Chinese Grammar Guide #1 | Learn Chinese Now

In this episode we look at some useful Mandarin Chinese grammar.
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[@jadeliu4992]

This is awesome! Mandarin Chinese is my first language and I still speak and read it natively, but I've never gone to Chinese schools or taken Chinese classes. I've also never learned English from a Chinese speaker's perspective, so I've never had to compare the two. It's so interesting to see how many things I take for granted in both languages without realizing the differences.

[@sevilaykel1480]

+Jade Liu same to me but not Chinese , Turkish-English-Arabic and Kurdish

[@yasin703]

For me it's with Japanese.. I've never been in Japan but can speak and read Japanese on higher advanced level xD

[@lbb2rfarangkiinok]

The verb doesn't come at the end of the sentence in a simple sentence in German. In that instance, it's always second (I could say Ich schau dich an or Dich schaue ich an, but the conjugated verb is in the middle). You only get verbs at the end in compound verb or dependent clause structures.

[@learnchinesenow]

+lbb2r thank you for the clarification, my German is limited so I just thought of one or two examples when it is at the end. But yeah come to think of it, I can think of examples where it is second like, das ist gut

[@NilsMcCloud]

+lbb2r Would be weird, wouldn't it, if German had that quality? It's a West-Germanic language like English, so V2 :p

[@usablefiber]

+lbb2r Please don't get me started on german sentence structure. I came to Chinese to get away from German grammar. I don't want to act like Chinese grammar is a cakewalk..... but it's such a relief to get away from cases and genders...... it made me cry. With Chinese grammar it's all like..... "oh that's such a cool, different way to express this"!

[@PePe-ph6yk]

lol, German isn't that difficult, especially Denglish :) On the other hand, it can be such joy to compose half-page long sentences and compound the verbs one after the other :)

[@solhamer3502]

I did an elective in Mandarin for one semester last year. I had thought I'd become quite rusty, but this channel straight away helped me pick up where I left off. The way you do what you do shows that you enjoy doing it; these lessons therefore are a pleasure to watch. I particularly like the constant subtitling that re-references the traditional characters and makes them easier to remember. For me, the writing system is just about the most frightening thing about Chinese but this definitely helps, and because of other videos you've released, I am choosing to learn traditional characters before simplified characters. All in all, thank-you for making the task of learning such a daunting language considerably less so.

[@fvazquez64]

That made me happy, since I consider myself beginner student of mandarin and I understood almost everything... Xie4 xie ni3 men!

[@zhang111]

+Francisco Vazquez Bravo!

[@11kwright]

+Francisco Vazquez Me too and I'm definitely a beginner!!!!

[@user-tc2wb8fi1e]

謝謝！I have been waiting on a lesson like this for a long time! I loved it!! and the longer format is awesome!

[@DanielButlergungfu1967]

This was soooo helpful. I have been struggling with grammar. Thank you for doing this. Please do more.

[@dianneiverglynne]

Thank you, both, so much! I lived in China for three years and was getting pretty good functioning around the country on my own...but I've been gone now for a decade. Having found you I can practice correctly, maintain what I have and even progress in comfort and confidence. Again, thanks!

[@gustavorosseline]

You too are the best. I have fun watching and learning. Thanks for the video! I love these big videos, they're helpful and help me clear my doubts!

[@StephenThorley]

Great work guys. The longer format is prefect, just the right length.

[@everydayhanja]

amazing video ! Keep up with the traditional characters, love 'em.

[@saupersaiyam]

I love learning from you two, this is reallllly helping me survive in china right now! please do more grammar structure videos!

[@taylorsharp2196]

Definitely do more of these. I was always unsure if I could use time words before the subject in sentences, this cleared it up. Chinese grammar (and pronunciation for that matter) isn't terribly complicated, it's just very different from English.

[@RadioactivFly]

The German verb doesn't always come at the end, only when there's a helper verb. In those cases, the helper verb gets conjugated and the main verb gets tacked onto the end as an infinitive.

[@elizabethhodges7398]

Really like the longer format video, and hope you will make some more grammar videos. Well done.

[@tommyy536]

You should definitely do more of these

[@maddie492]

make more of the grammar guide videos!!! they help me so much! vocabulary is just studying ,grammar is what needs to be taught! great video! xie xie!!

[@gregprovin5866]

Great job. I was always confused by the Chinese grammatical structure. You all really simplified this. Thank you

[@lexilove4n6]

THANK YOU!! So helpful. I have been in China for about 5 months and I know many words but cannot yet structure sentences. This is exactly what I need for my current level of Chinese.

[@hironyx]

i'm ethnic chinese and have been speaking mandarin for over 30 years and i love your channel. i'm still learning stuff i didnt know.

[@AsirAjmal]

This was a great video. I consider myself an advanced beginner and this was at the right level.

[@RealNRD]

I hope you continue to make more of these longer videos!

[@tuckercracker]

you explained it so well. I love your videos! You speak so clearly.

[@fountainpenink6593]

in german the verb only comes at the end of the sentence if the sentence is a subordinate

[@kbfave]

Just returned to the U.S. after more than a year and a half in Taiwan. Would love to receive recommendations for Chinese TV series to watch, especially ones available with traditional Chinese subtitles. Am currently enjoying 步步驚心 (struggling a bit because of simplified Chinese subtitles, but worth the effort so far) and will check out 福氣又安康.

[@sagme3887]

Thanks for using my suggestion :) really really helped!! There grammar guides will be great!

[@justinrwu]

I've been using an english structure for "because"-sentences my whole life. I'll need to watch that! Thanks a lot guys! This was really helpful.

[@kevinmcd62]

Hi to both of you, I'm a complete beginner of Chinese language but have just subscribed after watching your most enjoyable video!

[@patloney1006]

Grammar lessons and longer videos are super helpful. Thank you.

[@brod2man]

Good video. Gonna continue watching. I hope you guys are still making these, since I guess this video is already a year old. I'm at a stage in Chinese grammar which is getting confusing. For example the word "for" in english, doesn't really have direct translation. 为 给 替, each is used in specific ways, probably some sentence structures I don't know how to create. I hope you guys cover this in future videos.

[@seamasmanly]

Yes, I like the longer form intermediate videos about grammar and such. It gives me a chance to multi-task (I'm making saurkraut), while brushing up on my grammar. I often pause, so I can practice reading as well. Well done!

[@Avengekiller20]

You guys are hilarious. I really enjoy these longer segments. As a student who has studied Chinese for 4 years, I must say the grammar is still one of the most confusing aspects of learning Chinese. There is so much sentence structures to know, and one must be careful not to directly translate English to Chinese. I definitely would like more of these types of videos.

[@spiral272]

Nice work guys. Love the use of example sentences.

[@winnienguyen2387]

I am really happy to find out this link! Thanh you

[@MatthewHenderson1]

im a beginner that doesn't know any of the vocabulary like you said, but i still love this! i am excited for more grammar videos like this!

[@BobbyMcGaffree]

that last bit about learning things through tv would definitely be something you want to make more explicit and known to your learners! instead of just as an after-shot dialogue... XD great wisdom!

[@lucywang2520]

It is very good. Please do another one.

[@laoshierinmarkle8916]

Very good, I will recommend my students to your channel, it is one of the best. You have a great presentation style, good sense of humor and you really understand how to help non Chinese speakers to speak. Please keep it up!

[@icebear8909]

I took Chinese 1 last year and they taught me SVO and how to ask questions, but they never told be about other grammar rules. Well, there were a few but this Chanel is very helpful.

[@rkent210]

I like it. Lived abroad for a couple years...very helpful.

[@ainulasyraf96]

i really like it..hope u guys will do more of this kind of video please

[@iamthequeen9478]

wow thank you guys ! finally a grammar video =) please do more grammar videos ! we need them ..

[@romieiv]

I really enjoyed the episode, well done

[@MrMrniel021]

This video is great and I hope you keep up the good work because I am Brazilian and I speak english and trying to lear chinese thanks

[@Melrudin]

Great video! I'd definitely be interested in more grammar videos.

[@jordax47Hydrogen]

wow really love these videos

[@tuyetlinh6003]

These videos are really useful because I can practice both English and Chinese. Thank you.

[@codemyster323]

I loved this video. So helpful!!! There is not many videos like this so I'm excited to see more of these. :)

[@andreaoliva840]

I really like this video. The music is beautiful. Thank you. 🙂 🙏

[@portionmatanhire4498]

this is really helpful....i hope you continue doing more

[@QrazyQuarian]

Hi, I've been living in Taiwan for the past couple years. I really enjoyed this video, and I found that it is about my current level. I have the basics down and I need to learn more grammar. I found it very helpful that you are also including Taiwanese structure because that is the structure I need to learn. This is the first video I've watched, but I hope there are more just like it because this is exactly what I need. My native Taiwanese wife is also very impressed with these lessons! Thanks a ton! Shih-Shih Ni!

[@user-ui6cs9fm4j]

我们大台湾欢迎你

[@QrazyQuarian]

非常感謝

[@rocksspeak]

Thank you so much! I am in an isolated Colorado town, learning Chinese. mostly through- tapes and movies! ;), but this is so great! Thank you for the interjection of new life into my sometimes very slow very repetitive program to learn Chinese! ...This makes it even more interesting and helps to check up on things, great overview! putting it all together!! Thank you again very much. Look forward to seeing all the videos!

[@ntantzen]

Love it, it was very helpful for us. The Grammar Guides are great. Thank you!

[@RedJacketCapcomKid]

This was extremely helpful, I really enjoyed it, thank you for making it, I took mandarin in high school and trying to pick up on it again, but I didn't quite get on how to use the grammar structure of the Chinese language (Mandarin), its starting to make sense to me, I would love to watch more of these :D

[@SeattleSeafair]

I liked the class - it was very helpful, and a good level for where I am in the learning process. It's like a nice chat with good friends!

[@realhojo4]

This was a great video! I hope to see more like this in the future. I consider myself a beginner and this was all very basic and ready to understand. Thanks!

[@internetsanjuan8269]

This is the most fantastic Chinese Guide I have found until now. 我是墨西哥人， 多谢！！！

[@echoyuan7451]

不用谢 😄

[@mrdotita]

I totally love this video! They're very useful, also for the pronunciation of several phrases. I'm studying for HSK2 and this clip fits perfectly. Great job! Please upload more!

[@J_and_M_Korea]

This video was perfect! I am at the stage where I need to learn more grammar and vocab, but past the really beginner things like greetings. Please make more long videos like this!! I need to be able to have more conversations!

[@mariana24021995]

It's a very good channel!! I love it... I Brazilian and I'm studying Chinese in a Italian university and your videos help me a lot!!! Please never stop making videos ... I saw this video was made in 2013 but your last video was made in dicembre of last year!! Thank you so much to dedicate your time making these helpful videos and sorry for my poor English!!! Bye bye!! Go on 💋

[@letianrui]

I loved the longer format and the intermediate lesson. I hope to see more of it. :)

[@truck]

please do more grammar! this was awesome!

[@Daaaaalise]

Please do more like this, i learn alot from this. Thank you

[@heartbeautybubble]

I find this extremely helpful.I feel I've learned enough vocabulary for the current level of my chinese speaking skills and I want to advance in the grammar. I do want to pass to next level of Chinese and I hope that in two years I'll be at least advanced, because I'll earn a schoolarship for studying in China. Thank you so much! You are the best!

[@Death13Horseman]

Interseting, the question particle "ma" is similar to japanese question particle "ka" who is put at the end of interrogative sentences. They avoid using question marks, and orally the tone of the sentence goes up at the end.

[@missangiegreengreen3097]

You explain pretty well! Thanks a lot!

[@dt6692]

this guy is a great teacher. subscribed

[@becslin]

Thank you for this lesson, I will play it to my year 9 students (in Sydney)! Love your videos Ben!

[@Charity22]

Would love more videos like this!

[@Dana9551]

I really like this video, i hope that you will create more videos related to grammar because grammar is very helpful for chinese learning in order to improve speaking and writting. Thanks

[@AliBaba-7.7]

this video is really nice and it has really helped me. i wish for more so that i can better my chinese

[@jaykruer9463]

Loving the long form videos. I have some new things to show off to my 中文老師 ：） 謝謝！

[@StarKnightZ]

Great video, going to keep watching these. Would like to see a video on how to say when things happened.

[@grafinvonhohenembs]

A German verb only comes at the end of a sentence at the end of a subjunctive clause. Aside from that, it is SVO, unless you ask a question, then the verb comes first. ;) So glad that you guys have grammar videos! Yay! :D

[@trishalamb138]

Love this! Thank you!

[@yesitsoneword]

Love it. Do more!

[@Varizen87]

This was an awesome video. There's a lot of useful stuff in here... Now to watch it over and over until I've memorized everything.

[@wimoostindier2388]

I really like your style of presenting. Excellent!! And very clearly explained....

[@djw8447]

Wim Oostindier hi i'm a chinese. i can teach you chinese if you intersted.skype id:djfeifei021 or wechat djjiexiao(prefer)

[@safal169]

Just awesom and easy to understand

[@UrbanSkurk]

Great video. Please do more like this in the future.

[@Jacobpresident]

I really appreciate these grammar videos and basically all the videos you do helping learn Chinese. I live in Taiwan and have been studying for a year now, however I often find that I understand things much better when learning from a native English speaker. Currently learning 上 as a Verb Compliment (coming into contact) and I think it is supposed to be easy to understand but its throwing me through a loop. Any quick tips on understanding the various ways to use 上? Also 起 is a fun one for all the ways it is used... Thanks again!

[@sivanarayanan100]

It's really useful to brush my grammar knowledge. Keep doing it.

[@qwertcaxzggxasf6346]

HI PLEASE DO MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS .. IT IS SO HELPFUL!!!!!

[@DanielMarler74]

Very helpful, indeed!! The grammar focus is certainly something I'd like to see more of. Also, perhaps a few colloquialisms (in respect to certain regions, of course) in one of your videos would be nice as well. Keep on building bridges guys!! Thanks!!

[@tenchichrono]

Love this. Thanks! More please.

[@ahmetcb]

Very clear pronounce, thanks Ben

[@emanuelx3]

Thanks a lot for the class.....

[@cookingmusician]

This is so helpful! Plus Wang Lee Hom is my favourite pop star too (he and my husband grew up together in the USA so he's the first one I knew)...

[@CeliaGoh]

For future tense, you can use 将/即将 which is actually similar with English where you use the modal 'will'. Referring to your example, you can say '我将要当爸爸了‘ While for past tense, you can use 曾/曾经 to indicate that it used to happen, like '我曾上过某某大学‘。 But generally, I think people would just add '了' at the end of the sentence of after the verb. For example, ' 我睡了十小时’ （I slept for 10 hours)...

[@osk6580]

I enjoy your program very much. /Fantastic presentation with the Chinese characters and English. Makes it easier for English-speaking learners like myself to try and take in the characters as well. Keep up with the great presentations! Love you guys

[@BuayaGuy]

Enjoying the longer format for the lessons :)

[@mervynhemlee9495]

Thank you very much for your grammar explanation. This makes learning a bit easier and a person will be more aware of things to avoid. Thanks again.

[@allenng2471]

I just found these youtube lessons. Great humor in learning and refreshing chinese. I totally enjoyed the Cantonese vs Mandarin and finding out about the history of Cantonese that it is more related sounding and use to the original Tang language. I am glad to understand this as I am learning chinese to acculturate myself to move to my ancestral homeland. Please keep up the good work. Do you have this in a series in CD form??? Or an index or table of content of different series???

[@NZAURUSS]

Great video! Thanks!

[@shep1582]

First, it is great when you guys are together! Second, great session and wonderful video which is very instructive. I like the longer format and the grammar is really helpful. Keep it up, you are both very good!!

[@El_Rebelde_]

I've studied Japanese for about a year now and I'm getting into mandarin now. It's interesting to see how both languages are similar and they have similar concepts when it comes to Grammar.

[@user-st4sk2cz9x]

not feel difficult about the same Chinese Character, different meanings(In Chinese and Japanese)?

[@elliottschwartz6366]

谢谢，这真的很有帮助！

[@simonlacey70]

nice work guys! thanks for that!

[@AndreVanZark]

謝謝！好視頻！愛這個。

[@brittanyrandall8843]

Great lesson!

[@Sanggreen]

Great video, very helpful! Please do more grammar videos guys! :) Love.