MANDARIN 2 – Chapter 2

Department of Management
Hotel and Restaurant Management Unit / Hospitality Management Unit
• Verb
• Preposition
• Conjunction
• Interjection
VERB

Contrary to other languages Mandarin does not conjugate the verb in

at all. Verbs remain in all kinds of communication when written and
spoken in their infinitive form. While this is good news for
those learning Mandarin Chinese because it means you only have to
learn one verb tense: infinitive; which despite how you use it, will not
change.
Essential Verb “To be” in Daily
Mandarin
• The verb 'to be' (shì ) is definitely one of the more essential verbs in
Mandarin. It is imperative to understand this verb to be able to
understand how to read Chinese texts.
• Rules For The Verb 'To Be' ( Shì ):
- Is used to express who you are
- It is used to connect nouns (g. Noun+ shì+ noun)
- It is not used to connect adjectives
- It does not describe a state of being (e.g. you can not use it to say he is big)
- You do not use it to express where you are (e.g. I am at the cinema)
• Examples Of How To Use (Shì ):
- Wǒ shì xuésheng - I am a student.
- Nǐ shì John ma? - Are you John?
- Tāmen shì yǒuqián rén. - They are rich people.
- Nǐ māma shìlǎoshī ma? - Is your mother a teacher?
More examples:
• Yǒuyǒng - To be Useful
• Yǒuxiào - To be Valid
• Yǒumíng - To be famous
• yǒu yìsi - to be Interesting
• yǒuqián - To be rich
Essential Action Verbs

Action verbs such as have, give, eat, walk, etc. are very useful and
essential to learning. One of the learning tips that should also be noted
is that in Mandarin, action verbs are used with a particle which gives
more precise information.
• The Main Action Verbs Are:
1. kàn - To Look
2. zǒu  - To go
3. nǎ- To take
4. pǎo- To run
5. zuò- To sit
6. xuéxí - To Learn or study
7. tíngzhǐ - To Stop
8. maí- To buy or sell
9. xiě - To write
10. Yôu - To have
• An Example Of The Particles Used With Action Verbs Are:
- The particle le, to express a past action,
- The particle guo, to express a lived action,
- The particle zhe, to express an action that lasts in time.
• Examples:
- Wǒ pǎole liù gōnglǐ - I ran for six kilometres
- Nǐ qùle zhōngguó - You went to China.
- Wǒ chī qiǎokèlì - I eat chocolate
- Tā zuò xià - He sat
To Express A Request, A Desire Or A
Need
• Here is a list of the main verbs of will or demand:
1. Yào - To want
2. Gěi - to give
3. yáofán - To beg
4. wèn- To ask
5. Juédé - To feel
6. Xuéxí - To learn
7. Xiǎng – To desire
• Here are some related examples:
- Wǒ lèi sǐle - I feel exhausted.
- qǐng wèn nǐ de péng you – please ask your friend.
- Wǒ xiǎng qù běijīng - I want to go to Beijing
• The verb xiâng is not so easy to understand as it has many meanings,
which change depending on how it is used in a sentence. See the
examples below:
• Xiâng Can Express And Mean:
- To think about (someone, something).
- To desire, to want, to want to.
- To miss something.
- To enjoy something.
• A related example is:
- Nǐ xiǎng qù nǎlǐ? - Where do you want to go?
PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are words that connect nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and

provide a way to understand the relationship between two words or
sentence sections. The word or section that the preposition leads into
is called the “object.”

English example: a dab of butter.

• Mandarin operates on a subject-verb-object basis.
的  (de) — of is the preposition of the sentence. It’s the word that
connects two concepts together to make one solid statement.
Example: 少量的奶油 (shǎo liàng de nǎi yóu.) – a dab of butter

Another example:
由我来做。 (yóu wǒ lái zuò.) – I will see to it.
preposition  由 (yóu) — to comes at the very beginning of the
sentence.
Most important Chinese prepositions
1. 关于  (guān yú)
Meaning: about

Example:
有关于猫的电影。 (yǒu guān yú māo de diàn yǐng.) — There are
movies about cats.
2. 以上  (yǐ shàng)
Meaning: above, or more
他有三本以上的书籍。 (tā yǒu sān běn yǐ shàng de shū.) — He has
three or more books.

3. 其中  (qí zhōng)

Meaning: among
你是其中最帅的一个。 (nǐ shì qí zhōng zuì shuài de yī gè.) — You are
the most handsome one among them.
4. 在  (zài)
Meaning: at
我会在家里等。 (wǒ huì zài jiā lǐ děng.) I will wait at home.

5. 前  (qián)
Meaning: before
中午前回家。 (zhōng wǔ qián huí jiā.) — Go home before noon.
9. 尽管  (jǐn guǎn)
Meaning: despite
尽管你有缺陷 , 我仍然爱你。 (jǐn guǎn nǐ yǒu quē xiàn, wǒ réng rán
ài nǐ.) — I love you despite your flaws.

10. 除了 (chú le)

Meaning: except
除了夏林没有人来。 (chú le Xià Lín méi yǒu rén lái.) — No one
came except for Xia Lin.
11. 为了 (wèi le)
Meaning: for
她会为了爱而做任何事情。 (tā huì wèi le ài ér zuò rèn hé shì qíng.) —
She will do anything for love. (Literally,”She will, for love, do anything.”)

为了 (wèi le) — for is sometimes also seen as  对于  (duì yú) — for.

为了 (wèi le) — for is notably different from  由  (yóu) — for. 
12. 在…附近  (zài…fù jìn)
Meaning: near
在教堂附近  (zài jiào táng fù jìn) — near the church

13. 的  (de)
Meaning: of
他所有的朋友都很有趣。 (tā suǒ yǒu de péng yǒu dōu hěn yǒu qù.) — All of his friends are fun.
• 的  (de) — of is also used to announce possession of someone or something.
Here’s another example.
你是我的朋友。 (nǐ shì wǒ de péng yǒu.) — You are my friend.

• The addition of 的  (de) changes the word  我  (wǒ) — me to  我的  (wǒ de) — my.

17. 比  (bǐ)
Meaning: than
你比我好。 (nǐ bǐ wǒ hǎo.) — You are better than me.

18. 通过  (tōng guò)

Meaning: through
通过大门  (tōng guo dà mén) — through the gate

19. 至  (zhì)
Meaning: until
我上九点至五点的班。 (wǒ shàng jiǔ diǎn zhì wǔ diǎn de bān.) — I have work
from nine until five.
20. 下  (xià)
Meaning: under
椅子的下面  (yǐ zi de xià mian) — under the chair

21. 和…一起  (hé…yī qǐ)

Meaning: with
和你一起  (hé nǐ yī qǐ) — with you
Conjunction

• A conjunction is a phrase that’s used to connect ideas

or related sentences to make them join smoothly
together. 
Chinese Conjunctions to Correlate Similar
Thoughts
1. With / And
• Meaning #1:
In English: With
Pinyin: hé / gēn / yǔ / tóng
In Chinese: 和 / 跟 / 与 / 同
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: The weather today is very nice, so I decided to hike with
my best friend.
• Pinyin: Jīn tiān tiān qì hěn hǎo, yú shì wǒ jué dìng hé / gēn / yǔ / tóng
zuì hǎo de péng yǒu chū qù dēng shān.
• Meaning #2:
In English: And
Pinyin: hé / gēn / yǔ / tóng
In Chinese: 和 / 跟 / 与 / 同
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: My sister and I went shopping yesterday.
• Pinyin: Wǒ hé jiě jie zuó tiān yì qǐ qù guàng jiē le.
2. Or
• In English: Or
Pinyin: huò / huò zhě
In Chinese: 或 / 或者
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: I like to add sugar or honey in my milk.
Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huān zài niú nǎi lǐ jiā táng huò / huò zhě fēng mì.
3. As well as
• In English: As well as
Pinyin: yǐ jí
In Chinese: 以及
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: When you go to a job jair, it’s necessary to wear formal
clothing and bring your notebook and pens, as well as the most
important thing which is your resume.
• Pinyin: Nǐ qù cān jiā zhāo pìn huì shí wù bì yào shēn zhuó zhèng
zhuāng, dài shàng bǐ jì běn hé bǐ, yǐ jí zuì zhòng yào de jiǎn lì.
4. Also
• In English: Also
Pinyin: bìng qiě
In Chinese: 并且
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: I am very sick today, I am afraid I cannot make it to your
birthday party, also the time doesn’t allow either.
• Pinyin: Wǒ jīn tiān bìng de hěn lì hài, qù bù liǎo nǐ de shēng rì pài duì
le, bìng qiě shí jiān yě lái bù jí le.
5. Both
• In English: Both
Pinyin: dōu
In Chinese: 都
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: Both my friend and I are looking forward to our trip this
year on summer break.
Pinyin: Wǒ péng yǒu hé wǒ dōu fēi cháng qī dài jīn nián shǔ jià de lǚ
yóu.
Conjunctions to Express Conditions
1. If
In English: If
Pinyin: rú guǒ / tǎng ruò / yào shì / jiǎ rú
In Chinese: 如果 / 倘若 / 要是 / 假如
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, let’s have a picnic at the
park.
• Pinyin: Rú guǒ / tǎng ruò / yào shì / jiǎ rú míng tiān bú xià yǔ, wǒ
men jiù qù gōng yuán yě cān ba.
2. As long as
• In English: As long as
Pinyin: zhǐ yào
In Chinese: 只要
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: As long as you promise not to tell anyone, I will share this
secret with you.
• Pinyin: Zhǐ yào nǐ bǎo zhèng bù gēn bié rén shuō, wǒ jiù bǎ zhè gè mì
mì gào sù nǐ.
3. If not / Otherwise
• In English: If not / Otherwise
Pinyin: bù rán / fǒu zé
In Chinese: 不然 / 否则
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: I think she must be sick; if not / otherwise, she would
never skip a class according to her hardworking personality.
• Pinyin: Wǒ jué de tā yī dìng shì shēng bìng le, bù rán / fǒu zé yǐ tā qín
fèn de xìng gé shì bú huì quē kè de.
3. If not / Otherwise
• In English: If not / Otherwise
Pinyin: bù rán / fǒu zé
In Chinese: 不然 / 否则
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: I think she must be sick; if not / otherwise, she would
never skip a class according to her hardworking personality.
• Pinyin: Wǒ jué de tā yī dìng shì shēng bìng le, bù rán / fǒu zé yǐ tā qín
fèn de xìng gé shì bú huì quē kè de.
5. No matter
• In English: No matter
Pinyin: bù guǎn
In Chinese: 不管
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: No matter what happens, my friends will always stand by
me.
Pinyin: Bù guǎn fā shēng shén me, wǒ de péng yǒu zǒng shì jiān dìng de
zhàn zài wǒ shēn biān.
6. Unless
• In English: Unless
Pinyin: chú fēi
In Chinese: 除非
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: You are not allowed to park here, unless you are disabled.
Pinyin: Nǐ bù kě yǐ zài zhè lǐ tíng chē, chú fēi nǐ shì cán jí rén.
7. However
• In English: However
Pinyin: wú lùn rú hé
In Chinese: 无论如何
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: However, I can’t let you risk this.
• Pinyin: Wú lùn rú hé wǒ yě bù néng ràng nǐ mào zhè gè xiǎn.
Conjunctions to Express Cause
1. Thus
• In English: Thus
Pinyin: yīn cǐ
In Chinese: 因此
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: Yesterday the rain was incredibly heavy, thus I could not
visit my grandmother as promised.
• Pinyin: Zuó wǎn yǔ xià de shí zài tài dà le, yīn cǐ wǒ bìng méi yǒu rú
yuē qù bài fǎng wài pó.
2. Because…so…
• In English: Because…so…
Pinyin: yīn wèi…suǒ yǐ…
In Chinese: 因为……所以……
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: Because my brother is sick today, I had to stay at home and
take care of him.
• Pinyin: Yīn wèi dì di jīn tiān shēng bìng le, suǒ yǐ wǒ bù dé bù liú zài jiā
lǐ zhào gù tā.
3. Because of
• In English: Because of
Pinyin: yóu yú
In Chinese: 由于
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: Because of my personal mistake, it made our whole team
lose the opportunity to be in the first position.
• Pinyin: Yóu yú wǒ yī gè rén de shī wù, dǎo zhì le wǒ men zhěng gè duì
wǔ shī qù le qǔ dé dì yī de jī huì.
4. The reason why…it’s because…
• In English: The reason why…it’s because…
Pinyin: zhī suǒ yǐ…shì yīn wèi…
In Chinese: 之所以……是因为……
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: The reason why I couldn’t make my sister’s wedding, it’s
because I just had a surgery a little while ago and had to rest at the
hospital for some days.
• Pinyin: Wǒ zhī suǒ yǐ méi néng qù jiě jie de hūn lǐ, shì yīn wèi zài bù jiǔ
zhī qián wǒ zuò le yī chǎng shǒu shù, bù dé bú zhù yuàn xiū xi yī duàn
shí jiān.
Conjunctions to Express Opposition
1. But
• In English: But
Pinyin: dàn shì
In Chinese: 但是
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: I planned to learn how to cook a meal today, but I forgot to
buy the necessary ingredients.
• Pinyin: Wǒ jīn tiān běn lái jì huá xué xí zuò yī dùn xī cān, dàn shì wàng
jì mǎi xū yào de shí cái le.
2. Yet
• In English: Yet
Pinyin: kě shì
In Chinese: 可是
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: My dad really wants me to become a doctor just like him in
the future, yet it’s not what I’m passionate about.
• Pinyin: Bà ba fēi cháng xī wàng wǒ néng xiàng tā yī yàng jiāng lái
chéng wéi yī míng yī shēng, kě shì zhè bìng bú shì wǒ rè ài de zhí yè.
3. However
• In English: However
Pinyin: rán ér
In Chinese: 然而
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: I thought there would be a happy ending for this TV show,
however, it was not like I imagined.
• Pinyin: Wǒ yǐ wéi zhè gè diàn shì jù zuì hòu yī dìng shì gè xǐ jù jié wěi,
rán ér bìng bú shì wǒ xiǎng de nà yàng.
Conjunctions to Express Purpose
1. So that
• In English: So that
Pinyin: yǐ biàn
In Chinese: 以便
• Usage in a sentence:
In English: I will put the backup key underneath the carpet by the
door so that you can come in when I’m not home.
• Pinyin: Wǒ huì bǎ bèi yòng yào shi fàng zài mén qián de tǎn zi xià
miàn, yǐ biàn wǒ bú zài jiā shí nǐ kě yǐ jìn lái.
Interjection

• An interjection is a word or phrase that is grammatically independent

from the words around it, and mainly expresses feeling rather
than meaning.
• It is a word or phrase that expresses something in a sudden or
exclamatory way, especially an emotion.
Interjection Expressing Sympathy

1. 那当然了 ! 
• nà dāng rán le! (na dang ryan luh)
• “Of course!”
2. 太可惜了 ! 
• tài kě xī le! (tai kuh sih luh)
• “That’s too bad!”
3. 好好休息 ! 
• hǎo hǎo xiū xi! (haw haw shiyu shi)
• “Rest up!”
4. 保重自己  !
• bǎozhòng zìjǐ! (bawjong suhtsi)
• “Take care of yourself!”
Interjection Expressing Amazement

1. 不错 ! 
• bù cuò! (bu suwoh)
• “Not bad!”
2. 厉害 ! 
• lì hài! (li hay)
• “Awesome!”
3. 哇  wā or 哇噻 ! or wā sāi
• “Wow!”
Interjection Expressing
Disgust/Surprise
1. 哎呀 ! 
• āi yā! (ay ya)
• “Oh no!” 
2. 真讨厌 ! 
• zhēn tǎo yàn! (jen taw yen)
• “Gross!”
3. 真没想到 ! 
• zhēn méi xiǎng dào! (jen mey shang toh)
• “Who would’ve thought!” 
 15 Common Interjections in Mandarin https
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42t90lyCsA8
Thank you for listening!