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

• 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 客户，有的很 容易 生气，有的 脾气 很好，有的很有 礼貌，有的比较 随便。I have met a lot of clients. Some get angry easily, some are good-tempered, some are polite, and some are rude.

See also

• "Some" using "yixie"

Sources and Further Reading

Books

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