Free A2 Chinese course: pre-intermediate

A2 is where Chinese grammar gets its character: 过 and 着, 了 for change, 是…的, comparisons with 比, 把, and the complements that say how an action turned out.

20 grammar lessons, 3 graded stories, 5 videos, flashcards and an AI conversation partner, all free. A2 is roughly HSK 3; the two scales measure different things, so treat it as a guide.

What you'll be able to do

• Listening: I can understand the main point of short, clear announcements and conversations about everyday things (about HSK 3).
• Reading: I can read short messages, notices and simple stories in characters, without pinyin for words I know.
• Speaking: I can describe my day, my plans and what I did, using 了, 过 and time words to show when things happen.
• Speaking: I can get by in shops, restaurants, stations and taxis, and ask people to repeat or speak more slowly.
• Writing: I can write a short WeChat message or note in characters to make plans, thank someone or apologise.

What you'll learn

Learning A2 Chinese with AI

At A2 the AI partner asks about your last trip or your weekend, so you practise 了, 过 and the complements in real answers. Pinyin appears only for words you may not know. The AI also explains any wrong answer in a lesson, in plain English. It's included free, with a daily allowance; like any AI it can make mistakes, so the lessons remain the reference. More about learning Chinese with AI.

All 20 A2 grammar lessons

Free to read here. In the app, each one is taught in short steps with audio, practised, and brought back for review.

1. 过: have you ever…?
2. 在 and 着: doing it now, and staying that way
3. 了 at the end: something has changed
4. 要…了, 快要…了: about to happen
5. 是…的: when, where and how it happened
6. 比: bigger, smaller, the same
7. Result complements: 看完, 听懂, 找到
8. Direction complements: 进来, 出去, 回来
9. Can or can't manage it: 听得懂, 看不见
10. 得: how well, how fast
11. 的, 地 and 得: three ways to write de
12. 把: doing something to a definite thing
13. How long: 学了两年, 等了半个小时
14. How many times: 次, 遍, 下
15. First, then, as soon as: 先…再, 一…就, 以后, 的时候
16. Because, although, if: 因为…所以, 虽然…但是, 如果…就
17. More ways to ask: 去不去, 是不是, 还是, 好吗, 吧
18. Doubling words: 看看, 试一试, 高高兴兴
19. Little adverbs: 都, 也, 还, 再, 又, 才, 就, 已经, 一直
20. More measure words: 件, 条, 双, 辆, 位, 把, 块, 张, 种, 些

Words for A2

HSK 3 vocabulary list, with pinyin and examples (A2): 378 words with pinyin, English and an example sentence.

Reading at A2

• 坐高铁去上海: David, an English student in Beijing, takes the high-speed train to Shanghai for the first time.
• 奶奶的村子: A family drives from Shanghai to Grandma's village in Anhui for Spring Festival: chickens, stars and dumplings.
• 照片上的两个女孩: Lin Xiaoyu looks inside the stranger's suitcase: a diary from 1985, a photo of two girls and a phone number.

Listening at A2

• Mid-Autumn Festival legend (Lazy Chinese): Why Chinese people eat mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival, in the teacher's own version of the legend. Hou Yi shoots down nine of the ten suns. Chang'e swallows the elixir so the villain Peng Meng can't take it, and floats up to the moon. Hou Yi then makes mooncakes so he can see her there.
• Food (Lazy Chinese): A student loves sweet winter-melon tea, so he buys a huge winter melon. He cuts it open, finds it isn't sweet and learns it shouldn't be eaten raw. The teacher then explains how Chinese people eat it: as soup, as candy and as tea.
• Shopping (Storytime in Chinese): Xiaoyu's mum sends her to the supermarket alone for soy sauce and eggs. A young woman helps her reach the soy sauce, a shop assistant shows her where the eggs are, and she comes home with chocolate as a surprise for her mum.
• A short story: saying no (Pony_Chinese_Podcast): A short story. Xiao Lin's roommate keeps asking him to bring back pearl milk tea and never pays him back, until Xiao Lin finally says no and feels much better for it.
• Daily routine (Chinese Daily Podcast): Podcast hosts Li Ming and Wang Yu compare an ordinary day. She oversleeps and grabs a bun on the way to work; he gets up at 6:30 to exercise. They compare driving with the crowded subway, then talk about takeaway lunches with colleagues, evenings with TV or books, and bedtimes.

Questions