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Mandarin HSK 1–3 — Grammar Patterns flashcards

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60 grammar patterns for HSK 1–3 under HSK 3.0 (the November 2025 exam syllabus): 了, 过, 着, 是…的, 把 and 被, comparisons, complements of degree, result, direction and potential, linking pairs and word order, each with a one-line rule and an original example.

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Learn deck · part of HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) · written against: Every word of HSK 1–3 under HSK 3.0, the HSK exam syllabus published in November 2025 (988 words, levels 1–3), with grammar patterns and in-context cloze; headword levels checked against its word list. Updated 2026-10-10.

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  1. How do you turn a statement into a yes/no question with 吗?
    Statement + 吗？

    Put 吗 at the end; the word order of the statement does not change.

    你喜欢喝茶吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuan hē chá ma?) — Do you like tea?
    Questions
  2. When do you say 'not' with 不, and when with 没?
    不 = present, future, habits · 没 = past actions, and 有

    不 negates what you do, will do or are; 没 says something didn't happen or hasn't happened yet.

    我平时不喝酒，昨天也没喝。 (Wǒ píngshí bù hē jiǔ, zuótiān yě méi hē.) — I don't usually drink, and I didn't yesterday either.
    Negation
  3. What does 了 directly after a verb tell you?
    Verb + 了 (+ number + object)

    The action is completed. With an object it usually needs a number or other detail to sound finished.

    弟弟喝了三杯牛奶。 (Dìdi hēle sān bēi niúnǎi.) — My little brother drank three glasses of milk.
    Aspect
  4. How do you say 'A is taller than B' with 比?
    A + 比 + B + adjective

    The adjective comes after B; 更 or 还 ('even') may stand before it, and a complement such as 一点儿 or 得多 after it.

    哥哥比我高。 (Gēge bǐ wǒ gāo.) — My older brother is taller than me.

    Watch out: No 很 or 非常 before the adjective in a 比 sentence.
    Comparisons
  5. How do you link a cause and a result with 因为…所以?
    因为 A，所以 B

    Chinese happily uses both words together.

    因为路上车太多，所以我来晚了。 (Yīnwèi lùshang chē tài duō, suǒyǐ wǒ lái wǎn le.) — There was too much traffic on the road, so I was late.
    Linking Pairs
  6. How does 得 describe how well or how fast someone does something?
    Verb + 得 + (很) + adjective

    The comment on the action comes after 得.

    我奶奶走得很快。 (Wǒ nǎinai zǒu de hěn kuài.) — My grandma walks fast.
    Complements
  7. What does 是…的 highlight about a past event?
    是 + when / where / how / who + verb + 的

    The event is already known; 是…的 puts the focus on its details.

    你们家的小猫是在哪儿找到的？——是在公园里的大树下面找到的。 (Nǐmen jiā de xiǎo māo shì zài nǎr zhǎodào de? — Shì zài gōngyuán li de dà shù xiàmian zhǎodào de.) — Where did you find your cat? — Under the big tree in the park.

    Note: In the affirmative, 是 can be left out; 的 stays.
    Special Constructions
  8. When do you say 'two' as 二 and when as 两?
    两 + measure word · 二 in counting, digits and ordinals

    Before a measure word it is 两; in 十二, 二十 and 第二 it is 二.

    这两个苹果十二块钱。 (Zhè liǎng ge píngguǒ shí'èr kuài qián.) — These two apples cost twelve yuan.
    Measure Words & Numbers
  9. How do you choose between 的, 地 and 得 (all pronounced de)?
    的 + noun · 地 + verb · verb + 得

    的 links a description to a noun, 地 turns a description into a way of acting, and 得 comments on a verb.

    他慢慢地吃妈妈做的饭，吃得很开心。 (Tā mànmàn de chī māma zuò de fàn, chī de hěn kāixīn.) — He slowly ate the meal Mom made, and enjoyed it.
    的 地 得
  10. When is 不 pronounced bú instead of bù?
    不 → bú before a 4th tone

    Otherwise it stays bù: 不来 bù lái, 不好 bù hǎo. Many dictionaries, and these cards, write the base tone bù; where 不 is unstressed inside a word, as in 对不起 duìbuqǐ, it has no tone mark.

    我姐姐不是老师。 (Wǒ jiějie bù shì lǎoshī — said bú shì) — My older sister isn't a teacher.
    Tone Changes

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More HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) decks

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About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • Pinyin, tones, measure words and meanings checked against CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0) and the Taiwan Ministry of Education's dictionaries (the Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary and the Cross-Strait Dictionary 兩岸常用詞典, via moedict.tw) (reference only). Levels follow HSK 3.0: the HSK examination syllabus (HSK 考试大纲) published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation in November 2025, a separate document from the 2021 standard GF 0025-2021, which it cites among its references. The patterns are those commonly taught at this level. Checked against the syllabus's grammar list (语法大纲, levels 1–3): 56 of the 60 patterns are listed there (20 at level 1, 21 at level 2, 15 at level 3); the other four (a place word inside a directional complement, dropping 的 after a pronoun, and the tone changes of 不 and 一) are not itemised in it. Grammar rules also checked against the examples in GF 0025-2021, Appendix A (语法等级大纲), the University of Oxford CTCFL grammar notes, Western Michigan University's open textbook Career Chinese, a PolyU seminar abstract by Chaofen Sun, Pan Haihua's CUHK lecture notes on 把, and published papers (Hole 2011, Lingua; Gasde 2001, ZAS Papers in Linguistics; Panmanee 2022; Liu and Wu 2015; a Kyushu University paper on negating 比 sentences, 言語文化論究 39; Sugimura Hirofumi on 被 sentences, Doshisha University; Astiya and Lin; Luo, Tamkang Studies of Foreign Languages and Literatures) (reference only). The examples use the folder's vocabulary. All example sentences are original.

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