HSK 1 Chinese Grammar Lesson
Basics 1: How Mandarin Works
中文是什么
Zhōngwén shì shénme
5:22 min video · 18 sentences · 6 key words
Transcript with pinyin and English
Hide the English to test yourself.
- 这是中文。Zhè shì zhōngwén.This is Chinese.
- 你想学吗？Nǐ xiǎng xué ma?Do you want to learn it?
- 我想学！Wǒ xiǎng xué!I want to learn!
- 这是汉字。Zhè shì hànzì.These are Chinese characters.
- 一个字，一个音。Yí gè zì, yí gè yīn.One character, one sound.
- 汉字很有意思。Hànzì hěn yǒuyìsi.Characters are very interesting.
- 这是拼音。Zhè shì pīn yīn.This is pinyin.
- 我会读拼音吗？Wǒ huì dú pīn yīn ma?Can I read pinyin?
- 你能读。Nǐ néng dú.You can read it.
- 拼音有声调。Pīn yīn yǒu shēng diào.Pinyin has tones.
- 妈，马，不一样。Mā, mǎ, bù yíyàng.Mā and mǎ are not the same.
- 声调很重要。Shēng diào hěn zhòngyào.Tones are very important.
- 你再说一下儿。Nǐ zàishuō yíxiàr.Say it once more.
- 我说不好。Wǒ shuō bù hǎo.I can't say it well.
- 别急，慢慢来。Bié jí, mànmànlái.Don't worry, take it slowly.
- 你好！Nǐ hǎo!Hello!
- 你好，老王！Nǐ hǎo, Lǎo Wáng!Hello, Old Wang!
- 我会说中文了！Wǒ huì shuō zhōngwén le!I can speak Chinese now!
About this lesson
Lin, a new office worker, meets her colleague Wang on her first day. He shows her that Chinese characters, pinyin and tones are the keys to saying her first word: 你好.
How to practise
- Read how the pattern works on the first card, then listen to each example sentence.
- Repeat every example out loud in the 跟读 · Your turn pause: the pattern should start to feel automatic.
- At the end, check the common mistake and say the practice sentence yourself.
Key words 生词
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 中文 | zhōngwén | Chinese (language) | HSK 1 |
| 汉字 | hànzì | Chinese characters | HSK 1 |
| 拼音 | pīnyīn | pinyin | |
| 你好 | nǐhǎo | hello | |
| 学 | xué | to learn | HSK 1 |
| 说 | shuō | to speak | HSK 1 |
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