# Ten More Beginner Mandarin Mini-Stories Ten short stories in Hanzi and pinyin, each with recall, retell and writing practice Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/ten-more-beginner-mandarin-mini-stories ## At a glance - Level: Total beginner · HSK 1 - Format: Workbook · PDF · 34 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Oct 27, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/ten-more-beginner-mandarin-mini-stories. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 我在医院门口！ (Wǒ zài yīyuàn ménkǒu!) — I'm at the hospital entrance! ## By the end you can - Know the core words the ten stories share. Two picture pages preview the people, places, time words, verbs and describing words before Story 1, so each story only adds a few new ones. 九点，火车到了。 (Jiǔ diǎn, huǒchē dào le.): At nine, the train arrived. - Say where someone does something with 在 + place + verb. Story 1, The Wrong Bus, puts the place before the verb, adds 错 for doing something wrongly, and phones someone with 给 + person + 打电话. 林浩在车站等车。 (Lín Hào zài chēzhàn děng chē.): Lin Hao waits for the bus at the bus stop. - Ask a price and how many. Story 3, Ten Yuan Short, uses 多少 for any number, 几 for small numbers, 块 for yuan, and 两 before a measure word. 你要几个？ (Nǐ yào jǐ ge?): How many do you want? - Ask someone to choose with 还是. Story 5, Rain on Picnic Day, asks "A or B?" with 还是, makes a soft suggestion with 吧, and uses 了 for something new happening. 去饭馆，还是在家吃？ (Qù fànguǎn, háishi zài jiā chī?): Go to a restaurant, or eat at home? - Put 也 and 都 before the verb. Story 7, Two Coffees, One Name, shows 都 after the people and before the verb, and 也 in the same spot for "also". 她们都站了起来。 (Tāmen dōu zhàn le qǐlai.): They both stood up. - Say something is about to happen with 快…了. Story 9, The Late Train, frames the verb with 快…了, asks where something is with 呢, and says it's all gone with verb + 完. 火车快开了。 (Huǒchē kuài kāi le.): The train is about to leave. - Say what there is and isn't with 有 and 没有. Story 10, A Gift That's Too Big, uses 有 and 没有 (never 不有), and says something can't get in with verb + 不 + 去. 她没有电视。 (Tā méiyǒu diànshì.): She doesn't have a TV. - Retell each story aloud with one change. Each practice page has a true-or-false check, gap-fills, word tiles, writing the first lines from memory, and a retell where you change one detail. ## What's inside - Reference: Core Words: People, Places, Time · Core Words: Doing and Describing - Story 1: The Wrong Bus · Practice: Practice: The Wrong Bus - Story 2: A Birthday for Mei Lin · Practice: Practice: A Birthday for Mei Lin - Story 3: Ten Yuan Short · Practice: Practice: Ten Yuan Short - Story 4: Whose Phone? · Practice: Practice: Whose Phone? - Story 5: Rain on Picnic Day · Practice: Practice: Rain on Picnic Day - Review: Stories 1–5 Review - Story 6: The Dog Upstairs · Practice: Practice: The Dog Upstairs - Story 7: Two Coffees, One Name · Practice: Practice: Two Coffees, One Name - Story 8: Grandma's Dumplings · Practice: Practice: Grandma's Dumplings - Story 9: The Late Train · Practice: Practice: The Late Train - Story 10: A Gift That's Too Big · Practice: Practice: A Gift That's Too Big - Review: Stories 6–10 Review - Word Cards: Focus Word Cards: Stories 1–5 · Focus Word Cards: Stories 6–10 ## How to use this book Two pages per story: read the story, then practise it. A review after every five stories and word cards at the end. One story a sitting works well. - Before you start: Preview the core words. Read pages 3 and 4 aloud. The ten stories reuse these people, places and time words. - Each story: Read it twice. Read the Hanzi with the pinyin first, then cover the pinyin and read the Hanzi again. Study the four key lines underneath. - Each story: Practise and retell. Do the practice page, write the first two lines from memory, then retell the story aloud with one change. - After Story 5: Review 1–5. Act out the chat on page 15 and match each story to its main event. - After Story 10: Review 6–10 and word cards. Do the review on page 26, then test yourself with the 16 focus word cards on pages 27 and 28. ## Who it's for Total beginners who want short everyday stories to read and retell, including anyone who finished Five Beginner Mandarin Mini-Stories. Before you start: Very little. Every story has full pinyin, the core words are previewed before Story 1, and four key lines per story come with English and the pattern they use. ## Do I need to read Hanzi already? No. Every story is printed in Hanzi with the full pinyin underneath, and the four key lines under each story have English meanings. ## Do I need Five Beginner Mandarin Mini-Stories first? No. Each story stands on its own, and the core words are previewed on pages 3 and 4 before Story 1. ## How long is each story? Five to seven short lines, on one page with a picture and four key lines. Its practice page comes straight after. ## Is this workbook free? Yes. The whole 34-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. ## Can I print copies for my class? Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy. Version 2026-10, updated Oct 27, 2026.