Grammar

Basic Sentence Structure

Mandarin uses a Subject-Verb-Object order, the same as English.

Examples:

我吃苹果。 — Wǒ chī píngguǒ. — "I eat apples."
S = 我 (I), V = 吃 (eat), O = 苹果 (apple).
他看书。 — Tā kàn shū. — "He reads books."

Mandarin has no conjugation: verbs do not change for person, number, or tense. Time is expressed with adverbs like 昨天 (yesterday), 现在 (now), 明天 (tomorrow).

Example: 昨天我吃苹果。 = "Yesterday I ate apples." The verb form does not change.

Quiz

Pick the best answer for each question. You get feedback right away.

What is the basic word order in Mandarin?
How does a Mandarin verb change for past tense?
Translate: 他看书.