù.)
Dad can go.
我不能去学校吃午饭。 (Wǒ bù néng qù xuéxiào chī wǔfàn.)
I can't go to school for lunch.

Existential Sentences (1)

Existential sentences indicate the existence of someone or something in a specific place or location, generally marked by "有" (yǒu) or "是" (shì). When negating, no numeral-measure word phrase is used before the object.

学校前边有一家电影院。 (Xuéxiào qiánbian yǒu yī jiā diànyǐngyuàn.)
There is a cinema in front of the school.
电影院前边是一家超市。 (Diànyǐngyuàn qiánbian shì yī jiā chāoshì.)
In front of the cinema is a supermarket.
电影院前边不是超市。 (Diànyǐngyuàn qiánbian bú shì chāoshì.)
In front of the cinema is not a supermarket.
桌子上没有小猫。 (Zhuōzi shàng méiyǒu xiǎo māo.)
There is no cat on the table.

Sequence of Time and Location Expressions When Used as Adverbials Simultaneously

When time and location expressions function as adverbials simultaneously, the time expressions should precede the location expressions.

我们七点在电影院外边见。 (Wǒmen qī diǎn zài diànyǐngyuàn wàibian jiàn.)
We meet outside the cinema at 7:00.
安妮下午在家里学中文。 (Ānnī xiàwǔ zài jiā li xué Zhōngwén.)
Annie studies Chinese at home in the afternoon.
陈天中明天中午在学校吃午饭。 (Chén Tiānzhōng míngtiān zhōngwǔ zài xuéxiào chī wǔfàn.)
Chen Tianzhong will have lunch at school tomorrow at noon.

"第" (dì) Indicating Ordinal Numbers

"第" (dì) precedes cardinal numbers to indicate ordinal numbers. Basic structures: (1) 第 (dì)+Numeral; (2) 第 (dì)+Numeral+Measure Word+(Noun).

第一，第二，第三 (dì-yī, dì-èr, dì-sān)
first, second, third
第一个，第二个，第一本 (dì-yī gè, dì-èr gè, dì-yī běn)
the first one, the second one, the first (book)
第一个学生，第一本书 (dì-yī gè xuésheng, dì-yī běn shū)
the first student, the first book

Expression of Amount of Money

China's currency is known as Renminbi (RMB). Its units, ranked from the largest to the smallest, are "元" (yuán), "角" (jiǎo), and "分" (fēn), which are colloquially referred to as "块" (kuài), "毛" (máo), and "分" (fēn) respectively. The standard order of denomination is: 元/块→角/毛→分.

两分 (liǎng fēn)
0.02元
两毛 (liǎng máo)
0.2元
三块 (sān kuài)
3元
三块二 (sān kuài èr)
3.2元
六块零两分 (liù kuài líng liǎng fēn)
6.02元
二百零二块两毛 (èrbǎi líng èr kuài liǎng máo)
202.2元

Adjectival-Predicate Sentences

Adjectives can be used directly as predicates, with adverbs of degree or negative adverbs optionally placed before them.

这儿的水果真不少！ (Zhèr de shuǐguǒ zhēn bù shǎo!)
There's really so much fruit here!
我的房间不大。 (Wǒ de fángjiān bú dà.)
My room is not big.
那个苹果好吃。 (Nàge píngguǒ hǎochī.)
That apple is delicious.

Interrogative Pronoun "怎么样" (zěn me yàng)

The interrogative pronoun "怎么样" (zěn me yàng) is used to ask for opinions or inquire about a situation, and so on. Basic structure: ……怎么样 (zěn me yàng)？

A: 这个杯子怎么样？B: 我很喜欢，也不贵。 (A: Zhège bēizi zěnmeyàng? B: Wǒ hěn xǐhuan, yě bú guì.)
A: What do you think of this cup? B: I like it very much, and it's not expensive.
A: 这本书怎么样？B: 很好看。 (A: Zhè běn shū zěnmeyàng? B: Hěn hǎokàn.)
A: What do you think of this book? B: Very nice.
A: 这个菜怎么样？B: 这个菜不太好吃，我不喜欢。 (A: Zhège cài zěnmeyàng? B: Zhège cài bú tài hǎochī, wǒ bù xǐhuan.)
A: What do you think of this dish? B: This dish doesn't taste that good. I don't like it.

Affirmative-Negative Questions

Affirmative-negative questions follow the pattern "×+不/没+×" (bù / méi), where "×" is a verb or an adjective. "不/没" (bù / méi) is used in verb affirmative-negative questions, while "不" (bù) is used in adjective affirmative-negative questions.

它是不是在超市后边？ (Tā shì bu shì zài chāoshì hòubian?)
Is it behind the supermarket or not?
你去没去学校？ (Nǐ qù méi qù xuéxiào?)
Did you go to school or not?
这件衣服好看不好看？ (Zhè jiàn yīfu hǎokàn bu hǎokàn?)
Does this clothing look nice or not?

Temporal Adverbs "在/正在" (zài / zhèng zài)

The temporal adverbs "在/正在" (zài / zhèng zài) are placed before a verb, expressing that an action is ongoing or a situation is continuing. Three forms: (1) 在/正在 (zhèng zài)+Verb; (2) 在/正在 (zhèng zài)+Verb+呢 (ne); (3) Verb+呢. For negative responses, the adverb "没（有）" (méiyǒu) is used.

你还在读大学吗？ (Nǐ hái zài dú dàxué ma?)
Are you still studying at university?
学生们在/正在上课呢。 (Xuéshengmen zài/zhèngzài shàng kè ne.)
The students are having class right now.
我们读书呢。 (Wǒmen dúshū ne.)
We're reading.

Modal Verb "要" (yào)

When used before a verb, the modal verb "要" (yào) indicates the desire or intention to do something.

他今天要和小朋友玩。 (Tā jīntiān yào hé xiǎopéngyou wán.)
He is going to play with friends today.
妈妈要去超市。 (Māma yào qù chāoshì.)
Mom intends to go to the supermarket.
白家月要在家里学中文。 (Bái Jiāyuè yào zài jiā li xué Zhōngwén.)
Bai Jiayue is going to study Chinese at home.

Non-Subject-Predicate Sentences

Non-subject-predicate sentences are composed of words or phrases without distinct subjects or predicates, and are commonly used in colloquial speech.

下雨了。 (Xià yǔ le.)
It's raining.
下雪了。 (Xià xuě le.)
It's snowing.
上课了。 (Shàng kè le.)
Class has started.
真漂亮！ (Zhēn piàoliang!)
Really beautiful!
对不起！ (Duìbuqǐ!)
Sorry!
没关系！ (Méi guānxi!)
It's OK! / No problem!

Modal Particle "了(1)" (le)

The modal particle "了(1)" (le) is placed at the end of a sentence or at a pause within a sentence to indicate a change or a new situation. For negative responses, the adverb "没" (méi) is used, and "了" (le) is omitted at the end of the sentence.

下雨了。 (Xià yǔ le.)
It's started raining.
十二点了，吃午饭吧。 (Shí'èr diǎn le, chī wǔfàn ba.)
It's 12 o'clock. Let's have lunch.
A: 弟弟起床了吗？B: 没起床呢。 (A: Dìdi qǐchuáng le ma? B: Méi qǐchuáng ne.)
A: Has your brother gotten up yet? B: No, he hasn't.

"太……了" (tài...le) Pattern

The "太……了" (tài...le) pattern expresses a very high or intense degree of exclamation.

太冷了！ (Tài lěng le!)
It's so cold!
这个杯子太小了。 (Zhège bēizi tài xiǎo le.)
This cup is too small.
我们今天太高兴了！ (Wǒmen jīntiān tài gāoxìng le!)
We are so happy today!

Modal Verb "可以" (kě yǐ)

The modal verb "可以" (kě yǐ) is placed before a verb to indicate possibility, capability, or permission.

我可以再问您一个问题吗？ (Wǒ kěyǐ zài wèn nín yī gè wèntí ma?)
May I ask you one more question?
你们可以看这本书。 (Nǐmen kěyǐ kàn zhè běn shū.)
You can read this book.
A: 我可以坐吗？B: 可以，请坐！ (A: Wǒ kěyǐ zuò ma? B: Kěyǐ, qǐng zuò!)
A: May I sit down? B: Yes, please sit!

"Verb+一下" (yí xià) Structure

In this lesson, the "Verb+一下" (yí xià) structure indicates that an action is performed as a quick attempt or it is brief.

你可以打电话问一下。 (Nǐ kěyǐ dǎ diànhuà wèn yīxià.)
You can call and ask.
请休息一下。 (Qǐng xiūxi yīxià.)
Please take a rest.
你看一下吧。 (Nǐ kàn yīxià ba.)
Have a look.

Double-Object Sentences (1)

A double-object sentence is one where a verb takes two objects. In this volume, we focus on double-object sentences formed by "给" (gěi) and "问" (wèn).

请给我一杯牛奶。 (Qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi niúnǎi.)
Please give me a glass of milk.
白家月给安妮一个苹果。 (Bái Jiāyuè gěi Ānnī yī gè píngguǒ.)
Bai Jiayue gives Annie an apple.
我问老师两个问题。 (Wǒ wèn lǎoshī liǎng gè wèntí.)
I ask the teacher two questions.

Aspect Particle "了(2)" (le)

The aspect particle "了(2)" (le) is placed after a verb to indicate that an action has occurred or been completed. When negating, "没" (méi) is used instead, and "了" (le) is omitted.

我看了一个电影。 (Wǒ kànle yí gè diànyǐng.)
I watched a movie.
我买了一个新电脑。 (Wǒ mǎile yī gè xīn diànnǎo.)
I bought a new computer.
我昨天没去商店买东西。 (Wǒ zuótiān méi qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi.)
I didn't go to the shop to buy things yesterday.

Separable Words (1)

In this volume, words such as "上课" (shàng kè), "下课" (xià kè), "上班" (shàng bān), "下班" (xià bān), "说话" (shuō huà), "读书" (dú shū), "睡觉" (shuì jiào), "看病" (kàn bìng), and "生病" (shēng bìng) belong to a special type of verbal structure. These words can be either combined or separated: when combined, they function as single words; when elements are inserted between their components, they become phrases. Therefore, they are referred to as separable words. When separable words are split, the types of elements that can be inserted are limited.

睡觉
Separated: 睡了觉；睡了一觉
上课
Separated: 上了课；上中文课
下班
Separated: 下了班
生病
Separated: 生了病；生了大病
说话
Separated: 说了话；说了很多话

Scope Adverb "都" (dōu)

The scope adverb "都" (dōu) means "all" or "in general". The object being generalized is placed before "都" (dōu). When negating, the negative word is placed after "都" (dōu).

我们都会写了。 (Wǒmen dōu huì xiě le.)
We can all write them now.
我和我的朋友们都去。 (Wǒ hé wǒ de péngyǒumen dōu qù.)
My friends and I are all going.
同学们都没听见。 (Tóngxuémen dōu méi tīngjiàn.)
None of the students heard.

Coordinate Compound Sentence "……，还/也……" (hái / yě)

A coordinate compound sentence consists of two or more clauses that are logically related and structurally parallel. In this volume, we focus on the coordinate compound sentence "……，还/也……" (hái / yě).

我喜欢这个，也喜欢那个。 (Wǒ xǐhuān zhège, yě xǐhuān nàge.)
I like this one, and I also like that one.
王老师是北京人，李文也是北京人。 (Wáng lǎoshī shì Běijīng rén, Lǐ Wén yě shì Běijīng rén.)
Ms. Wang is from Beijing, and Li Wen is also from Beijing.
我喜欢喝中国茶，还喜欢吃中国菜。 (Wǒ xǐhuān hē Zhōngguó chá, hái xǐhuān chī Zhōngguócài.)
I like drinking Chinese tea, and I also like eating Chinese food.

📚 Vocabulary

🧩 Grammar