Learn Hardcore Chinese: Wǒ xǐhuan zìjǐ xiān fùxí yǔfǎ, zài xiě Hànzì hé shēngcí. - I like to first review the grammar by myself, then write characters and new words.

So 自己 emphasizes that you are the one doing it, not someone else, and also suggests doing it independently (not with a teacher, not with classmates).

Could we say 我自己喜欢先复习语法 instead of 我喜欢自己先复习语法? What’s the difference?

Both are grammatical, but the emphasis is slightly different:

我自己喜欢先复习语法
– Emphasizes the subject “I myself”.
– Implies contrast with other people: As for me (myself), I like to review grammar first (maybe others don’t).
我喜欢自己先复习语法
– Emphasizes how you do the action: that you like to review by yourself.
– Focus is on doing it independently, not on contrasting “me” vs others.

In your sentence, the second one is more natural because the point is the way you study, not who you are contrasting with.

I thought 再 (zài) means “again”. Why does it mean “then” here?

再 has at least two common uses:

“again” (repetition in the future)
- 再说一次。 – Say it again.
“then / and then” in a sequence, especially in the pattern 先…再…
- 先复习语法，再写汉字。 – First review grammar, then write characters.

In your sentence, 再 is part of the pattern 先…再…, so it means “then / and then”, not “again”.

How does the 先…再… pattern work? Where do 先 and 再 go in the sentence?

先…再… expresses a sequence of actions: “first… then…”.

Basic pattern:

Subject + 先 + Verb 1 + [object]，再 + Verb 2 + [object]

In your sentence:

我 (subject)
先复习语法 – first review grammar
再写汉字和生词 – then write characters and vocabulary

You usually cannot move 先 or 再 after the verb.
❌ 我复习先语法 – incorrect
✅ 我先复习语法 – correct

What is the difference between 复习 (fùxí), 练习 (liànxí), and 预习 (yùxí)?

They all relate to studying, but:

复习 – review (study again what you already learned)
- 复习语法, 复习生词, 复习课文
练习 – practice (doing exercises, using what you learned)
- 练习说中文, 练习写汉字
预习 – preview (study something before class)
- 预习新课文, 预习明天的生词

So 先复习语法 = review grammar you already learned.

Why is there no word like “to” before the verbs? In English we say “I like to review…”.

In Chinese, you don’t need a separate word like “to” before a verb in this structure.

The pattern is simply:

Subject + 喜欢 + Verb / Verb Phrase

Examples:

我喜欢看书。 – I like to read books.
他喜欢吃中国菜。 – He likes to eat Chinese food.
我喜欢先复习语法，再写汉字。 – I like to first review grammar, then write characters.

No extra particle like “to” is required.

What is the difference between 喜欢 (xǐhuan) and 爱 (ài) here? Could I say 我爱自己先复习语法?

In modern everyday Chinese:

喜欢 is used for:
- Liking activities: 喜欢看电影, 喜欢学汉语
- Liking things/people: 喜欢这本书, 喜欢他
爱 is stronger:
- To love somebody: 我爱你
- To be very fond of / passionate about something: 他爱喝酒, 她爱打电脑游戏

For normal study habits, native speakers almost always use 喜欢, not 爱.

我爱自己先复习语法 is grammatically possible but sounds too dramatic or odd for a simple study preference. Use 我喜欢自己先复习语法.

Why is there no subject before 再写汉字和生词? Shouldn’t it be 我再写汉字和生词?

In Chinese, once the subject is clear, you don’t have to repeat it in the same sentence or closely connected clauses.

Full form: 我喜欢自己先复习语法，再写汉字和生词。
After 我, it’s clear that I also do the second action.

So 我再写… is understood and doesn’t need to be repeated.
Repeating 我 would not be wrong, but it is usually omitted in this kind of pattern.

Why do we use 和 (hé) between 汉字 and 生词? Could we use 跟 (gēn) instead?

Here, 和 is simply “and” connecting two nouns:

写汉字和生词 – write characters and vocabulary items.

In most written or neutral Mandarin, 和 is the default “and” between nouns.
跟 can sometimes also mean “and”, especially in speech, but more often means “with”:

我和他 – he and I / I with him
我跟他一起去 – I go with him.

In your sentence, 和 is the most natural choice.
写汉字跟生词 is possible in casual speech, but 和 is safer and more standard.

What is the difference between 汉字 (Hànzì), 汉语 (Hànyǔ), and 中文 (Zhōngwén)?

汉字 – Chinese characters (the writing system itself)
- 写汉字 – write characters
- 认汉字 – recognize characters
汉语 – Chinese (spoken) language, especially Mandarin as a language
- 学汉语 – learn Chinese
- 汉语老师 – Chinese teacher
中文 – Chinese language in general, both written and spoken, and often used for “Chinese” as a school subject
- 学中文 – study Chinese
- 中文课 – Chinese class

In your sentence, 写汉字 emphasizes writing characters, which is why 汉字 is used.

Can you really “write vocabulary” in Chinese? 写生词 sounds strange literally.

Literally, 生词 means “new word(s)” (new to the learner).
写生词 is understood as:

“write the new words (down)”, often as a way to memorize them or do homework.

Common collocations:

记生词 – memorize new words
抄生词 – copy new words
写生词 – write out the new words (e.g. several times each)

So although in English we wouldn’t usually say “write vocabulary”, in Chinese 写生词 is natural.

Where do adverbs like 先 go in a Chinese sentence? Could we say 我复习先语法?

Adverbs such as 先, 再, 常常, 也, 都 usually go after the subject and before the main verb.

Correct position:

我先复习语法。 – I first review grammar.
他常常复习语法。 – He often reviews grammar.

Wrong:

❌ 我复习先语法
❌ 我复习语法先

So the standard pattern is:

Subject + Adverb + Verb + Object

In your sentence: 我 + 先 + 复习 + 语法.

Why isn’t there any particle like 了 in this sentence? How do we know if it’s habitual or a one-time action?

Chinese often omits aspect particles (like 了) when talking about general habits or preferences.

我喜欢自己先复习语法，再写汉字和生词。
– By default, this describes what you usually like to do; it’s a habit.

If you wanted to talk about a specific occasion, you might use different structures, but even then, 喜欢 itself is usually about preference, not a single event.

So the absence of 了 plus the verb 喜欢 tells us the meaning is general / habitual.