Using "youde" to mean "some"

When you want to say that some of a group is doing one thing while others are doing another, you can use "有的" (yǒude) to express it.

Structure

All you need to do is put "有的" before the subject of each of the clauses in the sentence. If there is already some context, you can omit the subject, and the "有的" can just mean "some" instead of "some of something".

有的 + (Subject) + Predicate, 有的 + (Subject) + Predicate

Also, you aren't limited to just two "有的"s in the sentence. You can have multiple groups doing different things, and just precede them with a "有的" each time.

Examples

• 我 觉得 有的 中国 人 很 好，有的 中 国 人 不 好。I think some Chinese people are nice, some aren't.
• 这 些 苹果，有的 大，有的 小。These apples, some are big, some are small.
• 中国 的 酒，有的 好喝，有的 不 好喝。Chinese alcohol, some is good, some is not.
• 有 的 同意，有的 不 同意。Some agree, some don't agree.
• 这里 有 很 多 衣服，有的 贵，有的 便宜。This place has a lot of clothes, some are expensive, some are cheap.
• 他 有 很多 朋友，有的 高，有的 矮。He has a lot of friends, some are tall, some are short.
• 有的 人 很 高兴，有的 人 很 生气。Some people are very happy, some are very angry.
• 派对 的时候，有的人 在 喝酒，有的人 在 跳舞，还 有的人 在 聊天。At a party, some people are drinking, some people are dancing, and some people are chatting.
• 你 看 看 你 包 的 水饺 ，有的 大 ，有的 小 ，有的 长 ，有的 圆。Take a look at your dumplings. Some are big, some are small, some are long, and some are round.
• 我 碰到 过 很 多 人，有的很 容易 生气，有的 脾气 很好。I have come across a lot of people. Some get angry easily, and some are good-tempered.

See also

• "Some" using "yixie"

Sources and Further Reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (p. 120) →buy