LingakuLesson 1 of 1
The lesson
3.1 Basic sentence structure
Overview
A Chinese statement runs subject, then verb, then object. 我学中文 is I, study, Chinese.
是 links two nouns and translates as "am", "is" or "are". What comes before it and what comes after it are the same person or thing: 我是学生.
是 has one form. 我是, 你是, 他是 – the word on the page does not change for the person.
To make a sentence negative, put 不 in front of the verb: 我不是老师.
的 goes between an owner and the thing owned, in that order: 我的本子 is my notebook, 老师的本子 is the teacher's.
When it is already clear what you are talking about, the noun after 的 drops: 这是我的 means "this is mine".
这 points at something near you and 那 at something further away. Both can stand on their own as the subject: 这是本子.
Dialogue
Zhāng张lǎo shī老师：Ān nà安娜，zhè这shì是Mǎ kè马克。tā他shì是wǒ我de的xué sheng学生。
Ān nà安娜：nǐ hǎo你好，Mǎ kè马克。wǒ我jiào叫Ān nà安娜。
Mǎ kè马克：nǐ hǎo你好。wǒ我xué学Zhōng wén中文。
Ān nà安娜：zhè这shì是nǐ你de的běn zi本子。
Mǎ kè马克：bù shì不是。zhè bu这不shì是wǒ我de的běn zi本子。
Zhāng张lǎo shī老师：nà shi那是Ān nà安娜de的。Mǎ kè马克de的běn zi本子hěn很dà大。
Teacher Zhang: Anna, this is Mark. He's my student.
Anna: Hello, Mark. My name is Anna.
Mark: Hello. I'm learning Chinese.
Anna: This is your notebook.
Mark: No. This isn't my notebook.
Teacher Zhang: That one is Anna's. Mark's notebook is the big one.
Anna: Thank you.
New words
Grammar
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