Language/Mandarin-chinese/Grammar/Mastering-Chinese-Grammar-Easily-–-8-Rules-You-Need-to-Know

Mastering Chinese Grammar Easily – 8 Rules You Need to Know

你好 Chinese Learners! 😃

"Chinese grammar? Frankly it's not difficult, there is no conjugation or gender or even declension!"

We have all heard this sentence at least once (Some even say that there is no grammar at all in Mandarin…).

So what is it in reality?

Is Chinese grammar as easy as they say?

When should you start to seriously dive into it?

• YES there is no conjugation, no declension, no gender and no time in Chinese!

• NO Chinese grammar is not easier than the others: It is simply different!

It is a compulsory step for any learner who has set himself the goal of speaking the Chinese language fluently.

This false impression comes from the fact that the learning curve for Mandarin grammar is reversed compared to that of Western languages.

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This means that even if Chinese grammar is indeed simpler at the beginning (no conjugation to learn, the dream, right? 🤩) it will take a lot more effort to succeed in mastering the rules of an advanced level. 😅

➡ This is why the “I learn on the job” method works wonderfully well when you are just starting out.

With a small vocabulary base + some basic grammatical rules, we can already formulate our first sentences from the first weeks of learning without any problem.

No need to dig deeper into complicated grammar when you start. The most important thing when you start is to practice as much as possible with all the basic structures of the Chinese language.

When to start seriously studying Chinese grammar?

Once the intermediate level (around HSK 2-3) is reached, it's usually a good time to start delving deeper into Chinese grammar.

➡ How do you know if it's the right time for you?

It's very simple, the right moment is when you start noticing all those little words that you didn't even notice before.

This is when your brain starts asking lots of questions about the construction of Mandarin sentences:

➡ "Why is the word order different in this case?"

➡ "What is that particle at the end of that sentence?"

➡ "How do I know if I should use the 了 particle in this situation?"

If you too often ask yourself these kinds of questions, then it's probably a good time to dive deeper into Chinese grammar.

It's time to tackle one of the most serious and tough enemies of the Chinese language: Intermediate / Advanced grammar

How to approach grammar at an intermediate/advanced level

Take for example the particle 把, one of the most important grammar rules to master from the intermediate level and also the nightmare of many learners.

There are 3 main steps in learning this rule in Mandarin:

Assimilation of the rule for the first time

First step and not the least: Understanding the rule itself.

This is basically when you open your grammar book and ask yourself this question for the very first time:

" How it works ? »

The key to assimilating a new grammar rule in Chinese is the examples.

You have to be rigorous in choosing the examples you learn because they are the ones that will allow you to bridge the gap between “Theory” and “Practice”.

For example the first time we learn the particle 把, we usually see it with the following pattern:

A basic sentence in Mandarin is formed with a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, as in English: Subj. + [Verb Phrase] + Obj. A 把 sentence shakes things up a bit, and you get this structure: Subj. + 把 + Obj. + [Verb Phrase]

The problem is that this model does not give any information on the “why” or the “when” to use this rule.

This is why it is important to memorize several "typical examples" that you can then adapt to your own situations.

So rather than memorizing the theoretical model, learn for example the sentence:

• "我把书放在桌子上"

Which means: "I put the book on the table"

This sentence is both simple and general enough that you can adapt it to many different situations.

Does this mean that you have mastered the rule of the structure in 把 for all that?

NO! Because there are still 2 essential steps missing:

Recognize the rule in real life

Before successfully using the 把 particle correctly in a real conversation, you must first be able to recognize it when natives use it.

It's a lot harder than it looks!

Because natives love to omit the particle 把 when speaking, which makes learning it even more difficult for Western learners who are tackling this rule for the first time!

"The particle 把? Frankly, no one uses it in practice."

This is the natural reaction of a learner who knows the theory but has not yet made the bridge with the practice.

The key to successfully using a new Chinese grammar rule correctly is to practice first recognizing the situations where you will need it.

For example the particle 把 is mainly used to describe the change of position of a specific object in space.

This means that you will potentially need it to translate all the sentences of the style:

• "Pass me the bread"

• "Put the umbrella in my bag"

• "Put your suitcase in the trunk"

All of these phrases refer to a specific object that undergoes movement in space.

This does not mean that you will necessarily need the particle 把 to translate all these sentences into Chinese, but simply that it falls within the scope of use of this structure and that you will have to ask yourself the question each time :

"Should I use the 把 particle in this situation?"

Practice the rule in a real situation

Now that you understand how the rule works in theory, learned some typical examples and know the main situations in which you will need it, you still have the hardest part to do...

… put the 把 particle into practice in a real situation!

And it is far from obvious!

The idea for quickly mastering a new rule is to make as many attempts as possible.

For example, to successfully use the 把 particle in practice, you can start by training yourself to formulate sentences like:

• “我把饺子吃掉了” which means “I ate the ravioli”

In order to take out this sentence with different foods, replacing the word "ravioli" with what you ate.

Then to change the verb to eat by another verb etc …

Even if it sounds weird and unnatural!

Because the important thing at the beginning is not to be correct 100% of the time.

The important thing is to take the reflex to ask yourself:

"Oh wait, do I need the particle 把 to formulate my sentence here?"

It is only by training yourself to use the rule in real situations that this reflex will become more and more natural.

How to speed up the process

Depending on the complexity of the rules, it can sometimes take several months between the moment you first discover the rule and the moment you manage to use it in a real situation!

So how do you speed up the process?

Choose Your Examples Wisely

The first and most important step is to think of a “model” example that can easily be adapted to many different situations.

This is why the “I put the book on the table” example works so well in practice.

Because it is enough to replace the keywords “Book” and “table” to adapt it to all the situations which translate the change of position in space of a precise object.

Once your "fetish example" has been found and memorized, the next goal will be to confront it with reality.

Find usage opportunities

The problem is that at first you feel like you never have an opportunity to put a new rule into practice.

It is therefore up to you to create the opportunities!

The idea is to force fate by experimenting with a new rule in different situations and making as many mistakes as possible.

For example, you can have fun practicing the particle 把 in a Chinese restaurant during your order and watching the waiter's grimace to know if you are correct.

Even if it will lead to some weird conversations at first, it will allow you to quickly familiarize yourself with what is and is not possible to do with this particle.

The more you mess up, the faster your new reflex will build.

The important thing is to always ask for a "return / feedback" to your interlocutor to know if your attempt is correct or not.

Focus on simple uses first

Many Chinese grammar rules look complicated at first glance but actually have many uses.

For example the particle 把 has no less than 10 completely different uses!

Fortunately, mastering just 2 or 3 uses is generally enough to cover most situations encountered in practice.

Chinese grammar in brief

To sum up, digesting a new grammar rule is a time-consuming process.

It can take several months (sometimes even years) before you can successfully and instinctively use a new grammar rule in practice.

Chinese grammar takes on its full interest from the intermediate level (HSK 2-3) and increases in difficulty as your level in Mandarin increases.

If you are a beginner, focus on a few basic rules first and practice them as much as possible with a conversation partner until the need to build more advanced sentences arises.

Because ultimately this is the key to succeed in quickly mastering a new grammar rule in Chinese:

It is to use it in practice!