Difference between revisions of "Expressing possession with "de""
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
* 他们 <em>的</em> 东西 <span class="trans">their stuff</span> | * 他们 <em>的</em> 东西 <span class="trans">their stuff</span> | ||
* 小李 <em>的</em> 手机 <span class="trans">Xiao Li's cell phone</span> | * 小李 <em>的</em> 手机 <span class="trans">Xiao Li's cell phone</span> | ||
| − | * 我们 <em>的</em> 茶<span class="trans"> | + | * 我们 <em>的</em> 茶<span class="trans">our tea</span> |
| − | * | + | * 我 家 <em>的</em> 小狗<span class="trans">my family's dog</span> |
| − | * 公司 <em>的</em> | + | * 公司 <em>的</em> 老板<span class="trans">the company's boss</span> |
| − | * | + | * 上海 <em>的</em> 美女<span class="trans">Shanghai's beautiful women</span> |
| − | * 美女 | + | * 美女 <em>的</em> 朋友<span class="trans">the beautiful woman's friend</span> |
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 10:03, 16 September 2013
-
Level
-
Similar to
-
Used for
-
Keywords
In Chinese, possession is marked with the particle 的 (de). This particle works in a similar way to 's (apostrophe s) in English, but is used much more widely.
Structure
Noun 1 + 的 + Noun 2
This means "Noun 1's Noun 2" (where Noun 2 belongs to Noun 1).
The structure is super simple. It will take a bit of time before you realize how truly universal this pattern is. It doesn't matter whether the "Noun 1" is a person, place, or thing, or even if it's a pronoun (like "he," "she," or "it"). The structure stays consistent.
Examples
- 我 的 啤酒 my beer
- 你 的 葡萄酒 your wine
- 他 的 书 his book
- 他们 的 东西 their stuff
- 小李 的 手机 Xiao Li's cell phone
- 我们 的 茶our tea
- 我 家 的 小狗my family's dog
- 公司 的 老板the company's boss
- 上海 的 美女Shanghai's beautiful women
- 美女 的 朋友the beautiful woman's friend
See also
Sources and further reading
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 45) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 87) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 101-2) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 64-5) →buy
