Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 的 | de | (possessive particle) |
| 这 | zhè | this |
| 那 | nà | that |
| 谁 | shuí (official) / shéi (spoken language) | who |
| 书 | shū | book |
| 老师 | lǎo shī | teacher |
| 学生 | xué shēng | student |
| 朋友 | péng yǒu | friend |
Grammar Point: Possession with 的
The character 的 (de) is used to show possession, like ‘s in English.
Structure:
[Owner] + 的 + [thing] → “[Owner]’s [thing]”
Examples:
- 我的书 (wǒ de shū) → my book
- 她的朋友 (tā de péng yǒu) → her friend
- 老师的学生 (lǎo shī de xué shēng) → the teacher’s student
Note: sometimes, 的 is often omitted:
- 我妈妈 (wǒ māma) = my mom
Demonstratives: 这 (zhè) and 那 (nà)
Use 这 (zhè) to say “this” and 那 (nà) to say “that”.
Structure:
这 / 那 + 是 + noun → “This/That is [noun]”
Examples:
- 这是书。 (Zhè shì shū) → This is a book.
- 那是我的老师。 (Nà shì wǒ de lǎo shī) → That is my teacher.
- 这是她的朋友。 (Zhè shì tā de péng yǒu) → This is her friend.
Asking “Who is that?” with 谁 (shuí/shéi)
Use 谁 (shuí/shéi) to ask who someone is.
Example Patterns:
- 他是谁？ (Tā shì shuí/shéi?) → Who is he?
- 那是谁？ (Nà shì shuí/shéi?) → Who is that?
Notes
- 的 (de) is the most important way to show possession. You’ll use it frequently.
- 这 / 那 are used not just with people, but also with objects: 这是一个苹果 (zhè shì yí gè píng guǒ) → “This is an apple.”
- In questions like 谁是老师？ (Shuí/Shéi shì lǎo shī?) → “Who is the teacher?” the word order is the same as a statement.
- 的 can be used in chains:
- 我的朋友的老师 (wǒ de péng yǒu de lǎo shī) → my friend’s teacher