0 Tones & sounds
Mandarin has 4 tones (plus a light neutral one). The tone is part of the word — mā (mother) vs mǎ (horse). Pinyin marks it with an accent over the vowel.
The 4 tones — all “ma”
1
mā · high, flat ˥
妈 mother
3
mǎ · dip then rise ˨˩˦
马 horse
4
mà · sharp fall ˥˩
骂 to scold
•
ma · neutral, light ·
吗 (question)
Two tone-change shortcuts: 不 bù → bú and 一 yī → yí before a 4th-tone word; two 3rd tones in a row, the first becomes 2nd.
Letters that surprise you
1 Survival phrases
Say these on day one.
Zǎoshang hǎo 早上好
Good morning
Shì / Bú shì 是 / 不是
yes / no (it is / isn't)
Nǐ hǎo ma? 你好吗?
How are you?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? 你叫什么名字?
What's your name?
Wǒ jiào ___ 我叫 ___
My name is ___
Wǒ bù dǒng 我不懂
I don't understand
Nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma? 你会说英文吗?
Do you speak English?
Zhège duōshǎo qián? 这个多少钱?
How much is this?
2 Pronouns & “my / your”
Add 们 men for plural people. Possession = pronoun + 的 de.
3 Question words
Most sit where the answer goes — no reordering.
shénme 什么 what
shéi 谁 who
nǎlǐ 哪里 where
shénme shíhou 什么时候 when
wèishénme 为什么 why
zěnme 怎么 how
duōshǎo 多少 how much
nǎge 哪个 which
4 Core verbs
These never change form — same word for I / you / past / future.
5 Numbers
1yī 一
2èr 二
3sān 三
4sì 四
5wǔ 五
6liù 六
7qī 七
8bā 八
9jiǔ 九
10shí 十
20èrshí 二十
100yìbǎi 一百
11 = 十一 shíyī, 20 = 二十 èrshí, 35 = 三十五. Fully regular.
6 Essential nouns
People
nánrén / nǚrén 男人 / 女人
man / woman
māma / bàba 妈妈 / 爸爸
mum / dad
Places
chēzhàn / jiǔdiàn 车站 / 酒店
station / hotel
Things & time
fàn / chá 饭 / 茶
food / tea
tiān / nián 天 / 年
day / year
7 Adjectives (opposite pairs)
hǎo / huài 好 / 坏
good / bad
dà / xiǎo 大 / 小
big / small
rè / lěng 热 / 冷
hot / cold
guì / piányi 贵 / 便宜
expensive / cheap
yuǎn / jìn 远 / 近
far / near
duì / cuò 对 / 错
right / wrong
8 Glue words
hé 和 and
huòzhě 或者 or
dànshì 但是 but
yīnwèi 因为 because
suǒyǐ 所以 so
jīntiān 今天 today
míngtiān 明天 tomorrow
zuótiān 昨天 yesterday
xiànzài 现在 now
zhèlǐ 这里 here
hěn 很 very
dōu 都 all / also
9 7 rules for sentences
1
Word order = Subject–Verb–Object — just like English.
我吃饭
Wǒ chī fàn = I eat.
2
Verbs never change. No tenses or endings — same
去 qù for everyone. Time comes from particles or time words (§9+).
我明天去 Wǒ míngtiān qù = I go tomorrow
3
Use a measure word between a number (or this/that) and a noun. Default =
ge 个.
一个人 yí ge rén = one person · 这杯茶 zhè bēi chá = this cup of tea
4
Link with de 的 ('of / 's').
我的书 wǒ de shū = my book
5
Adjectives take hěn 很 ('very') as a neutral link — and don't use
是 shì before an adjective.
这个很好 Zhège hěn hǎo = This is good.
6
Negate with bù 不 before verbs/adjectives; use
méi 没 for 'didn't / haven't'.
我不吃 wǒ bù chī = I don't eat · 没有钱 méiyǒu qián = no money
7
Ask yes/no two ways: add
ma 吗 at the end, or say 'verb-不-verb'. Answer by repeating the verb.
是不是? shì bu shì? → 是 / 不是
9+ Time & “to be” cheat-sheet
Since verbs don't conjugate, two things do the work: aspect particles (for time) and different words for “to be”.
A · Two ways to say “to be”
shì 是 — + a NOUN
我是学生 Wǒ shì xuésheng = I'm a student
hěn 很 — before an ADJECTIVE
我很累 Wǒ hěn lèi = I'm tired (✕ 我是累)
zài 在 — AT a place
我在家 Wǒ zài jiā = I'm at home
B · Aspect particles — show WHEN
The trick: the verb stays the same; add a particle (or a time word).
(nothing) — general / present
我吃饭 Wǒ chī fàn = I eat
le 了 — done / completed
我吃了 Wǒ chī le = I ate
zài 在 — (before verb) -ing
我在吃饭 Wǒ zài chī fàn = I'm eating
guo 过 — have ever (experience)
我去过中国 Wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó = I've been to China
huì 会 — will (before verb)
我会去 Wǒ huì qù = I will go
For the future you can also just use a time word: 我明天去 Wǒ míngtiān qù. The verb never changes — only the particle or time word does.
10 Sentence-building machine
Memorize the frame, swap the ___ for any core word.
我想 ___ · Wǒ xiǎng ___
= I want to ___ (do something).
qù · chī fàn · shuìjiào
我要 ___ · Wǒ yào ___
= I want / need ___ (a thing).
yì bēi chá · shuǐ
___ 在哪里? · ___ zài nǎlǐ?
= Where is ___?
shìchǎng · cèsuǒ
这是什么? · Zhè shì shénme?
= What is this?
point + ask
你会 ___ 吗? · Nǐ huì ___ ma?
= Can you ___?
shuō Yīngwén · zuò
我喜欢 ___ · Wǒ xǐhuan ___
= I like ___.
chá · Zhōngguó
___ 多少钱? · ___ duōshǎo qián?
= How much is ___?
zhège · yì bēi chá
我是 ___ 人 · Wǒ shì ___ rén
= I'm ___ (nationality).
Yīngguó · Měiguó
11 Your turn — practice
Write the Mandarin (Pinyin is fine). Answers below.
- Greet someone and give your name:
- Ask “Where is the market?”:
- Say “I want tea”:
- Say “I don't understand”:
- Count 1 to 5:
- Ask “How much is this?”:
Check yourself: 1) Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào ___ 2) Shìchǎng zài nǎlǐ? 3) Wǒ yào chá 4) Wǒ bù dǒng 5) yī èr sān sì wǔ 6) Zhège duōshǎo qián?
12 A 2-week plan
15–20 min a day, out loud. Tones need daily reps — don't skip them.
Week 1 — Tones & survival
- Days 1–2: the 4 tones (drill the 'ma' set) + survival phrases.
- Day 3: numbers 1–10, then 11–20.
- Day 4: pronouns + 的 de.
- Day 5: question words.
- Days 6–7: review, no notes.
Week 2 — Build sentences
- Day 8: core verbs (they never change!).
- Day 9: nouns + measure word 个 ge.
- Day 10: adjectives (+ hěn) & glue words.
- Days 11–12: the 7 rules + aspect particles.
- Days 13–14: sentence machine + practice.
Where this grows next
Next: more measure words, comparisons (比 bǐ), and reading more characters. This core already carries everyday travel — and Pinyin gets you speaking before you can read.