Level 1 Lesson 3.1 – I Learn Chinese At A School

Preview Vocabulary

Place Word In A Chinese Sentence | Sentence Word Order In Chinese

In this video lesson we'll learn how to position a Place Word in a Chinese sentence, which is a very important sentence word order. We'll also learn the structure of a noun modifying another noun in Chinese.

  • Sentence Word Order in Chinese: Positioning Place Word in a sentence
  • 学习: to learn vs. to study
  • 学 vs 学习
  • Noun modifying another noun in Chinese
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VOCABULARY

HSK CHINESE
 PINYIN P.O.S ENGLISH AUDIO
1 学习 xuéxí v. to learn(something); to study
1 汉语 Hànyǔ pn. the Chinese language
n/a 英语 Yīngyǔ pn. the English language
n/a 美国 Měiguó pn. USA
n/a 法国 Fǎguó pn. France
n/a 法语 Fǎyǔ pn. the French language

GRAMMAR

Grammar 1: Word Order: Positioning A Place Word In A Chinese Sentence· HSK 1

Unlike in English where the "Place Word" usually goes at the end of a sentence, if we want to put a "Place Word" in a Chinese sentence, suggesting where the action occurs, we put it between the Subject and the Verb.

Subject + Place + Verb ( + Object )

  • wǒ zài Běijīng xué Hànyǔ
    我在北京学汉语。
     I learn Chinese in Beijing.
  • tā zài sùshè chī píngguǒ
    他在宿舍吃苹果。
     He eats apple in the dormitory.
  • wǒ zài Měiguó xuéxí
    我在美国学习。
    I study in America.

 

Grammar 2: To Study in Chinese VS. To Learn in Chinese · HSK 1

(1) xuéxí 学习: to learn in Chinese VS. to study in Chinese

When followed by an object, 学 means to learn something in Chinese:

学习 + something = to learn something

  • tā zài Zhōngguó xuéxí Hànyǔ
    他在中国学习汉语。
    He learns Chinese in China.
  • wǒ zài Fǎguó xuéxí Fǎyǔ
    我在法国学习法语。
    I learn French in France.

 

When not followed by an object, 学 means to study in general:

学习 object = to study (in general)

  • tā zài Zhōngguó xuéxí
    他在中国学习。
     He studies in China.
  • wǒ zài Fǎguó xuéxí
    我在法国学习。
     I study in France.

 

(2) xuéxí 学习 VS. xué 学: to learn in Chinese

When followed by an object, 学习 and 学 are interchangeable:

学习 + something = 学 + something = to learn something

  • wǒ xǐhuan xué Hànyǔ
    我喜欢学汉语。
    I like learning Chinese.
  • wǒ xǐhuan xuéxí Hànyǔ
    我喜欢学习汉语。
    I like learning Chinese.

 

Grammar 3: Noun Modifying Another Noun · HSK 3

zài 在 to be in/on/at (+somewhere)

Sometimes a noun can be used to modify another noun in Chinese. We can just put Noun1 before Noun2:

(Noun1) Noun2

  • Yīngyǔ shū 英语书 English book
  • Hànyǔ xuéxiào 汉语学校 Chinese school
  • cháshuǐ 茶水 tea water
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13 Comments

    • No it wouldn’t be correct. In chinese when there is a 在 in a sentence for example, let’s use your example. My Mom lives at my house in beijing. It would be 我的妈妈住在我北京的家。In chinese once there is a 在 in a sentence you don’t need to repeat the 在。So therefore this 我妈妈住在我在北京家 is wrong.

  • I would have thought that the “where” word is (or has the effect of) an adverb modifying the verb. In English a word telling where about the verb is an adverb. It more commonly has a preposition before it, but there are some adverbs that come directly before the verb. This is just a way of remembering the word position in Chinese. (I love the logic of this tbh.)

  • Hi,

    I am little bit unclear what 茶水 means. If I asked for 茶水 in a Chinese restaurant would the waiter bring a pot of tea and a jug of water? Or is 茶水 simply a longer way to say 茶?

    Thanks,

    • 茶 can be used to refer to both tea (leaves) in general, or a cup/pot of tea, depending on the context.
      茶水 is specifically “already made and ready to drink” tea.

      If you are at a restaurant, you can say both 茶 or 茶水, but 茶 is more commonly used. Sometimes for other purposes, like cooking or staining, 茶水 has to be used if it’s the liquid that’s being used.

  • You are the best in terms of content and teaching methods. best value for the money! I wish you grow fast and quickly add more HSK levels. good luck!

    • I know it’s late but if I know correctly, 中文 is Chinese language in general , while 汉语 is’ Mandarin Chinese ‘. The difference is subtle.

      • This is just slightly incorrect.

        中文 means “Chinese Language.” This term is more in general of the Chinese Languages. As China has many dialects, all dialects can follow under the general term “中文“.

        汉语 literally means “Language of the Han”. Directly translates to the language of the Han ethnic group of China. Its more specific than 中文。

        普通话 pǔtōnghuà means “Mandarin” or literally “common speech”

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