RealHSK

HSK 3Lesson 1 of 15 · 6 grammar points

Word formation and modal meanings

Affixes, role labels and verb compounds have lexical constraints. Modal words distinguish necessity, advice and willingness. Learn conventional combinations and interpret the modal before deciding whether the sentence makes a request, an obligation or a prediction.

Learning goals (6)
  • Familiar 老 before names.
  • Word-forming suffixes.
  • Directions and regions.
  • Need, obligation and willingness.
  • Separable verb–object words.
  • Verb–result units.

老—

Familiar 老 before names

老 before a surname can signal familiarity or established standing. It does not simply report age.

老王是我们的老师。

Lǎo wáng shì wǒ men de lǎo shī.

Lao Wang is our teacher.

More

Pitfall: Use familiar address according to relationship, not as a default for strangers.

—家、—子、—员

Word-forming suffixes

家 can name an expert, 员 a role-holder, and 子 forms many ordinary nouns. Their combinations are conventional.

她是一位作家。

Tā shì yī wèi zuò jiā.

She is a writer.

More

Pitfall: Do not attach 家 to any activity and assume a standard occupation results.

北边

Directions and regions

东南西北 name compass directions; 方 can form regions. 中间 identifies a middle position.

学校在城市的北边。

Xué xiào zài chéng shì de běi biān.

The school is on the north side of the city.

More

Pitfall: A region such as 北方 is broader than an object's north side.

需要、该、应该、愿意、得

Need, obligation and willingness

需要 expresses need, 该/应该 advisability or expectation, 愿意 willingness, and 得 pronounced děi necessity.

我得先回家。

Wǒ děi xiān huí jiā.

I have to go home first.

More

需要帮助 need help; 应该休息 should rest; 该走了 time to go; 愿意帮忙 willing to help; 得走了 must leave. 需要 can take a noun or an action; modal 得 is pronounced děi, unlike the complement marker de.

Pitfall: Modal 得 is děi; complement-marker 得 is neutral de.

跟他见面

Separable verb–object words

放假、见面、结婚、洗澡 permit particular internal modifications. Introduce another participant through a suitable prepositional phrase.

我明天跟他见面。

Wǒ míng tiān gēn tā jiàn miàn.

I am meeting him tomorrow.

More

放了三天假 have three days off; 跟他见面 meet him; 跟她结婚 marry her; 洗个澡 take a shower. These demonstrate licensed internal modifications, not permission to split words arbitrarily.

Pitfall: Do not use 见面他 for meet him.

分不开

Verb–result units

Some verb-result combinations allow 得/不 between the action and result. Learn actual licensed forms rather than treating every two-character word alike.

这两件事分不开。

Zhè liǎng jiàn shì fēn bù kāi.

These two matters cannot be separated.

More

Keep this source row's original categorization in metadata. Teach validated constructions such as 分得开/分不开 and 离不开, and the lexical result meaning of 完成. Do not teach unattested forms by inserting words into every compound.

Pitfall: Preserve the source category but do not mechanically split every occurrence of 完成 or 离开.

Source details (official syllabus)

  • Familiar 老 before names

    Syllabus item
    老—
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-001
    PDF page
    392 (printed 389)

  • Word-forming suffixes

    Syllabus item
    —家、—子、—员
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-002
    PDF page
    392 (printed 389)

  • Directions and regions

    Syllabus item
    东、南、西、北、北方、东方、南方、西方、中间
    Category
    方位名词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-003
    PDF page
    392 (printed 389)

  • Need, obligation and willingness

    Syllabus item
    需要、该、应该、愿意、得
    Category
    能愿动词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-004
    PDF page
    392 (printed 389)

  • Separable verb–object words

    Syllabus item
    动宾式离合词：放假、见面、结婚、洗澡
    Category
    离合词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-005
    PDF page
    392 (printed 389)

  • Verb–result units

    Syllabus item
    动补式离合词：离开、完成、分开
    Category
    离合词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L3-006
    PDF page
    392 (printed 389)