Section outline

  • General

    This course is designed for beginners in Mandarin Chinese and offers a complete Chinese course covering half of HSK level 1 (the internationally recognized Chinese Proficiency Test) in its version 3.0 (November 2025 syllabus).

    Follow this course in the order presented in each section.

    To access the complete course (with the dynamic exercises and tests on all 17 units): please enrol on the individual enrolment page for the new level 1 or the Premium plan (the Premium plan gives you access to all the site's eLearning courses and keeps your progress history across levels).
    You will then have access to the interactive activities (exercises and tests) that will help you learn Chinese easily and prepare for the HSK Chinese proficiency test.

  • Unit 1 - Greetings

    Header image for Unit 1 on greetings in Mandarin Chinese

    Objectives:
    • acquire the basics of pronunciation
    • acquire the basics of Chinese writing
    • learn to greet and thank
    • ask whether someone is well

    New characters: 12
    New words : 10

    Grammar:
    • the simple affirmative sentence
    • the simple interrogative sentence
    • the adjectival verb
    • the particle 呢
    Activities: 22

  • Unit 2 - Nice to meet you!

    Header image for Unit 2 on meeting people and introductions

    Objectives:
    • introduce yourself
    • say thank you
    • reply politely to thanks
    • say you are pleased to meet someone

    New characters: 17
    New words : 10

    Grammar:
    • The negative sentence with 不
    • the particle 呢 that echoes a question.
    • placing the family name before the title
    • the structure to say "Nice to meet you..."
    Activities: 21

  • Unit 3 - My name is...

    Header image for Unit 3: My name is...

    Objectives:
    • Introduce yourself and ask someone's name
    • Identify people
    • Address a teacher
    • Express possession

    New characters: 18
    New words : 15
    Grammar:
    • The interrogative pronouns 什么 and 谁
    • The verb 是
    • The determinative particle 的
    • Difference between 学生 and 同学
    Activities: 21

  • Unit 4 - How old are you?

    Header image for Unit 4 on asking someone's age

    Objectives:
    • Count from 0 to 99
    • Ask and give your age
    • Talk about the school system: 小学, 中学, 大学
    • Ask an affirmative-negative question with 是不是

    New characters: 18
    New words : 22
    Grammar:
    • How many with 多 and 几
    • Building numbers up to 99
    • The affirmative-negative question 是不是
    • The adjective before the noun: 中学老师, 大学老师
    Activities: 23

  • Unit 5 - Countries and languages

    Header image for Unit 5 on countries and languages

    Objectives:
    • Ask and give your nationality
    • Talk about languages: 汉语, 中文, 汉字
    • Use plural personal pronouns
    • Express a skill with 会

    New characters: 12 (+3 extra)
    New words : 22
    Grammar:
    • Difference between 哪 and 什么
    • The plural with 们
    • The adverb 都 (all)
    • The auxiliary verb 会 (to know how to)
    Activities: 23

  • Unit 6 - Family

    Header image for Unit 6 on family

    Objectives:
    • Talk about your family
    • State the number of family members
    • Use the classifiers 个 and 口
    • Express possession with 有 and its negation 没有

    New characters: 15
    New words : 17
    Grammar:
    • The classifiers (个, 口)
    • Using the number 两
    • The verb 有 and its negation 没有
    • The conjunction 和
    Activities: 23

  • Unit 7 - My belongings

    Header image for Unit 7 on belongings

    Objectives:
    • Use the demonstrative pronouns 这 and 那
    • Use the classifiers 本 and 件
    • Express possession and identify objects
    • Ask questions with 哪个, 哪些 and the affirmative-negative question

    New characters: 13
    New words : 22
    Grammar:
    • The demonstratives 这, 那 and the locatives 这儿, 那儿
    • The classifier 些 : 一些, 这些, 那些, 有些
    • The classifiers 本 and 件
    • The adverb 还 (also, in addition)
    • 几 for "a few"
    • The affirmative-negative question of two-syllable verbs
    • Use of 有的
    Activities: 23

  • Unit 8 - Introducing yourself

    Header image for Unit 8 on being able to introduce yourself

    Objectives:
    • Introduce yourself in detail
    • Talk about your tastes and pets
    • Describe your family and those around you
    • Express a change of situation with 了

    New characters: 15 (+ 2 extra)
    New words : 19
    Grammar:
    • The pronouns 大家, 它, 它们
    • The classifier 只 and the adverb "only"
    • 一点儿 / 有点儿 : a little
    • The 了 final: change of situation
    • 和 meaning "with"
    Activities: 23

  • Unit 9 - When?

    Header image for Unit 9 - When?

    Objectives:
    • Express the date (year, month, day)
    • Place an action in time and space
    • Express duration
    • Use the simple directional verbs 来 and 去

    New characters: 14
    New words : 17
    Grammar:
    • The date: year, month, day
    • The adverbial of time and place
    • Duration
    • 会 as a marker of the future
    • The simple directional verbs 来 and 去
    Activities: 23

  • Unit 10 - Classes

    Header image for Unit 10 on classes and telling time

    Objectives:
    • Tell the time and express duration
    • Name the days of the week
    • Talk about your school timetable
    • Express necessity with 要

    New characters: 13
    New words : 21
    Grammar:
    • Verb-object phrases (说话, 上课, 下课)
    • The days of the week: 星期
    • The auxiliary verb 要
    • Telling the exact time (点, 分) and duration (小时, 分钟)
    • The 了 verbal (completed aspect)
    Activities: 23

  • Unit 11 - My day

    Header image for Unit 11 - My day

    Objectives:
    • Talk about your daily life (meals, sleep)
    • Express what you want with 想
    • Use the parts of the day
    • Invite someone with 请

    New characters: 13
    New words : 21
    Grammar:
    • 想 auxiliary verb "to want to"
    • The separable verb 睡觉
    • 太…了 : excess and exclamation
    • 不要 negative imperative / 没 negation of the completed aspect
    • The parts of the day (早上, 晚上…)
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    Activities: 0

  • Unit 12 - Communicating

    Header image for Unit 12 - Communicating

    Objectives:
    • Make a phone call and ask for a number
    • Express location with 里
    • Use the locatives 这里, 那里, 哪里
    • Make a suggestion with 吧

    New characters: 12
    New words : 17
    Grammar:
    • The locative 里 (in, inside)
    • 这里 / 那里 / 哪里 vs 这儿 / 那儿 / 哪儿
    • The modal particle 吧 for suggestions
    • The resultative verb 看见
    • The brief complement 一下 and verb reduplication
    • 给 as a preposition "to, for"
    • 多少 vs 几
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    Activities: 0

  • Unit 13 - Locating

    Header image for Unit 13 - Locating

    Objectives:
    • Orient yourself in space: in front, behind, inside, outside
    • Ask for and give a location
    • Ask for permission with 可以
    • Talk about shops: supermarket, bookshop, store

    New characters: 17
    New words : 20
    Grammar:
    • Compound locatives with 边 : 前边, 后边, 外边, 里边
    • The permission auxiliary 可以
    • The adverb 再 "again"
    • The interrogative pronoun 哪儿 "where"
    • The classifier 家 for shops
    • The identification structure 是…的
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    Activities: 0

  • Unit 14 - Shopping

    Header image for Unit 14 - Shopping

    Objectives:
    • Talk about food and your food preferences
    • Express prices and pay
    • Give your opinion with 觉得
    • Express an appraisal: 好吃, 好看, 便宜, 贵

    New characters: 19
    New words : 19
    Grammar:
    • The adverb 真 "really" vs 很
    • Sums of money: 元 / 块 / 分
    • The opinion verb 觉得
    • Appraisal compounds: 好 + verb
    • The exclamation 太好了
    • The 都 in "中国菜都好吃"
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    Activities: 0

  • Unit 15 - Eating

    Header image for Unit 15 - Eating together

    Objectives:
    • Describe a home scene (preparing a meal, watching TV, sleeping…)
    • Express an ongoing action with 正在
    • Talk about work: 公司, 上班, 下班
    • Use the completed-aspect particle 了

    New characters: 14
    New words : 19
    Grammar:
    • 正在 : the ongoing action
    • Verb-object phrases: 上班 / 下班
    • The structure "…的时候"
    • The classifier 块
    • 还 meaning "still/again"
    • The completed-aspect particle 了
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    Activities: 0

  • Unit 16 - Illness

    Header image for Unit 16 - Yueyue is sick!

    Objectives:
    • Talk about health and illness
    • Describe the weather
    • Express ability and possibility with 能
    • Make suggestions and ask for an opinion with 怎么样

    New characters: 17
    New words : 21
    Grammar:
    • 能 : auxiliary of ability / possibility
    • Separable verbs: 看病, 生病
    • 怎么样 : open question
    • 非常 vs 很 vs 真
    • 好多了 : degree complement with 多了
    • 多 before an action verb
    • 有时候…有时候…
    • 叫 "to ask someone to"
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    Activities: 0

  • Unit 17 - Going out for fun

    Header image for Unit 17 - Going out for fun

    Objectives:
    • Discuss travel and leisure plans
    • Compare means of transport and their prices
    • Express a resigned preference with 还是…吧
    • Use large numbers (百, 千) and ordinals (第)

    New characters: 11 (+1 extra)
    New words : 22
    Grammar:
    • The verb-object phrase 唱歌
    • The resultative structure 听见
    • The ordinal prefix 第 and the affectionate prefix 小
    • The numbers 百 and 千
    • 怎么 interrogative of manner
    • The classifier 杯
    • 还是…吧 to express a resigned preference
    • 一半 to express "half"
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    Activities: 0

  • HSK mock test with random questions and a time limit

    Image for the HSK mock tests These HSK mock tests randomly draw on all the level 1 questions, with the time limits set in the real HSK tests:
    - 12 minutes for listening comprehension
    - 20 minutes for reading comprehension)

    There is no writing section at HSK level 1

    Note: in the real HSK test, the recording for each question is played twice and the questions run on without any possibility of pausing. For greater realism, I encourage you to listen to each recording twice.

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    Activities: 0