Mandarin · Chapter 1

Introduction to Mandarin

1 grammar primer, 1 story milestone.

Lesson 1 · Introduction
Introduction to Mandarin
Read this first. The orientation: how Mandarin works, what it costs in hours, what the apps get wrong, and how to use this curriculum.

Lesson 2 · Vocabulary

First words for sentences

A pronoun, a few verbs, the things they act on. Enough to build a real Mandarin sentence by the end.

1	我	I, me	pronoun
6	在	at, in, on; to be located at; progressive marker	preposition
11	好	good, well, OK	adjective
20	是	to be (linking verb)	verb
21	去	to go	verb
29	想	to think; to want; to miss	verb
60	这里	here, this place	noun
63	看	to look, to watch, to read, to see	verb
74	先生	Mr., sir; husband (informal)	noun
90	喜欢	to like, to enjoy	verb

Lesson 3 · Grammar primer
Word order in Mandarin
Subject, verb, object - and the moments Mandarin bends the English order.

Lesson 4 · Vocabulary

Subject pronouns for everyone else, plus the rest of the vocabulary you need for your first story.

2	你	you (singular)	pronoun
4	他	he, him	pronoun
8	我们	we, us	pronoun
10	这	this	determiner
11	那	that	determiner
14	就	then, just, exactly, as soon as	adverb
16	她	she, her	pronoun
19	说	to say, to speak	verb
20	都	all, both, already	adverb
24	要	to want; will; need to	verb
25	也	also, too, as well	adverb
52	跟	with; and; to follow	preposition
56	走	to walk; to leave, to go	verb
64	事	matter, affair, thing (abstract)	noun
70	告诉	to tell, to inform	verb
73	真的	really, truly; genuine	adverb
87	但是	but, however (formal)	conjunction
97	听	to listen, to hear	verb
99	里	inside, in, within	noun

Lesson 5 · Read a story
Your first story in Mandarin
Every content word in this story comes from the lessons you've just finished. No lookups required.