Word order in Mandarin

MFL, Mandarin grammar. Usually met in years 7 to 11.

Put Mandarin words in the right order, with time and place before the verb.

What you practise

Subject, time, place, then the verb
How you travel before where you go
Joining ideas with 因为 and 所以

Starts with short sentences and builds to ones with time, place and more than one action. Practice moves up a level when a round goes well and down when it does not.

Sample questions

Each sample comes with the method and the reason every wrong option is wrong. Real practice rounds are ten questions at your level.

Sample question, level 2 of 5

Which is right for ‘What do you want to eat?’

你想什么吃？
你想吃什么？
什么你想吃？
想你吃什么？
你什么想吃？

Show the answer and method

Answer: B, 你想吃什么？

The method: The question word takes the place of the answer: 我想吃面条, so 你想吃什么？

Why the other options are wrong:

A, 你想什么吃？: 什么 comes after 吃.
C, 什么你想吃？: 什么 stays where the answer would go, after the verb.
D, 想你吃什么？: The subject comes first.
E, 你什么想吃？: 想 and 吃 come before 什么.

Sample question, level 4 of 5

Which is right for ‘Last year I went to Beijing by plane’?

我去年坐去北京飞机
去年我去北京飞机坐
我坐飞机去北京去年
我去年去北京坐飞机
我去年坐飞机去北京

Show the answer and method

Answer: E, 我去年坐飞机去北京

The method: Who, when, how, then the action: 我去年坐飞机去北京.

Why the other options are wrong:

A, 我去年坐去北京飞机: 坐 and 飞机 stay together.
B, 去年我去北京飞机坐: Words are in the wrong order.
C, 我坐飞机去北京去年: Time comes before the verb.
D, 我去年去北京坐飞机: How you travel comes before the verb 去.

See where this fits: every language topic and Key Stage 3.