Chinese Grammar Lessons: What to Learn at Each HSK Level

Chinese grammar is a finite set of patterns. There are no verb endings, no plurals and no grammatical gender; most of the work is done by word order and a few dozen particles and sentence frames. That makes it possible to lay the whole thing out as a syllabus, and that's what this post does: the grammar points to learn at beginner (HSK 1-2), intermediate (HSK 3-4) and advanced (HSK 5-6) level, each with an example sentence in characters, pinyin and English.

If you've ever known all the words in a sentence like "I went to school yesterday" and still frozen when trying to say it, this is the missing piece. 我昨天去学校了 (wǒ zuótiān qù xuéxiào le) uses three patterns at once: subject first, the time word before the verb, and 了 for something that's happened.

How to Use This Syllabus

Treat the lists below as a map, not a set of rules to memorise in order. John Pasden, who created the Chinese Grammar Wiki, suggests a simple sequence in a guest post on Hacking Chinese: learn the basic patterns, then get lots of input and experiment with them, and go back to the explanations when something confuses you. In practice:

• Take one pattern at a time and learn it from a few example sentences, not from the rule alone.
• Look for it in what you read and hear. Once you know a pattern exists, you start noticing it everywhere.
• Use it in your own sentences, even awkwardly, and look it up again when it keeps going wrong.

We explain this approach, and the research behind it, in how to learn grammar naturally. For a full explanation of any point below, the free Chinese Grammar Wiki from AllSet Learning has a page for almost every pattern, with many more examples.

The level groupings follow the long-running six-level HSK and the Grammar Wiki's HSK lists. Different textbooks introduce some points a level earlier or later, and the new nine-level HSK (often called HSK 3.0) moves some of them again, so don't worry if your course's order differs.

Beginner Grammar (HSK 1-2)

At beginner level you need a small framework for building correct simple sentences. The Grammar Wiki's HSK 1 list has 54 grammar points, and many of them are small variations on the ones below.

HSK 1: the basic sentence

和 trips up a lot of English speakers, because "and" also joins sentences in English. Our post on how to say "and" in Chinese covers the alternatives.

HSK 2: time, comparison and reasons

Notice the tone changes in the examples: 不 becomes bú before a fourth tone (bú qù), and 一 becomes yí before a fourth tone (yíxià) and yì before the others (yì běn). For more basic patterns in context, see our guide to sentences in Chinese, and for practice material at the right level, our collection of level-appropriate Chinese sentences.

Intermediate Grammar (HSK 3-4)

At intermediate level your basic sentences work, but they can sound flat. This is where you learn complements (what happened as a result of the action), the 把 and 被 constructions, and the two-part connectors that let you link ideas. The Grammar Wiki has full lists for HSK 3 and HSK 4.

Complements and special constructions

把 is the one learners overuse once they've learned it. It works when the object is something specific and the sentence says what you did to it, usually with a result or a place after the verb. If you can't answer "what happened to the object?", use a normal sentence instead.

Connectors for linking ideas

了, 过, 在 and 着 side by side

These four are the most common source of intermediate mistakes, because English speakers tend to reduce them all to "past" or "ongoing". Learn them as a set:

A good exercise is to take one verb and write a sentence with each marker where it makes sense, then check them against the Grammar Wiki.

Advanced Grammar (HSK 5-6)

At advanced level the patterns get longer and more formal, and the question changes from "is this correct?" to "is this natural here?". Many of the new points are connectors used in writing and formal speech. See the Grammar Wiki's HSK 5 and HSK 6 lists for the full set.

The last two rows show something you'll meet constantly at this level: written Chinese packs information more tightly than speech, with words like 该 (this, the said), 于 (at, in) and 其 (qí, its) that you rarely hear in conversation. Reading news and comparing it with how people talk about the same thing is the best way to get a feel for the difference.

Beyond these lists, advanced grammar is mostly about judgement: choosing between near-synonyms, sounding formal or casual on purpose, and putting the emphasis where you want it. That comes from a lot of reading and listening, with attention to how native speakers phrase things.

A Simple Weekly Routine

Grammar sticks through frequent short contact, not occasional long sessions. A routine with three parts is enough:

• Review sentences you already know every day, so the patterns in them become automatic.
• Add one new pattern every few days: read its Grammar Wiki page, collect three to five example sentences at your level, and read them aloud.
• Produce something small: three sentences of your own, a short voice note, or a message to a language partner. When a pattern breaks, put an example of it back into your review.

Mandarin Mosaic handles the first part for you. Its HSK-levelled lessons give you sentences with one new word where possible, each checked by a native speaker, with cloze (fill-in-the-blank) practice and spaced repetition, so the grammar around each word comes back regularly in new sentences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I learn grammar or vocabulary first?

Both together. A word you can't put in a sentence is hard to use, and a pattern without words to fill it stays abstract. Learning from example sentences gives you both at once.

Which grammar book should I use alongside this list?

The free Chinese Grammar Wiki covers every point here. If you'd like a printed book, Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar by Claudia Ross and Jing-heng Sheng Ma is a good all-round reference; our guide to Chinese study books lists more options by level.

How long does it take to get comfortable with Chinese grammar?

There's no clear finish line. With regular study, most learners can build the HSK 1-2 patterns without thinking within months; the intermediate complements and connectors take longer, and advanced style keeps improving for years. If you're preparing for the exam, our post on whether to take the HSK explains what each level expects.

Can an app teach me all the grammar I need?

An app like Mandarin Mosaic gives you plenty of correct, level-appropriate sentences to absorb patterns from, and reviews them so they stick. It doesn't have speaking practice, though, and grammar only becomes fully yours when you use it, so make time to speak and write, ideally with someone who can correct you.

Want to absorb these patterns one sentence at a time? Mandarin Mosaic gives you HSK-levelled sentences with one new word where possible, cloze practice and spaced repetition, on iOS and Android.

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