Notes for HSK 1 Chapters 9–15

Notes

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This document contains the rest of my notes from HSK 1 which includes chapters 9 to 15. Chapter 1–8 notes are available here.

Pinyin

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Pronunciation of Neutral-Tone Syllables

Generally, a neutral-tone syllable is read in a lower pitch than the syllable before it if it follows a first-tone, second-tone, or fourth-tone syllable, but when it follows a third-tone syllable, it is read in a higher pitch than the syllable before it.

Pronunciation of Reduplicated Syllables

In a disyllabic word with reduplicated syllables, the second syllable is usually read in a neutral tone.

Pronunciation of Words with the Suffix -们， -子， -头

Being part of a word, the suffixes -们， -子， and -头 are usually read in a neutral tone.

Function of Neutral-Tone Syllables

The neutral tone is a toneless or "soft" tone that is pronounced quickly and softly. It often changes the meaning of a word when compared to its full-toned counterpart.

Grammar

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Location Verb 在

在 is a verb that indicates the location of someone or something. When followed by a word of locality or direction, it acts as the predicate in a sentence.

• Subject + 在 + Word of Locality
  • 我朋友在学校。
  • 我妈妈在家。
• Subject + 在 + Direction
  • 小狗在椅子下面。

Interrogative Pronoun 哪儿

哪儿 is used to ask about the location of somebody or something.

• 我的被子在哪儿？
• 你的中国朋友在哪儿？
• 小狗在哪儿？

Preposition 在

在 can act as a preposition in addition to being a verb. When used as a preposition, it is placed before a word of locality to indicate where an action or behavior takes place.

• 我在朋友家喝茶。
• 他们在学校看书。
• 我儿子在医院工作。

Interrogative Particle 呢

呢, used at the end of a sentence, asks about the location or state of somebody of something previously mentioned or to form a question about a context already known.

• 我的小狗呢？
• 我的被子呢？
• 他在哪儿呢？

有 Sentences Indicating Existence

有 is used in an existential sentence to indicate that a person or thing exist somewhere. The negative form 没有 is used to indicate non-existence, and it is used without a numeral classifier before the object.

• Word of Locality + 有 + Person/Thing Existing
  • 椅子下面有一只小狗。
  • 学校里有一个商店。
  • 桌子上有一个电脑和一本书。
• Word of Locality + 没有 + Person/Thing Existing (without numeral classifier)
  • 椅子下面没有小狗。
  • 学校里没有商店。
  • 桌子上没有电脑和书。

Conjunction 和

和 is used to connect two or more elements, indicating a parallel relationship.

• 我有一个中国朋友和一个美国朋友。
• 我家有三口人，爸爸，妈妈和我。
• 桌子上有一个电脑和一本书。

Modal Verb 能

能 is used before a verb to form the predicate, indicating an ability or possibility (in declarative sentences). In interrogative sentences, the structure "能……吗?" is often used to indicate a request or hope for permission.

• 明天下午我能去商店。
• 你能在这儿写你的名字吗？
• 我能坐这儿吗？

Imperative Sentences 请

请 is used before a verb to form an imperative sentence. This construction is used to make polite suggestions, requests, or express hope that the listener will do something.

• 请写您的名字。
• 请喝茶。
• 请坐。

Expression of Time

点 and 分 are used to express time, observing the principle of "the bigger unit preceding the smaller unit." 点 is used to indicate the hour. 分 is used to indicate the minutes, following the hour.

• 点
  • 9:00 → 九点
  • 11:00 → 十一点
  • 2:00 → 两点 (liang3 dian3) (Note: 两点 is used instead of 二点 for 2:00)
• 分
  • 5:30 → 五点三十分
  • 11:10 → 十一点十分
  • 2:05 → 两点零五分 (liang3 dian3 ling2 wu3 fen1) (Note: The use of 零 indicates "zero" for minutes under ten.)

To distinguish between morning and afternoon times, 上午 for AM and 下午 for PM are used.

• 8:00 AM → 上午八点
• 3:10 PM → 下午三点十分
• 5:25 PM → 下午五点二十五分

Time Word as an Adverbial

Time words can function as adverbial modifiers in a sentence, indicating when an action takes place. They can appear either before or after the subject in a sentence without altering its meaning. In some contexts, placing the time word before the subject might add slight emphasis on the time itself, while placing it after the subject might focus more on the subject. However, the choice of position is stylistic or based on what the speaker wants to emphasize.

Subject-first structure:

Time-first structure:

The Noun 前

前 is used to express a time period that occurred before the present time or before another specified time. It's often used to indicate how long ago something happened or to specify a time before a certain point.

• Three days ago, a week ago, four o'clock, before Friday
  • 三天前
  • 一个星期前
  • 四点前
  • 星期五前
• A: 你什么时候去学校？
  B: 八点前。
• A: 你什么时候回北京？
  B: 星期六前。
• A: 你星期五前能回家吗？
  B: 能。

Interrogative Pronoun 怎么样

怎么样 is used to asked about the condition of something or someone.

• 你的汉语怎么样？
• 你妈妈身体怎么样？
• 明天天气怎么样？

Sentences with a Subject-Predicate Phrase as the Predicate

In Mandarin, there is a type of sentence where the predicate is not just a simple verb or adjective but a full subject-predicate phrase. This allows the speaker to convey more detailed information or ask more complex questions.

• Subject of the Sentence + Predicate of the Sentence (which itself is a Subject + Predicate phrase).
  • 我身体不太好。
    • Subject: 我
    • Predicate: 身体不太好
  • 明天天气很好。
    • Subject: 明天
    • Predicate: 天气很好
  • 你身体怎么样？
    • Subject: 你
    • Predicate: 身体怎么样

Adverb 太

太 is used to express something that is excessive in a certain way, implying that it is beyond a normal degree.

When 太 is used in affirmative sentences, it's often followed by 了 at the end of the sentence. 了 indicates a change of state or an emphasis on the degree of something. However, 了 is not used in negative sentences with 太.

• 太热了。
• 天气太冷了。
• 我身体不太好。

Modal Verb 会 (2)

See part 1 notes of 会.

会 is used to express that something is likely to happen or that someone is capable of doing something in the future. It can be translated as "will" or "might" in English, depending on the context.

• A: 爸爸八点前会回家吗？
  B: 会。
• A: 明天他回来吗？
  B: 他回来。
• A: 今天会下雨吗？
  B: 今天不会下雨。

Interjection 喂

喂 is used when calling someone or answering a phone call. It functions similarly to saying "hello" in English when initiating conversation over the phone.

• A: 喂，李老师在家吗？
  B: 她不在家，去学校了。
• A: 喂，你是张小姐吗？
  B: 对，您是？
• A: 喂，你在做什么呢？
  B: 我在看书呢。

Indicating an Action in Progress: 在......呢

To express that an action is currently happening, the adverb is 在 is placed before the verb and optionally add the particle 呢 at the end of the sentence for emphasis. The negative form is 没（在）+ Verb/Verb Phrase—without the 呢 at the end of the sentence.

• 我在睡觉呢。
• 你在做什么呢？
• 小王在学习汉语。
• 我没在看电视。
• 他们没在工作。
• 他没看书。

Expression of Telephone Numbers

Telephone numbers are read digit by digit in Mandarin Chinese, with each number clearly articulated. The number 1 is read as 幺 (yao1) instead of 一 to avoid confusion.

• 8069478
  • ba1 ling2 liu4 jiu3 si4 qi1 ba1
• 13851897623
  • yao1 san1 ba1 wu3 yao1 ba1 jiu3 qi1 liu4 er4 san1
• 82304156
  • ba1 er4 san1 ling2 si4 yao1 wu3 liu4

Modal Particle 呢

呢 is used at the end of a sentence to indicate a suggestion, a softened command, or a polite request. It makes the tone of a sentence less direct and more gentle.

• A: 这儿没有人，请坐吧。
  B: 谢谢。
• A: 今天我们在家吃饭吧。
  B: 好。
• A: 我现在给她打电话。
  B: 她在工作呢，你下午打吧。

了 Indicating Occurrence or Completion

了 can be used at the end of a sentence to indicate that an action has occurred or been completed. It gives the sense that something has happened.

• 我去商店了。
• 她去学开车了。
• 你买什么了？

了 can also be used between a verb and its object. When placed here, it indicates the completion of an action. Often, a modifier such as a numeral, classifier, or adjective is placed before the object to give more information.

• 她买了i点儿苹果。
• 我买了不少衣服。
• 你看见几人了？

In the negative form, 没 is used before the verb, and 了 is omitted. This structure is used to indicate that an action has not occurred.

• 他没去商店。
• 我没买。
• 我没看见张先生。

The Noun 后

后 is used to refer to a period of time that comes after a certain point, whether it is in the future or after a specific mentioned time. It functions similarly to "after" in English. It's often placed after a specific time or event to express "after [time/event]"

• 五点后 40分钟后 星期三后
• A: 你几点去工作
  B: 八点后。
• A: 你什么时候回家？
  B: 五点后。
• A: 他什么时候能回来？
  B: 40分钟后回来。

Modal Particle 啊

The particle 啊 is commonly used at the end of a declarative sentence to add emphasis, express surprise, or set a particular mood. It's similar to using "right?", "okay?", or "you know?" in English.

The pronunciation of 啊 varies with the finals of the syllables before it. In Mandarin, the variants are sometimes represented by different characters.

• A: 你是王小姐吗？
  B: 是啊。
• A: 你想去吃中国菜吗？
  B: 好啊。
• A: 王方的衣服太漂亮了！
  B: 是啊，她买了不少衣服。

Adverb 都

都 means "both" or "all" and is used to indicate that something applies to all people, objects, or actions that have been mentioned in the sentence. The people, objects, or actions that 都 refers to must be placed before 都 in the sentence.

• 我们都是中国人。
• 他们都喜欢喝茶。
• 这些都是王方的东西.

The Structure 是......的

The "是......的" structure is used to highlight or emphasize when, where, or how something happened. It's often used when the listener already knows that something occurred but wants to know more details about the context of the event. In positive and interrogative sentences, 是 can be omitted without changing the meaning.

The negative form:

Expression of a Date (2): year, month, date, day of the week

See part 1 notes.

In Mandarin, dates are written and read in order from the largest unit to the smallest: year (年) → month (月) → day/date (日/号) → day of the week (星期). This is different from English, where the month typically comes first. The year is read digit by digit followed by the character 年. The month is read as the whole number followed by 月. The day of the month is read as a whole number followed by 日 or 号. The day of the week is expressed by 星期 followed by a number.

• 明天是2014年5月11号。
• A: 今天几号？星期几？
  B: 今天9月10号，星期三。
• 我们是2011年9月认识的。