Kilo Lingo

Mandarin · Chapter 3

The copula 是 (shì): to be, and when not to use it

4 grammar primers.

  1. Lesson 1 · Grammar primer

    The copula 是 (shì): to be, and when not to use it

    How 是 works as 'is/am/are' between two nouns, why you must NOT use it before an adjective, and the negative form with 不是.

  2. Lesson 2 · Grammar primer

    Possession with 有 (yǒu): to have

    Positive and negative ('I have', 'I do not have'). The hard rule: 有 is negated with 没, never with 不.

  3. Lesson 3 · Grammar primer

    Verb-object verbs: 吃饭, 说话, 唱歌, 看书

    Many Mandarin verbs come paired with a generic object (吃饭 'eat-food', 说话 'speak-speech'). How the object splits off when a specific one shows up.

  4. Lesson 4 · Grammar primer

    Modal verbs: 会, 想, 要, 应该, 可以

    The five core modals: learned-ability vs likelihood, want, need, should, may. Where they sit in the sentence and how to negate each.