Expressing close possession without "de"

Normally possession is expressed with the particle 的. However, in some cases you can omit 的. This happens when the possession is about:

• A close personal relationship (family and close friends)
• An institutional or organizational relationship

In these cases 的 should be omitted (that is, it's not just optional - it'll sound odd if you put it in).

Some examples:

• 我 妈妈。
• 我 女朋友。
• 我们 学校。
• 他 爸爸。

If 的 was used in the above examples, it would create a sense of distance between the two, and imply that the relationship is not particularly close.

See also

• Expressing possession
• Modifying nouns with adjective + de
• Modifying nouns with phrase + de

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 76) →buy