The particle 了 placed directly after a verb indicates that the action has been completed. It functions as a perfective aspect marker, signaling that an event happened and reached its endpoint. For example, 我吃了饭 means "I ate (the meal)" — the eating is finished.

When 了 appears at the end of a sentence, it signals a change of state or a new situation — something is now different from before. This is distinct from the verb-suffix 了 that marks completion. For example, 下雨了 means "It's raining now" (it wasn't before), and 我饿了 means "I've gotten hungry."

The particle 的 connects a modifying phrase to a noun, similar to the possessive "'s" or "of" in English. It can express possession (我的书, "my book"), describe attributes (红色的车, "red car"), or link longer phrases to a noun. It is one of the most common structural particles in Chinese.

The conjunction 和 is used to connect two nouns or noun phrases, similar to "and" in English. Unlike English "and," 和 is generally not used to connect verbs, adjectives, or clauses — it is primarily for linking nouns. For example, 我和你 means "you and I."

The particle 吧 added to the end of a sentence softens a statement into a suggestion, mild command, or assumption. It turns a flat imperative into something more like "let's…" or "how about…" For example, 走吧 means "Let's go" and 你说吧 means "Go ahead and say it."

The verb 在 expresses that something exists or is located at a particular place. It functions similarly to "to be at" or "to be in" in English. For example, 他在家 means "He is at home" and 书在桌子上 means "The book is on the table."

The question word 怎么 is used to ask how something is done or how to do something. It is placed before the verb in a sentence. For example, 你怎么去？ means "How do you get there?" and 这个字怎么写？ means "How do you write this character?"

不要 is used to tell someone not to do something, equivalent to "don't" in English. It is placed directly before a verb to form a negative command or prohibition. For example, 不要说话 means "Don't talk" and 不要走 means "Don't leave."

没有 placed before a verb negates a past action, meaning the action did not happen. Unlike 不, which negates habits or intentions, 没有 specifically denies that a completed event occurred. For example, 我没有吃 means "I didn't eat" and 他没有来 means "He didn't come."

没有 can be placed at the end of a sentence or used in a verb-没有 pattern to ask whether an action happened. This creates a yes/no question about a past event. For example, 你吃了没有？ means "Did you eat?" and 他来了没有？ means "Did he come?"

When used as a main verb, 没有 means "to not have" or "there isn't." It directly negates possession or existence. For example, 我没有钱 means "I don't have money" and 没有人 means "There's nobody."

In Chinese, a classifier (measure word) must be placed between a number and a noun. You cannot say a number directly before a noun the way English uses "two books" — instead you say 两本书, where 本 is the classifier for books. Different categories of nouns require different classifiers, though 个 is the most common general-purpose one.

The particle 吗 is added to the end of a declarative sentence to turn it into a yes/no question. No word order change is needed — just append 吗. For example, 你是学生 ("You are a student") becomes 你是学生吗？ ("Are you a student?").

The particle 呢 at the end of a short phrase asks a follow-up or reciprocal question, meaning "and what about…?" It is typically used after someone has already answered or stated something. For example, after someone says where they are from, you can ask 你呢？ meaning "And you?"

The question word 谁 means "who" and is used in place of the person you are asking about. Unlike English, no special word order is needed — 谁 simply replaces the unknown person in the sentence. For example, 他是谁？ means "Who is he?" and 谁来了？ means "Who came?"

什么 means "what" and is used in place of the unknown noun in a sentence. It can appear as the object or subject of a verb without changing the sentence structure. For example, 你吃什么？ means "What are you eating?" and 这是什么？ means "What is this?"

什么 can also modify a noun to ask "what kind of" or "which," functioning like a determiner. In this usage it appears directly before a noun. For example, 你喜欢什么电影？ means "What kind of movies do you like?" and 他是什么人？ means "What kind of person is he?"

不 is the most basic negation word in Chinese, used to negate verbs, adjectives, and habitual or present states. It is placed directly before the word it negates. For example, 我不去 means "I'm not going" and 不好 means "not good."

The verb 是 links a subject to a noun or noun phrase, functioning like "to be" in English when equating or identifying. It is not used with adjectives the way "is" is in English. For example, 他是老师 means "He is a teacher" and 这是我的书 means "This is my book."

太 means "too" or "excessively," placed before an adjective or verb to indicate that something has surpassed an acceptable degree. It is often paired with 了 at the end to emphasize the excess. For example, 太贵了 means "too expensive."

可以 (kěyǐ) can function as a predicate adjective meaning "acceptable" or "permissible," indicating that something is allowed or okay. In this usage, it describes the overall acceptability of a situation or action. It often appears in questions asking whether something is acceptable.

可以 (kěyǐ) is an auxiliary verb meaning "can" or "may," used to express permission, ability, or possibility. It is placed before the main verb to indicate that the subject is allowed or able to perform the action. In its negative form, 不可以 means "may not" or "cannot."

In Chinese, when describing a noun with an adjective in a simple statement, 很 (hěn) is typically placed before the adjective. Without 很 or another adverb, using just "Subject + Adjective" often implies a comparison rather than a plain description.

The word 要 (yào) can express a desire or wish to do something, similar to "want to" in English. Place 要 before the verb to indicate what the subject wants to do. This is one of the most common and basic ways to express wants in Chinese.

能 (néng) expresses ability or possibility, meaning "can" or "to be able to." As an adverb-like modifier, it indicates that someone has the capacity or the circumstances allow them to do something. It differs from 会 (huì), which focuses on learned skills, while 能 emphasizes physical ability or situational permission.

As an auxiliary verb, 能 (néng) means "can" or "to be able to" and is placed before the main verb to express ability, possibility, or permission. It covers both physical capability and circumstances that make something possible. It is one of the most essential and frequently used auxiliary verbs in Chinese.

The particle 的 (de) can link a verb or verb phrase to a preceding element, functioning as an associative marker that turns the verb phrase into a modifier. This creates a relative clause-like structure where the verb phrase describes or specifies the noun that follows. For example, 我买的书 means "the book that I bought."