Level A1

With A1 level Chinese, you're able to:

1. Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
2. Introduce yourself and others and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where you live, people you know and things you have.
3. Interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

A1 vocabulary list (728 words)

Essential A1 articles

1. Comparing two things with 比 (bǐ)
2. Video lesson: 得 (de) for how well, and for can or can't in Mandarin Chinese grammar, part 3 of 3
3. Video lesson: 地 (de) with adverbs in Mandarin Chinese grammar, part 2 of 3
4. Video lesson: 的 (de) for the possessive, and with adjectives in Mandarin Chinese grammar, part 1 of 3
5. Video lesson: 了 for a completed action, and 了 read liǎo (le) in Mandarin Chinese grammar
6. Video lesson: 了 in set patterns, and 了 for a change (le) in Mandarin Chinese grammar
7. Video lesson: Four big rules for Chinese grammar (语法 yǔfǎ)
8. Chinese direction complements: Basic verbal directions with 来 (lái) and 去 (qù)
9. 过 (guò) in Chinese grammar: past experiences, past actions
10. The 是…的 (shì…de) construction in Chinese grammar
11. Key Chinese grammar structure: modifier + de + noun (的)
12. 10 basic Chinese grammar points for beginners
13. Chinese grammar de particles summary: 的, 地 and 得
14. Chinese le grammar summary (了)
15. Chinese grammar rules: 5 general rules for Chinese grammar

Important A1 articles

1. How to use 学 (xué) and 学会 (xuéhuì) in Mandarin Chinese Grammar
2. How to use 一点儿 (yī diǎnr) in Mandarin Chinese Grammar
3. The 是…的 (shì…de) construction vs 了 (le) in Chinese grammar
4. 要 (yào): want, need, should, commands, and the future
5. 吗 (ma) and 呢 (ne): the two Chinese question particles
6. How to use 拿起来 (náqilai) and 拿上来 (náshanglai) correctly in Chinese grammar
7. 的 (de) after adjectives: when to use it, when to drop it
8. Past events in Mandarin Chinese grammar (there's no past tense!)
9. The 一 ... 就 pattern in Chinese grammar (yī ... jiù): as soon as, once, whenever
10. The sentence particles 吧 (ba) and 吗 (ma) in Chinese grammar

Supplementary A1 articles

1. Video lesson: 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr) with two objects in Mandarin Chinese grammar, part 2 of 2
2. Video lesson: Where 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr) goes in a sentence in Mandarin Chinese grammar, part 1 of 2
3. Using 了 (le) and 过 (guò) in Chinese grammar
4. How to use 对 (duì) and 跟 (gēn) as prepositions in Chinese grammar
5. The difference between 想 (xiǎng), 要 (yào) and 想要 (xiǎngyào)
6. How to use 跟 (gēn) and 也 (yě) correctly in Chinese grammar
7. When 给 (gěi) comes directly after verbs in Mandarin Chinese (verb-给 compounds)
8. How to use 帮 (bāng) and 帮忙 (bāngmáng) correctly in Mandarin Chinese
9. The difference between 半 (bàn), 一半 (yí bàn) and 一个半 (yí ge bàn) in Chinese grammar
10. Where to place 一点儿 (yī diǎnr) in a sentence