HSK 1 grammar is mostly about word order and a handful of very high-frequency function words. There are no tenses to conjugate and no cases to decline — what you learn instead is where each piece of a sentence goes, and which particle marks what. Get these right and the later levels are additions, not corrections.
54 grammar points, grouped by what they do.
主谓宾
zhǔ wèi bīn
Chinese sentences run subject, then verb, then object — the same order as English, with none of the endings.
Subject + Verb (+ Object)
是
shì
是 links two nouns — A is B. It is not used to attach an adjective to a noun.
A + 是 + B
很
hěn
An adjective is its own predicate in Chinese, usually propped up by 很, which here means far less than "very".
Noun + 很 + Adj.
太⋯⋯了
tài …… le
太…了 is the everyday exclamation — either "so!" in praise or "too" as a complaint.
太 + Adj. + 了
时间词
shí jiān cí
Time expressions go before the verb — either right after the subject, or in front of the whole sentence.
Subj. + Time + Verb… / Time + Subj. + Verb…
以后
yǐ hòu
以后 follows the thing it refers to — Chinese says "ten o'clock after", not "after ten o'clock".
Time / Verb + 以后
以前
yǐ qián
以前 works exactly like 以后, but for what comes before.
Time / Verb + 以前
数字
shù zì
Chinese numbers are built transparently out of the digits and the place words — eleven is literally "ten one".
Number + Unit (十 / 百 / 千 / 万)
年月日
nián yuè rì
Dates run largest unit to smallest: year, then month, then day.
Number + 年 + Number + 月 + Number + 日/号
星期
xīng qī
Days of the week are just numbered: 星期一 is Monday, straight through to 星期六.
星期 + Number (星期天 for Sunday)
点
diǎn
Whole hours are the number plus 点.
Number + 点(钟)
点⋯⋯分
diǎn …… fēn
Minutes follow the hour with 分; halves and quarters have their own words.
Number + 点 + Number + 分
岁
suì
Age needs no verb — the number and 岁 are the predicate.
Subj. + Number + 岁
块 / 毛
kuài / máo
Spoken money uses 块 and 毛; the written forms are 元 and 角.
Number + 块 (+ Number + 毛) (+ 钱)
不
bù
不 is the default "not" — it negates habits, states, opinions and the future.
不 + Verb / Adj.
没有
méi yǒu
有 is the one verb that can never take 不 — it is always 没有.
没 + 有
都
dōu
都 means "all", and it goes before the verb — never before the noun it refers to.
Subj. + 都 + Verb / Adj.
也
yě
也 means "also", and like 都 it sits between the subject and the verb.
Subj. + 也 + Verb / Adj.
在 / 正在
zài / zhèng zài
在 in front of a verb marks an action happening right now.
(正) 在 + Verb
多
duō
多 plus an adjective asks "how" — how tall, how far, how old.
Subj. + 多 + Adj. ?
不太
bú tài
不太 is the polite hedge — literally "not too", used the way English says "not really".
不太 + Adj. / Verb
有
yǒu
有 is "to have" — a full verb, so it needs no other verb around it.
Subj. + 有 + Obj.
有
yǒu
Put a place in front of 有 and it means "there is" rather than "has".
Place + 有 + Obj.
在
zài
在 as a main verb means "to be at" — no other verb required.
Subj. + 在 + Place
在
zài
Where something happens goes before the verb, not after it — the reverse of English.
Subj. + 在 + Place + Verb
去
qù
去 takes a destination directly — no preposition in between.
Subj. + 去 + Place (+ Verb Phrase)
来 / 去
lái / qù
来 is movement towards the speaker, 去 movement away.
来 / 去 + Place
叫
jiào
叫 means "to be called" — it's a verb, so 是 has no place here.
Subj. + 叫 + Name
请
qǐng
请 in front of a verb turns it into a polite request.
请 + Verb
怎么
zěn me
怎么 before a verb asks how an action is done.
怎么 + Verb ?
没有
méi yǒu
没有 negates something that didn't happen — the past-tense "not".
没(有) + Verb
会
huì
会 is "can" in the sense of a skill you acquired by learning.
会 + Verb
会
huì
The same 会 also predicts the future — "will", in the sense of likelihood.
会 + Verb
能
néng
能 is "can" as in circumstances allow — you're free, it's physically possible, you're permitted.
能 + Verb
想
xiǎng
想 before a verb is "would like to" — a wish, softer than 要.
想 + Verb
的
de
的 is the possessive link — owner first, then 的, then what's owned.
Noun 1 + 的 + Noun 2
我妈妈
wǒ mā ma
Drop the 的 for family, close friends, and the organisations you belong to.
Pronoun + Noun
了
le
了 straight after the verb marks the action as completed — which usually, but not always, means past.
Subj. + Verb + 了 + Obj.
了
le
了 at the end of a sentence announces that something has changed — the state is new.
New Situation + 了
不⋯⋯了
bù …… le
Wrap a negative in 不…了 and you get "not anymore" — a change from doing to not doing.
不 / 没(有) + Verb Phrase + 了
呢
ne
呢 bounces a question back — "and you?" — without repeating it.
Noun + 呢 ?
吧
ba
吧 turns an order into a suggestion — "let's" rather than "do this".
Command / Suggestion + 吧
吧
ba
On a statement, 吧 adds a shrug of uncertainty — "I suppose", "right?".
Statement + 吧
啊
a
啊 warms up whatever it's attached to — agreement, surprise, or a friendlier question.
Sentence + 啊
吗
ma
Add 吗 to the end of a statement and it becomes a yes/no question. Nothing else moves.
Statement + 吗 ?
什么 / 谁 / 哪儿
shén me / shéi / nǎr
Chinese question words stay in the slot the answer belongs in — nothing moves to the front.
Question word sits where the answer would
了吗
le ma
了吗 asks whether something has happened yet.
Verb + 了 + 吗 ?
怎么样
zěn me yàng
怎么样 asks for an assessment — how is it, how's it going, what do you think?
Topic + 怎么样 ?