Difference between revisions of "Measure word "ge""

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* 一 <em>个</em> <span class="pinyin">Yī <em>gè</em> qiú</span><span class="trans">one ball</span>
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* 一 <em>个</em> 老板 <span class="pinyin">Yī <em>gè</em> </span><span class="trans">one lǎobǎn</span>
* 两 <em>个</em> 人  <span class="expl">(If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二,see our article on [["Er" and "liang"]])</span><span class="pinyin">Liǎng <em>gè</em> rén</span><span class="trans">two people</span>
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* 两 <em>个</em> 老婆 <span class="expl">(If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二,see our article on [["Er" and "liang"]])</span><span class="pinyin">Liǎng <em>gè</em> lǎopó </span><span class="trans">two wives</span>
* 三 <em>个</em> 苹果 <span class="pinyin">Sān <em>gè</em> píngguǒ</span><span class="trans">three apples</span>
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* 三 <em>个</em> 苹果 手机 <span class="pinyin">Sān <em>gè</em> Píngguǒ shǒujī</span><span class="trans">three iPhones</span>
* 四 <em>个</em> 三明治 <span class="pinyin">Sì <em>gè</em> sānmíngzhì</span><span class="trans">four sandwiches</span>
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* 四 <em>个</em> 女儿 <span class="pinyin">Sì <em>gè</em> </span> nǚér <span class="trans">four daughters</span>
 
* 五 <em>个</em> 星期 <span class="pinyin">Wǔ <em>gè</em> xīngqī</span><span class="trans">five weeks</span>
 
* 五 <em>个</em> 星期 <span class="pinyin">Wǔ <em>gè</em> xīngqī</span><span class="trans">five weeks</span>
* 六 <em>个</em> 杯子 <span class="pinyin">Liù <em>gè</em> bēizi</span><span class="trans">six cups/glasses</span>
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* 六 <em>个</em> <span class="pinyin">Liù <em>gè</em> yuè </span><span class="trans">six months</span>
 
* 七 <em>个</em>  女朋友<span class="pinyin">Qī <em>gè</em> nǚpéngyou</span><span class="trans">seven girlfriends</span>
 
* 七 <em>个</em>  女朋友<span class="pinyin">Qī <em>gè</em> nǚpéngyou</span><span class="trans">seven girlfriends</span>
 
* 三十 <em>个</em> 学生<span class="pinyin">Sānshí <em>gè</em> xuéshēng</span><span class="trans">thirty students</span>
 
* 三十 <em>个</em> 学生<span class="pinyin">Sānshí <em>gè</em> xuéshēng</span><span class="trans">thirty students</span>

Revision as of 07:46, 16 September 2015

个 (gè) is the most commonly used measure word. It can be used in a pinch for any noun if you can't think of a more precise measure word. (Although you might not sound quite as smart, you'll still get your point across). Also, for many nouns, 个 (gè) is the only correct measure word.

General Structure

Structure

The general structure for 个 (gè)--and measure words in general--is:

Num. + 个 + Noun

You can specify the quantity of any noun with this structure. Note that any time you want to state how many of a noun in Chinese, you probably need a measure word. First get used to doing it with 个 (gè).

Examples

  • 老板 one lǎobǎn
  • 老婆 (If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二,see our article on "Er" and "liang")Liǎng lǎopó two wives
  • 苹果 手机 Sān Píngguǒ shǒujīthree iPhones
  • 女儿 nǚér four daughters
  • 星期 xīngqīfive weeks
  • Liù yuè six months
  • 女朋友 nǚpéngyouseven girlfriends
  • 三十 学生Sānshí xuéshēngthirty students
  • 我们 有 二十 老师。Wǒmen yǒu èrshí lǎoshī.We've got twenty teachers.
  • 男人, 七 傻, 八 坏。Shí nánrén, qī shǎ, bā huài.ten men, seven are fools, and eight are bad

Omitting the number

Structure

Verb + 个 + Noun

If the number is one (1), you can omit it and use 个 (gè) by itself. This is equivalent to a or an in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot."

Examples

  • 他 是 好人 。Tā shì hǎorén.He is a good person.
  • 那 不 是 苹果 。Nà bùshì píngguǒ.That is not an apple.
  • 他 是 法国 人 。Tā shì Fǎguó rén.He is a French person.
  • 这 是 手机。Zhè shì shǒujī.This is a cell phone.
  • 我 爸爸 是 老板。Wǒ bàba shì lǎobǎn.My dad is a boss.
  • 你 是 好 老师 。Nǐ shì hǎo lǎoshī.You are a good teacher.
  • 我 有 儿子 。Wǒ yǒu érzi.I have a son.
  • 给 我 面包 。Gěi wǒ miànbāo.Give me a bun.
  • 我 想 吃 橙子 。Wǒ xiǎng chī chéngzi.I'd like to eat an orange.
  • 老师 , 我 有 问题 。Lǎoshī, wǒ yǒu wèntí.Teacher, I have a question.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites