These thirteen words split into two halves of learning Chinese: understanding what you hear in class (听 · 懂 · 告诉), and mastering the characters by hand (汉字 · 书法 · 写 · 练). A handful of function words — 第, 哪里, 就是, 困难 — tie the sentences together.这十三个词分成学中文的两半：听懂课上的话（听 · 懂 · 告诉），和把字写好（汉字 · 书法 · 写 · 练）。再加几个功能词——第、哪里、就是、困难——把句子连起来。
The one real grammar point hides in 听得懂 / 听不懂 — the potential complement, below.真正的语法点藏在「听得懂 / 听不懂」里——「可能补语」，见下。
The whole set on one screen — pinyin and English stay on here, for glancing during class. The sections below turn them off so you can practise listening.全部词汇一屏看完——这里拼音和英文一直开着，方便课上速查。下面各节会关掉，好让你练听力。
| 字 / 词 | Pīnyīn | Meaning意思 | 中文 |
|---|
听得懂 = able to · 听不懂 = unable. Slot 得/不 between verb and result.看得懂 · 做得完 · 买不到
听不懂 = can't understand (no ability). 没听懂 = didn't catch it this time.
Makes an ordinal: 三 = three → 第三 = the third. Count vs. rank.第一 · 第五节课
Always takes a listener: 告诉我／你／老师. Unlike 说, which needs no object.告诉 + 某人 + 某事
= where? · Doubled as a modest reply: 「哪里哪里」= "you flatter me."在哪里？ · —你写得真好！—哪里哪里。
= exactly, that's it. Alone: 「就是！」= "right?!" 就是说 = in other words.
What happens in class: you listen, you understand (or not), you ask the teacher to tell you again.课上的事：你听，你懂（或不懂），你请老师再告诉你一遍。
To say whether an action can reach its result, Chinese slips 得 (able) or 不 (unable) between the verb and the result: 听 + 得/不 + 懂.要说一个动作「能不能达到结果」，汉语在动词和结果之间插入「得」（能）或「不」（不能）：听 + 得/不 + 懂。
The other half of the work is done by hand: the characters themselves, the art of writing them, and the daily practice that makes them stick.另一半的功夫在手上：汉字本身、写字的艺术，和让字「长在手里」的日日练习。
Small words that carry a lot: ordering things (第), asking where (哪里), agreeing emphatically (就是), and naming a difficulty (困难).分量很重的小词：排次序（第）、问地点（哪里）、强调赞同（就是）、说出难处（困难）。
今天是我的第五节中文课。老师说话的时候，我很认真地听。她说得慢的时候，我听得懂；说得快了，我就听不懂了。
有一个词我不懂，就举手请老师告诉我。「这个字在哪里能查到？」老师笑着说：「就是你手边那本书。」
下课以后，我留下来练汉字。老师在学书法，用毛笔写了一个「学」字给我看，真好看。写好汉字有一点困难，可是只要天天练，就一定写得好。