Grammar Masterclass: Day 3

Master the building blocks of Chinese grammar - measure words, sentence particles, question words, and basic sentence structure. Build a solid foundation for fluent Chinese.

80-95 Minutes English Support Audio Guides Beginner Friendly

Your 7-Day Chinese Journey Day 3 of 7 - Grammar Foundation

Vocabulary Complete Certificate: 4 days away

Interactive Pronunciation: Click on any Chinese character, pinyin, or the 🔊 button to hear the correct pronunciation with tones!

Measure Words Sentence Particles Question Words Sentence Structure Practice Exercises

Your Day 3 Learning Path

Welcome to Day 3 of your Chinese mastery journey! Today, we'll dive into the essential grammar concepts that form the foundation of correct Chinese communication.

Measure Words

Master essential Chinese classifiers with examples

Sentence Particles

Learn 的, 吗, 了, 呢 usage in sentences

Question Words

Form questions using 什么, 哪里, 谁, 为什么, 什么时候

Sentence Structure

Master Time + Subject + Verb + Object pattern

Grammar Learning Strategy

Learn Chinese grammar in context! Instead of memorizing rules, practice them in complete sentences. Create your own examples using vocabulary you already know. This makes grammar practical and memorable.

Chinese Measure Words

Measure words (量词) are essential in Chinese grammar. They are used between numbers and nouns, similar to "piece of" or "cup of" in English.

个 🔊

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gè - General measure word

"一个人" (yī gè rén) - "one person"

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Essential Measure Words

个

gè

General measure word (most common)

一个人 (one person), 一个苹果 (one apple)

张

zhāng

For flat objects (paper, tables, tickets)

一张纸 (one sheet of paper), 一张桌子 (one table)

本

běn

For books, magazines, notebooks

一本书 (one book), 一本杂志 (one magazine)

杯

bēi

For cups, glasses, mugs

一杯水 (one cup of water), 一杯茶 (one cup of tea)

Measure Word	Pinyin	Used For	Example	English
个 🔊	gè	General objects, people	一个人 🔊	One person
张 🔊	zhāng	Flat objects	一张桌子 🔊	One table
本 🔊	běn	Books, magazines	一本书 🔊	One book
杯 🔊	bēi	Cups, glasses	一杯茶 🔊	One cup of tea
只 🔊	zhī	Animals, birds, one of a pair	一只猫 🔊	One cat

Measure Words Practice

Complete these phrases with the correct measure word:

"一 ___ 书" 🔊 (yī ___ shū) - "one book"

Correct measure word: 本 (běn)
Full phrase: 一本书 (yī běn shū)

"一 ___ 桌子" 🔊 (yī ___ zhuōzi) - "one table"

Correct measure word: 张 (zhāng)
Full phrase: 一张桌子 (yī zhāng zhuōzi)

Chinese Sentence Particles

Particles are small words that change the meaning or function of a sentence. They are crucial for proper Chinese grammar.

Essential Sentence Particles

的 (de) 🔊

Shows possession or relationship
我的书 (wǒ de shū) - my book 🔊
学校的老师 (xuéxiào de lǎoshī) - school's teacher 🔊

吗 (ma) 🔊

Turns statements into yes/no questions
你好吗？(nǐ hǎo ma?) - How are you? 🔊
你是学生吗？(nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?) - Are you a student? 🔊

了 (le) 🔊

Indicates completed action or change of state
我吃了 (wǒ chī le) - I ate/I have eaten 🔊
天黑了 (tiān hēi le) - It got dark 🔊

呢 (ne) 🔊

Asks "What about...?" or softens questions
你好吗？你呢？(nǐ hǎo ma? nǐ ne?) - How are you? And you? 🔊
我的书呢？(wǒ de shū ne?) - Where is my book? 🔊

Particle Usage Examples

Particle	Function	Example	Pinyin	English
的 🔊	Possession	我的家 🔊	wǒ de jiā	My home
吗 🔊	Question marker	你好吗？ 🔊	nǐ hǎo ma?	How are you?
了 🔊	Completed action	我去了 🔊	wǒ qù le	I went/I have gone
呢 🔊	"What about...?"	他呢？ 🔊	tā ne?	What about him?

Particle Usage Tip

的 (de) is the most common particle - it shows possession. 吗 (ma) always comes at the end of yes/no questions. 了 (le) indicates change or completion. 呢 (ne) is often used in follow-up questions.

Particle Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct particle (的, 吗, 了, 呢):

1. 这是我 _____ 书。

2. 你好 _____？

3. 我吃 _____ 饭。

4. 我去学校 _____。

5. 他 _____ 书在哪里？

Chinese Question Words

Question words are essential for asking for information in Chinese. Mastering these will help you have meaningful conversations.

Essential Chinese Question Words

什么 🔊

Pinyin: shénme

English: What

"你叫什么名字？" 🔊

What is your name?

哪里/哪儿 🔊

Pinyin: nǎlǐ / nǎr

English: Where

"学校在哪里？" 🔊

Where is the school?

谁 🔊

Pinyin: shéi / shuí

English: Who

"她是谁？" 🔊

Who is she?

为什么 🔊

Pinyin: wèishénme

English: Why

"你为什么迟到？" 🔊

Why are you late?

什么时候 🔊

Pinyin: shénme shíhòu

English: When

"什么时候上课？" 🔊

When does class start?

怎么 🔊

Pinyin: zěnme

English: How

"你怎么去学校？" 🔊

How do you go to school?

Question Formation Practice

Create questions using the appropriate Chinese question words:

Example 1:

Answer: "我叫李明。"

Question: "你叫什么名字？" 🔊

Example 2:

Answer: "学校在市中心。"

Question: "学校在哪里？" 🔊

Now you try:

Answer: "她是我老师。"

Question: ___________________________________

Answer: "我坐公交车去学校。"

Question: ___________________________________

Create Your Own Questions

Write 10 original questions in Chinese using the question words we learned today. Try to use different question words and practice saying them aloud.

Chinese Sentence Structure

Chinese sentences follow a specific word order that's different from English. Mastering this structure is key to forming correct sentences.

Basic Chinese Sentence Structure

Time Subject Verb Object

Time words come first! (今天 + 我 + 吃 + 饭 = Today I eat food)

Sentence Structure Examples

Sentence Type	Chinese Example	Pinyin	English Translation
Basic Sentence	我吃米饭。 🔊	Wǒ chī mǐfàn	I eat rice.
With Time Word	今天我去学校。 🔊	Jīntiān wǒ qù xuéxiào	Today I go to school.
With Location	我在家学习。 🔊	Wǒ zài jiā xuéxí	I study at home.
With Time & Location	今天下午我在图书馆看书。 🔊	Jīntiān xiàwǔ wǒ zài túshūguǎn kàn shū	This afternoon I read books in the library.

Sentence Structure Practice

Rearrange these words to form correct Chinese sentences:

1. 我 / 书 / 看 → _________________________

2. 今天 / 我 / 学校 / 去 → _________________________

3. 在 / 家 / 我 / 吃饭 → _________________________

4. 明天 / 他 / 朋友 / 见 → _________________________

5. 晚上 / 电视 / 看 / 我们 → _________________________

Day 3 Practice Exercises

Apply what you've learned with these comprehensive grammar exercises. Test your understanding of today's concepts.

Exercise 1: Measure Words Practice

Choose the correct measure word for each noun:

一 _____ 书 (book) → 个/本/张
一 _____ 桌子 (table) → 个/张/只
一 _____ 水 (water) → 杯/本/张
一 _____ 猫 (cat) → 只/个/张
一 _____ 苹果 (apple) → 个/杯/本

Exercise 2: Particle Usage

Fill in the blanks with the correct particle (的, 吗, 了, 呢):

这是我 _____ 家。
你好 _____？
我吃 _____ 饭。
他 _____ 书在哪里？
你去学校 _____？

Exercise 3: Question Words Practice

Create questions for these answers using appropriate Chinese question words:

Answer: "我叫李明。" → Question: _________________________
Answer: "学校在市中心。" → Question: _________________________
Answer: "她是我姐姐。" → Question: _________________________
Answer: "我坐公交车去学校。" → Question: _________________________
Answer: "因为堵车。" → Question: _________________________

Exercise 4: Sentence Formation

Rearrange these words to form correct Chinese sentences:

我 / 水 / 喝 → _________________________
今天 / 我 / 工作 / 去 → _________________________
在 / 图书馆 / 我 / 看书 → _________________________
明天 / 我们 / 公园 / 去 → _________________________
晚上 / 电视 / 看 / 他们 → _________________________

Review Your Answers

After completing the exercises, go back through the lesson to check your answers. Focus on understanding any mistakes and learning from them. Chinese grammar improves with consistent practice!

恭喜！(Congratulations!)

You've completed Day 3 of your Chinese journey. You now have a solid grammar foundation with measure words, particles, question words, and sentence structure.

Tomorrow, we'll build on this knowledge with more complex sentences and conversation practice.

Back to Day 2 Continue to Day 4

Want to review? Go back to Measure Words or redo exercises