HSK 3 is the level where Chinese stops feeling like a word-order puzzle and starts feeling like a language with its own logic. 把 and 被 restructure the sentence, potential complements say whether an action can be completed at all, and a set of paired conjunctions lets you build arguments instead of statements.
78 grammar points, grouped by what they do.
以前，⋯⋯
yǐ qián,……
以前 at the front of a sentence means "in the past", with no specific point attached.
以前，+ Clause
以后，⋯⋯
yǐ hòu,……
以后 at the front means "from now on" or "in future".
以后，+ Clause
刚才
gāng cái
刚才 is a time word meaning "a moment ago" — it points at a stretch of time just past.
刚才 + Verb Phrase
后来
hòu lái
后来 means "later on" — and only ever about the past.
⋯⋯，后来 + Clause
时
shí
时 is the compact written form of 的时候.
Verb / Time + 时
三四个
sān sì gè
Two consecutive numbers side by side give an approximate range.
Number 1 + Number 2 + Measure Word
万 / 亿
wàn / yì
Chinese groups large numbers in ten-thousands, not thousands — which is why big figures are genuinely hard to convert on the fly.
Number + 万 / 亿
极了
jí le
极了 after an adjective is the strongest everyday intensifier — "extremely".
Adj. + 极了
慢慢
màn màn
Doubling an adjective makes it vivid and a little softer — and turns it into an adverb.
Adj. + Adj. (+ 地 + Verb)
地
dì
地 is the -ly of Chinese: it turns a description of a thing into a description of an action.
Adj. + 地 + Verb
那么 / 这么
nà me / zhè me
这么 and 那么 mean "this" and "that" much — a degree pointed at rather than stated.
那么 / 这么 + Adj.
比较
bǐ jiào
比较 means "comparatively" — and in practice it's a hedge, like English "fairly".
Subj. + 比较 + Adj.
多
duō
多 in an exclamation means "how…!" — the same word that asks about degree.
多 + Adj. (+ 啊)
又⋯⋯又⋯⋯
yòu …… yòu ……
又…又… stacks two qualities that hold at once.
又 + Adj. 1 + 又 + Adj. 2
又⋯⋯了
yòu …… le
又 is "again" for repetitions that have already happened.
又 + Verb + 了
一直
yì zhí
一直 means continuously, without a break — over time or in a straight line.
Subj. + 一直 + Predicate
总是
zǒng shì
总是 means "always" in the sense of every single time.
Subj. + 总是 + Verb
老(是)
lǎo ( shì )
老是 also means "always", but only ever as a grumble.
Subj. + 老(是) + Verb
终于
zhōng yú
终于 marks the relieved arrival of something long awaited.
Subj. + 终于 + Predicate + 了
才
cái
才 after a time word says it happened later than expected — and never takes 了.
Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb
才
cái
才 before a quantity means "only" — and implies it's disappointingly few.
才 + Number + Measure Word + Noun
只
zhī
只 is the neutral "only", and like every adverb it goes before the verb.
只 + Verb
几乎
jī hū
几乎 means "almost" — very close to the full amount, or to something happening.
Subj. + 几乎 + Verb / Adj.
⋯⋯没⋯⋯了
…… méi …… le
To say how long something hasn't happened, the duration goes before the negated verb.
Subj. + Duration + 没 + Verb + 了
先⋯⋯再⋯⋯
xiān …… zài ……
先…再… puts two actions in order: first this, then that.
先 + Verb 1，再 + Verb 2
一边⋯⋯一边⋯⋯
yì biān …… yì biān ……
一边…一边… is doing two things at the same time.
一边 + Verb 1，一边 + Verb 2
看起来
kàn qǐ lái
看起来 means "looks like" — a judgement from appearances.
Subj. + 看起来 + Adj. / Clause
让 / 叫 / 使
ràng / jiào / shǐ
让 and its relatives make someone else do something — the person comes between the two verbs.
Subj. + 让 / 叫 / 请 / 使 + Person + Predicate
经过
jīng guò
经过 means "after going through" — a process that led to a result.
经过 + Event / Time，⋯⋯
难 + 动词
nán + dòng cí
难 in front of a verb means the action is hard or unpleasant to do.
难 + Verb
了 + 时段
le + shí duàn
How long an action lasted goes after the verb, following 了.
Verb + 了 + Duration
了⋯⋯了
le …… le
A second 了 at the end says the action is still going on.
Verb + 了 + Duration + 了
没办法
méi bàn fǎ
没办法 means there's no way to do it — the situation, not the person, is at fault.
没办法 + Verb
很 + 动词
hěn + dòng cí
A few verbs of feeling take 很 the way adjectives do.
很 + Verb
关于
guān yú
关于 introduces a topic, and the phrase normally opens the sentence.
关于 + Topic，⋯⋯
向
xiàng
向 aims an action at a direction or, more often, at a person.
向 + Direction / Person + Verb
直到⋯⋯才⋯⋯
zhí dào …… cái ……
直到…才… means nothing happened until that point.
直到 + Time / Event，Subj. + 才 + Verb
还是
hái shì
还是 is "or" in a question — it asks the listener to pick.
A + 还是 + B ?
或者
huò zhě
或者 is "or" outside of questions — offering options rather than demanding a choice.
A + 或者 + B
跟
gēn
跟 marks who you do something with, and the phrase goes before the verb.
Subj. + 跟 + Person + Verb
那么 / 那
nà me / nà
那么 at the start of a clause draws a conclusion — "in that case".
那么 / 那 + Clause
来 / 去
lái / qù
来 and 去 tack onto a verb to say whether the movement is towards the speaker or away.
Verb (+ Direction) + 来 / 去
得 / 不 + 补语
dé / bù + bǔ yǔ
Slipping 得 or 不 into a complement says whether the action can be completed at all.
Verb + 得 / 不 + Complement
下去
xià qù
下去 means carrying on with something already under way.
Verb + 下去
跟⋯⋯一样
gēn …… yí yàng
跟…一样 says two things are the same — optionally, the same in some respect.
Noun 1 + 跟 / 和 + Noun 2 + 一样 (+ Adj.)
没(有)
méi ( yǒu )
没有 is how you say "not as… as" — the standard negative comparison.
Noun 1 + 没(有) + Noun 2 + Adj.
有
yǒu
有 asks whether one thing reaches the same degree as another.
Noun 1 + 有 + Noun 2 + Adj. + 吗？
跟⋯⋯比
gēn …… bǐ
跟…比起来 frames a whole comparison up front, then comments.
跟 + Noun 1 + 比(起来)，Noun 2 ⋯⋯
比⋯⋯更 / 还
bǐ …… gèng / hái
更 and 还 are the only intensifiers a 比 sentence allows, and they go before the adjective.
Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + 更 / 还 + Adj.
如果⋯⋯就⋯⋯
rú guǒ …… jiù ……
如果…就… is the basic conditional, and the 就 is what makes it feel complete.
如果 + Condition，(Subj.) + 就 + Result
如果⋯⋯的话
rú guǒ …… de huà
的话 closes the if-clause and makes the condition sound more tentative.
如果 + Condition + 的话，(就) ⋯⋯
只要⋯⋯就⋯⋯
zhǐ yào …… jiù ……
只要…就… gives a sufficient condition — that's all it takes.
只要 + Condition，就 + Result
只有⋯⋯才⋯⋯
zhǐ yǒu …… cái ……
只有…才… gives a necessary condition — it won't happen any other way.
只有 + Condition，才 + Result
才
cái
才 in the second clause means the result came only after the first thing happened.
Condition / Event，才 + Result
把
bǎ
把 moves the object in front of the verb, to talk about what was done to it — and the verb must say what happened to it.
Subj. + 把 + Obj. + Verb + Extra
被
bèi
被 is the passive — and in Chinese it usually carries the sense that what happened was unwelcome.
Subj. + 被 + (Doer) + Verb + Extra
越来越
yuè lái yuè
越来越 describes a quality increasing over time.
Subj. + 越来越 + Adj. + 了
越⋯⋯越⋯⋯
yuè …… yuè ……
越…越… links two things that rise together.
Subj. + 越 + Verb + 越 + Adj. / Verb
一⋯⋯也 / 都不
yī …… yě / dōu bù
一 plus a measure word plus 也/都 plus a negative is the emphatic "not a single one".
一 + Measure Word (+ Noun) + 也 / 都 + 不 / 没 + Verb
谁都
shéi dōu
Any question word followed by 都 stops asking and starts meaning "every".
Question Word + 都 / 也 + Predicate
在哪儿 / 什么
zài nǎr / shén me
A question word without a question means "some" — somewhere, something, someone.
Question Word used indefinitely
想⋯⋯就⋯⋯
xiǎng …… jiù ……
Repeating a question word around 就 means "whatever/wherever you like".
想 + Question Word + 就 + same Question Word
存现句
cún xiàn jù
Place, verb with 着, then the thing — a way of saying what's there and how it sits.
Place + Verb + 着 + Noun Phrase
为了
wèi le
为了 states what something is done for, and the purpose comes first.
为了 + Purpose，Subj. + Verb
除了⋯⋯以外
chú le …… yǐ wài
除了 means both "except" and "besides" — the adverb in the second clause tells you which.
除了 + X (+ 以外)，Subj. + 都 / 也 / 还 ⋯⋯
不但⋯⋯而且⋯⋯
bú dàn …… ér qiě ……
不但…而且… adds a second, stronger point to the first.
不但 + Clause 1，而且 + Clause 2
才 vs 就
cái vs jiù
才 says it took longer or more effort than expected; 就 says it took less.
才 = later / harder than expected · 就 = sooner / easier
再 vs 又
zài vs yòu
再 is for a repetition still to come; 又 for one that already happened.
再 = again, not yet · 又 = again, already
刚 vs 刚才
gāng vs gāng cái
刚 is an adverb glued to the verb; 刚才 is a time word that can move around.
刚 = adverb, before the verb · 刚才 = time word, movable
有点 vs 一点
yǒu diǎn vs yì diǎn
有点 comes before the adjective and complains; 一点 comes after it and asks for a change.
有点 + Adj. (complaint) · Adj. + 一点 (request)
还是 vs 或者
hái shì vs huò zhě
Both mean "or": 还是 belongs in questions, 或者 in statements.
还是 in questions · 或者 in statements
以后 vs 然后 vs 后来
yǐ hòu vs rán hòu vs hòu lái
Three words for "after", split by what they attach to and which way they look in time.
以后 = after / in future · 然后 = and then · 后来 = later (past only)