Saying what someone or something is with 是 in Chinese | HSK 1 Lesson

Learn Chinese with an HSK 1 grammar: Saying what someone or something is with 是 (是, Shì). One grammar point, explained simply, with example sentences to listen to and repeat until it feels natural. A woman waits for her mother at a restaurant and mixes up who is who, until the doctor's son turns up. Every line uses 是 to say who or what someone is. ▶️ Watch next: 了 (le) "Saying an action is done with 了" (了)    • HSK 1 Chinese Grammar: 了 (le) "Saying an a...   How to use this lesson: 📖 See how the pattern works on the first card 🎧 Listen to each example sentence with pinyin and English 🎤 Repeat it out loud in the 跟读 · Your turn pause ⚠️ Check the common mistake at the end, then say the practice sentence yourself 💬 用是写一个句子！ Write one sentence with 是 in the comments Level: HSK 1 (HSK 3.0, beginner) · About 9 min · Slow, clear native Mandarin narration 语法 Grammar point: 是 (Shì): Say who or what something is with 是 Structure: A + 是 + B 是 links two nouns, like 'is' or 'am' in English. To say 'is not', put 不 before 是. Ask a yes or no question by adding 吗 at the end. Common mistake: 我是很高兴。 ✗ · 我很高兴。 ✓ (Do not use 是 before an adjective, use 很 instead.) Your turn: She is my mom. · Answer: 她是我妈妈。 (Tā shì wǒ māma.) Chapters 0:00 Scene 1: grammar lesson 0:24 How it works 0:38 Break it down 1:10 Scene 2: grammar lesson 1:41 Scene 3: grammar lesson 2:09 Scene 4: grammar lesson 2:32 Scene 5: grammar lesson 3:02 Scene 6: grammar lesson 3:27 Scene 7: grammar lesson 3:51 Scene 8: grammar lesson 4:18 Scene 9: grammar lesson 4:41 Scene 10: grammar lesson 5:03 Scene 11: grammar lesson 5:26 Scene 12: grammar lesson 5:45 Test yourself at natural pace 8:27 Common mistake 生词 Key words • 男孩儿 (nánháir): boy • 渴 (kě): thirsty • 儿子 (érzi): son • 看病 (kànbìng): see a doctor • 医院 (yīyuàn): hospital • 一半 (yíbàn): half Transcript 1. 这是饭店。 Zhè shì fàndiàn. This is a restaurant. 2. 我是小美。 Wǒ shì Xiǎo Měi. I am Xiao Mei. 3. 现在是晚饭时间。 Xiànzài shì wǎnfàn shíjiān. Now it is dinner time. 4. 我是女儿。 Wǒ shì nǚ'ér. I am the daughter. 5. 妈妈是女人，不是男人。 Māma shì nǚren, bú shì nánrén. Mom is a woman, not a man. 6. 她是我妈妈。 Tā shì wǒ māma. She is my mom. 7. 门口有一个男人。 Ménkǒu yǒu yí gè nánrén. There is a man at the door. 8. 他是王医生。 Tā shì Wáng yīshēng. He is Doctor Wang. 9. 旁边是他儿子。 Pángbiān shì tā érzi. Next to him is his son. 10. 他是男孩儿。 Tā shì nánháir. He is a boy. 11. 他叫小宇。 Tā jiào Xiǎo Yǔ. His name is Xiao Yu. 12. 这是他爸爸。 Zhè shì tā bàba. This is his dad. 13. 你是我的医生吗？ Nǐ shì wǒ de yīshēng ma? Are you my doctor? 14. 对，我是你的医生。 Duì, wǒ shì nǐ de yīshēng. Yes, I am your doctor. 15. 这里是饭店，不是医院。 Zhèlǐ shì fàndiàn, bú shì yīyuàn. This is a restaurant, not a hospital. 16. 昨天我去医院看病。 Zuótiān wǒ qù yīyuàn kànbìng. Yesterday I went to the hospital to see a doctor. 17. 王医生是我的医生。 Wáng yīshēng shì wǒ de yīshēng. Doctor Wang is my doctor. 18. 小宇说：“我很渴。” Xiǎo Yǔ shuō: “Wǒ hěn kě.” Xiao Yu says: I am very thirsty. 19. 这是水。 Zhè shì shuǐ. This is water. 20. 那是他的杯子。 Nà shì tā de bēizi. That is his cup. 21. 这是鸡蛋。 Zhè shì jīdàn. This is an egg. 22. 这一半是给你的。 Zhè yíbàn shì gěi nǐ de. This half is for you. 23. 小宇说：“你是好人。” Xiǎo Yǔ shuō: “Nǐ shì hǎorén.” Xiao Yu says: You are a good person. 24. 门口那个人是王医生！ Ménkǒu nà gerén shì Wáng yīshēng! The person at the door is Doctor Wang! 25. 妈妈说：“请进，请进。” Māma shuō: “Qǐngjìn, qǐngjìn.” Mom says: Please come in, come in. 26. 妈妈是他的老朋友。 Māma shì tā de lǎopéngyou. Mom is his old friend. 27. 原来大家都是朋友。 Yuánlái dàjiā dōu shì péngyou. So everyone is friends after all. 28. 今天的晚饭大家一起吃。 Jīntiān de wǎnfàn dàjiā yìqǐ chī. Today everyone eats dinner together. 29. 这是很好的晚饭。 Zhè shì hěn hǎo de wǎnfàn. This is a very good dinner. 🎧 Listen on the go: Mandarin Shadow Daily, the daily podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6EBzyJ8... More HSK 1 videos are in the HSK 1 playlist. Subscribe for new Chinese stories, quizzes and conversations every week. #LearnChinese #HSK1 #ChineseGrammar #ChineseListening #ChineseForBeginners #Mandarin #Shadowing #ChineseStories #Pinyin #学中文