HSK 1 · 句子成分/句型
The 是 (shì) sentence
是字句
Identify who someone is, what something is, or where someone is from.
Pattern
A + 是 + B
Identify who someone is, what something is, or where someone is from.
How it works
是 connects two nouns or noun phrases: A 是 B. Use it to say who someone is, what something is, or where someone is from.
Negate it with 不: A 不是 B. Ask a yes/no question with 吗 at the end: A 是 B 吗？
Do not use 是 before an adjective. “I am busy” is 我很忙, not 我是很忙. For possession, use 有, not 是.
Examples
Common mistakes
我是很忙。
我很忙。
Adjectives do not take 是. Use an adjective predicate.
我是一本书。
我有一本书。
Use 有 for possession; 是 is for identity.
Sentence lab
Analyze, build, shorten, expand
Practice the same pattern with school, classroom, family and doctor examples. Compare your sentence with a model; there can be more than one natural answer.
Read the sentence, guess the roles, then reveal the labels. Hide the pinyin for a harder reading check.
tā shì wǒ bà ba。
Guess which part is the subject, predicate and object, then reveal the labels.
zhè shì wǒ men de jiào shì。
Guess which part is the subject, predicate and object, then reveal the labels.
In real dialogues
See it in use
Quick practice
Check your understanding
Choose an answer to see the explanation. These questions are a quick check, not a score.
1. Choose the correct sentence.
2. Fill the blank: 她 ___ 我妹妹。
3. Which yes/no question is correct?
4. Choose the negative form of 这是我的书。
5. Which sentence talks about possession?