Kilo Lingo

Mandarin grammar

Every Mandarin grammar topic, in one place

Filter by CEFR level, search by topic, and pick the piece that fits what you are stuck on. The catalog covers the full Mandarin grammar surface from the SVO baseline at A1 to the register-shifting moves at C1.

  1. Beginner (A1-A2)

    Word order in Mandarin

    SVO baseline, the topic-comment overlay, the 把 (bǎ) construction, time-before-place-before-verb adverbials, aspect markers in place of tense.

  2. Beginner (A1-A2)

    Mandarin grammar cheatsheet

    One-page essentials at A1-B1: pronouns, measure words, particles, the aspect markers, common sentence patterns.

  3. Beginner (A1-A2)

    Conjugation? Mandarin doesn't.

    Mandarin verbs don't conjugate. This page covers what does the work instead: aspect markers (了, 过, 在, 着), modal stacking, and time words.

  4. Intermediate (B1-B2)

    Intermediate grammar (B1-B2)

    The 把 construction, the 被 passive, complement structures, 是...的 emphasis, the resultative verb endings.

  5. Advanced (C1-C2)

    Advanced grammar (C1-C2)

    Classical-Chinese-derived register, chengyu deployment, formal written grammar, the structural particles that signal literary tone.