Course Description
Sure! Here is a summary of key grammar concepts typically covered at the A1 level in Chinese (Mandarin):

1. *Basic Sentence Structure*
– Chinese sentence structure typically follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order.
– Example: 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ) – I love you.

2. *Pinyin and Tones*
– *Pinyin*: Romanization system to represent Chinese sounds.
– Example: 你 (nǐ) – you.
– *Tones*: Mandarin Chinese has four main tones and a neutral tone.
– 1st tone (flat): mā (妈 – mother)
– 2nd tone (rising): má (麻 – hemp)
– 3rd tone (falling-rising): mǎ (马 – horse)
– 4th tone (falling): mà (骂 – scold)
– Neutral tone: ma (吗 – question particle)

3. *Pronouns*
– *Subject Pronouns*:
– 我 (wǒ) – I, me
– 你 (nǐ) – you
– 他 (tā) – he, him
– 她 (tā) – she, her
– 它 (tā) – it
– 我们 (wǒmen) – we, us
– 你们 (nǐmen) – you (plural)
– 他们 (tāmen) – they, them (male or mixed group)
– 她们 (tāmen) – they, them (female)
– *Possessive Pronouns*: Add 的 (de) after the pronoun.
– 我的 (wǒ de) – my, mine
– 你的 (nǐ de) – your, yours
– 他的 (tā de) – his
– 她的 (tā de) – her, hers
– 我们的 (wǒmen de) – our, ours
– 你们的 (nǐmen de) – your, yours (plural)
– 他们的 (tāmen de) – their, theirs (male or mixed group)
– 她们的 (tāmen de) – their, theirs (female)

4. *Basic Verbs*
– *是 (shì)* – to be
– Example: 我是学生 (wǒ shì xuéshēng) – I am a student.
– *有 (yǒu)* – to have
– Example: 我有一本书 (wǒ yǒu yī běn shū) – I have a book.
– *去 (qù)* – to go
– Example: 我去学校 (wǒ qù xuéxiào) – I go to school.
– *喜欢 (xǐhuān)* – to like
– Example: 我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐhuān nǐ) – I like you.
– *做 (zuò)* – to do, to make
– Example: 我做饭 (wǒ zuò fàn) – I cook.

5. *Negation*
– *不 (bù)*: Used to negate verbs except for 有 (yǒu).
– Example: 我不是老师 (wǒ bù shì lǎoshī) – I am not a teacher.
– *没有 (méi yǒu)*: Used to negate 有 (yǒu) and indicate past actions.
– Example: 我没有书 (wǒ méi yǒu shū) – I don’t have a book.

6. *Questions*
– *Yes/No Questions*: Add 吗 (ma) at the end of the statement.
– Example: 你是学生吗？(nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?) – Are you a student?
– *Question Words*:
– 什么 (shénme) – what
– Example: 你在做什么？(nǐ zài zuò shénme?) – What are you doing?
– 谁 (shéi) – who
– Example: 他是谁？(tā shì shéi?) – Who is he?
– 哪 (nǎ) – which
– Example: 你是哪国人？(nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) – Which country are you from?
– 哪里 (nǎlǐ) – where
– Example: 厕所在哪里？(cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?) – Where is the restroom?
– 什么时候 (shénme shíhòu) – when
– Example: 你什么时候来？(nǐ shénme shíhòu lái?) – When will you come?
– 为什么 (wèishéme) – why
– Example: 你为什么学习中文？(nǐ wèishéme xuéxí zhōngwén?) – Why do you study Chinese?
– 怎么 (zěnme) – how
– Example: 这个怎么用？(zhège zěnme yòng?) – How to use this?

7. *Basic Measure Words*
– Measure words are required between numbers and nouns.
– 个 (gè) – general measure word
– Example: 一个苹果 (yī gè píngguǒ) – an apple
– 本 (běn) – for books
– Example: 一本书 (yī běn shū) – a book
– 只 (zhī) – for animals
– Example: 一只猫 (yī zhī māo) – a cat
– 张 (zhāng) – for flat objects
– Example: 一张纸 (yī zhāng zhǐ) – a piece of paper
– 杯 (bēi) – for cups
– Example: 一杯茶 (yī bēi chá) – a cup of tea

8. *Basic Prepositions*
– *在 (zài)* – at, in, on
– Example: 我在家 (wǒ zài jiā) – I am at home.
– *和 (hé)* – and, with
– Example: 我和你 (wǒ hé nǐ) – You and I.
– *从 (cóng)* – from
– Example: 我从美国来 (wǒ cóng měiguó lái) – I come from the USA.
– *到 (dào)* – to, until
– Example: 我到学校 (wǒ dào xuéxiào) – I arrive at school.
– *对 (duì)* – towards, to
– Example: 对不起 (duìbùqǐ) – I’m sorry.

9. *Basic Adjectives*
– Adjectives often precede the noun they describe.
– 大 (dà) – big
– 小 (xiǎo) – small
– 好 (hǎo) – good
– 坏 (huài) – bad
– 热 (rè) – hot
– 冷 (lěng) – cold
– 高 (gāo) – tall
– 矮 (ǎi) – short

10. *Basic Conjunctions*
– *和 (hé)* – and
– Example: 我喜欢苹果和香蕉 (wǒ xǐhuān píngguǒ hé xiāngjiāo) – I like apples and bananas.
– *但是 (dànshì)* – but
– Example: 我喜欢苹果，但是我不喜欢香蕉 (wǒ xǐhuān píngguǒ, dànshì wǒ bù xǐhuān xiāngjiāo) – I like apples, but I don’t like bananas.
– *因为 (yīnwèi)* – because
– Example: 我学习中文，因为我喜欢 (wǒ xuéxí zhōngwén, yīnwèi wǒ xǐhuān) – I study Chinese because I like it.
– *所以 (suǒyǐ)* – therefore
– Example: 我饿了，所以我要吃饭 (wǒ è le, suǒyǐ wǒ yào chīfàn) – I am hungry, therefore I want to eat.

11. *Numbers*
– *0-10*: 零 (líng), 一 (yī), 二 (èr), 三 (sān), 四 (sì), 五 (wǔ), 六 (liù), 七 (qī), 八 (bā), 九 (jiǔ), 十 (shí)
– *11-20*: 十一 (shíyī), 十二 (shíèr), 十三 (shísān), 十四 (shísì), 十五 (shíwǔ), 十六 (shíliù), 十七 (shíqī), 十八 (shíbā), 十九 (shíjiǔ), 二十 (èrshí)
– *Tens*: 二十 (èrshí), 三十 (sānshí), 四