Expressing close possession without "de"

Sometimes you don't need 的 (de) to indicate possession.

Structure

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 doesn't sound as natural if you put it in).

Examples

• 我 妈妈 每天 都 做饭。My mom cooks everyday.
• 这 是 我 女朋友 This is my girlfriend
• 我们 学校 很 大。Our school is big.
• 这 是 我 家。TRANSLATION
• 我们 公司 在 陆家嘴。TRANSLATION
• 他 爸爸 是 我们 公司 的 经理。TRANSLATION
• 你 桌子 上 的 东西 真乱。TRANSLATION
• 我 包 里 还有 一 块 巧克力。TRANSLATION
• 他们 团队 很 有名。TRANSLATION
• 我 女儿 会 走 了。TRANSLATION

If 的 was used in the above examples, it would create a sense of distance between the two, and possibly even 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