Chinese Questions Learners Actually Ask

不 says no to now, to the future, to habits and to what you choose. 没有 says no to what has already happened, and to having something.

不否定现在、将来、习惯和主观意愿；没有否定已经发生的事，也表示“没有某物”。

• 不 bù·wǒ bù chī là · 我不吃辣 · I don't eat spicy food (habit / choice).
• 没有 méiyǒu·wǒ méi qù · 我没去 · I didn't go (it did not happen).
• 没有 méiyǒu·wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān · 我没有时间 · I don't have time (not having something).

Golden rule: Chinese never says 不有. And with 是 and adjectives you almost always use 不: bú shì 不是.

Yes. With people you don't know well, with elders and at work, 你好吗？ is polite, respectful and completely standard. Think of it as a base you can build on.

会的。对不太熟的人、长辈或正式场合，“你好吗？”非常得体；它更像一个万能基底。

• Add a time word·nǐ zuìjìn hǎo ma? · 你最近好吗？ · How have you been lately?
• Add a time word·nǐ jīntiān hǎo ma? · 你今天好吗？ · How is your day going?
• Ask about family·nǐ bàba māma hǎo ma? · 你爸爸妈妈好吗？ · How are your parents?
• Ask about health·nǐ shēntǐ hǎo ma? · 你身体好吗？ · How is your health? (warm, for elders)

Between close friends you'll also hear chī le ma? 吃了吗？ or just a smile and 你好！ — but every deeper greeting still grows out of ……好吗？

会 is a skill you learned. 能 is whether you are physically or practically able right now. 可以 is whether you are allowed.

会是学会的技能，能是当下的客观能力，可以是获得许可。

• 会 huì·wǒ huì shuō zhōngwén · 我会说中文 · I can (have learned to) speak Chinese.
• 能 néng·wǒ gǎnmào le, jīntiān bù néng shàngkè · 我感冒了，今天不能上课 · I'm ill, I can't come to class today.
• 可以 kěyǐ·wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèlǐ ma? · 我可以坐这里吗？ · May I sit here?

Type the letter v. Standard pinyin has no v, so every Chinese keyboard on phone and computer uses v for ü.

直接按字母 v。标准拼音里没有 v，所有输入法都用 v 代替 ü。

• Type lv·lǜ · 绿 · green
• Type nv·nǚ · 女 · woman
• After j, q, x·just type ju, qu, xu — the dots are already gone.

二 is for counting and numbering. 两 is for how many of something, in front of a measure word.

二用于数数和编号；两用于量词前面，表示数量。

• 二 èr·èr yuè · 二月 · February; dì èr míng 第二名 second place; room 202.
• 两 liǎng·liǎng ge rén · 两个人 · two people.
• 两 liǎng·liǎng bēi kāfēi · 两杯咖啡 · two cups of coffee.

Large numbers: 两百 and 二百 are both fine; 两千 and 两万 are the usual choice.

谢谢 on its own is natural for everyday moments. 谢谢你 turns the thanks towards the person, so it feels warmer and more personal.

日常小事说“谢谢”最自然；想表达真诚的个人感谢时说“谢谢你”。

• 谢谢 xièxie·buying coffee, someone holding the door — short and natural.
• 谢谢你 xièxie nǐ·xièxie nǐ bāng wǒ · 谢谢你帮我 · Thank you for helping me.

That is erhua, the curled-tongue ending typical of northern Mandarin. It makes speech sound relaxed and friendly, and pinyin writes it as a final r.

这是北方普通话的儿化音，让语气更轻松亲切，拼音写作词尾的 r。

• 玩儿·wánr · to play / to hang out
• 一点儿·yìdiǎnr · a little bit
• 花儿·huār · flower

Sentence-final 了 tells the listener the situation has changed or is new. It is not simply a past-tense marker.

句末“了”表示情况发生了变化或出现了新情况，不等于英语的过去时。

• New situation·xià yǔ le · 下雨了 · It's raining now (it wasn't before).
• Change·wǒ èr shí suì le · 我二十岁了 · I'm twenty now.
• No 了 needed·wǒ zuótiān hěn máng · 我昨天很忙 · I was busy yesterday.

就 means earlier, sooner or easier than expected. 才 means later, slower or harder than expected.

“就”表示比预期早、快、容易；“才”表示比预期晚、慢、难。

• 就 jiù·tā qī diǎn jiù lái le · 他七点就来了 · He came as early as seven.
• 才 cái·tā shí diǎn cái lái · 他十点才来 · He didn't come until ten.

Tip: 就 often pairs with 了; 才 usually does not.

合适 is an adjective — it describes something. 适合 is a verb — it needs an object after it.

“合适”是形容词；“适合”是动词，后面要带宾语。

• 合适 héshì·zhè jiàn yīfu hěn héshì · 这件衣服很合适 · This shirt fits well.
• 适合 shìhé·zhè jiàn yīfu hěn shìhé nǐ · 这件衣服很适合你 · This shirt suits you.

Milk-tea shops use short set phrases. Say the drink, then the ice and sugar level.

奶茶店有固定说法：先说饮料，再说冰量和糖度。

• 少冰·shǎo bīng · less ice
• 去冰·qù bīng · no ice
• 半糖·bàn táng · half sugar
• 无糖·wú táng · no sugar
• Full order·yì bēi nǎichá, shǎo bīng, bàn táng · 一杯奶茶，少冰，半糖 · One milk tea, less ice, half sugar.

Most characters have a meaning part and a sound part. Learn the parts once and new characters become familiar faces.

大多数汉字由形旁和声旁组成；掌握部件，新字就容易记。

• 氵 water·hé 河 river · hú 湖 lake · hǎi 海 sea
• 口 mouth·chī 吃 eat · hē 喝 drink · jiào 叫 call
• Sound part 马·mā 妈 · mǎ 吗 · mà 骂 all sound like mǎ 马

Learn the 300 words with their sounds, not just their meanings. Fifteen minutes a day with listening beats one long weekend session.

300 词要连读音一起记；每天 15 分钟听读，比周末突击更有效。

• Week 1–4·pinyin, tones and the first 150 words
• Week 5–8·the remaining words and core sentence patterns
• Final weeks·mock tests and listening practice

Our HSK 1 course follows exactly this path, lesson by lesson.