Difference between revisions of "Expressing possession with "de""

m (Text replace - "{{Grammar Box}} " to "{{Grammar Box}} ")
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* 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">our tea</span>
 
* 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>
+
* 我 家 <em>的</em> 小狗<span class="trans">my family's puppy</span>
 
* 公司 <em>的</em> 老板<span class="trans">the company's boss</span>
 
* 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>
 
* 上海 <em>的</em> 美女<span class="trans">Shanghai's beautiful women</span>

Revision as of 07:33, 6 December 2013

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

  • 啤酒 my beer
  • 葡萄酒 your wine
  • his book
  • 他们 东西 their stuff
  • 小李 手机 Xiao Li's cell phone
  • 我们 our tea
  • 我 家 小狗my family's puppy
  • 公司 老板the company's boss
  • 上海 美女Shanghai's beautiful women
  • 美女 朋友the beautiful woman's friend

See also

Sources and further reading