的: my, your, the teacher's
我的书, 老师的名字, 很大的房子, but 我妈妈 without 的.
Part of the free A1 Chinese course (about HSK 1–2). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
的 (de) = 's
的 (de, neutral tone) joins an owner to the thing owned. The owner comes first, like English 's:
| Owner | 的 | Thing | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 (wǒ) | 的 (de) | 书 (shū) | my book |
| 你 (nǐ) | 的 (de) | 手机 (shǒujī) | your phone |
| 老师 (lǎoshī) | 的 (de) | 名字 (míngzi) | the teacher's name |
| 王明 (Wáng Míng) | 的 (de) | 哥哥 (gēge) | Wang Ming's older brother |
So "my, your, his, her, our, their" are simply the pronouns from I, you, he, she: personal pronouns plus 的: 我的, 你的, 他的, 她的, 我们的, 他们的.
- 这是我的手机。(Zhè shì wǒ de shǒujī.)This is my phone.
- 那是老师的书。(Nà shì lǎoshī de shū.)That's the teacher's book.
- 王明的哥哥很高。(Wáng Míng de gēge hěn gāo.)Wang Ming's older brother is tall.
Mine, yours: 的 at the end
Leave out the thing, and 我的 means "mine", 她的 means "hers":
- 这本书是我的。(Zhè běn shū shì wǒ de.)This book is mine.
Family and close groups: no 的
After a pronoun, Chinese usually drops 的 before close family and before groups you belong to:
- 我妈妈 (wǒ māma) = my mum, 我爸爸 (wǒ bàba) = my dad, 我哥哥 (wǒ gēge) = my older brother
- 我朋友 (wǒ péngyou) = my friend
- 我们学校 (wǒmen xuéxiào) = our school, 我家 (wǒ jiā) = my home, my family
- 我妈妈是医生。(Wǒ māma shì yīshēng.)My mum is a doctor.
- 我们学校很大。(Wǒmen xuéxiào hěn dà.)Our school is big.
我的妈妈 is not wrong, just less usual in speech. With objects, keep 的: 我的书, 我的手机.
的 for description
的 also joins a describing phrase to a noun. A phrase with 很 needs it: 很大的房子 (hěn dà de fángzi) = a big house. A single short adjective often goes straight on: 好朋友 (hǎo péngyou) = good friend.
- 他是我的好朋友。(Tā shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou.)He's my good friend.
- 我喜欢很大的房子。(Wǒ xǐhuan hěn dà de fángzi.)I like big houses.
Common mistakes
我书→ 我的书. With objects, keep 的.书的老师for "the teacher's book" → 老师的书. The owner always comes first; 书的老师 means "the book's teacher".很大房子→ 很大的房子. A describing phrase with 很 needs 的.的我妈妈→ 我妈妈 (or 我的妈妈). 的 goes after the owner, never before it.
Practice
- 这是_____书。(Zhè shì ___ shū.)Options: 我的 (wǒ de) · 我 (wǒ) · 的我 (de wǒ)
Show the answer
我的 (wǒ de) — With objects, 'my' is 我的.
- 那是李华_____车。(Nà shì Lǐ Huá ___ chē.)
Show the answer
的 — Owner + 的 + thing.
- Which is the most natural way to say 'my dad'?Options: 我爸爸 (wǒ bàba) · 爸爸我 (bàba wǒ) · 的我爸爸 (de wǒ bàba)
Show the answer
我爸爸 (wǒ bàba) — Close family usually drops 的 after a pronoun.
- 这个手机是_____。(Zhè gè shǒujī shì ___.)
Show the answer
她的 — 她的 on its own = hers.