3. Pronouns and Their Forms
Pronouns and Their Forms
| Base | With 们 (Plural) | With 的 (Possession) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 (wǒ) - I/me | 我们 (wǒmen) - we/us | 我的 (wǒ de) - my/mine | |
| 你 (nǐ) - you | 你们 (nǐmen) - you all | 你的 (nǐ de) - your/yours | |
| 他 (tā) - he | 他们 (tāmen) - they | 他的 (tā de) - his | |
| 她 (tā) - she | 她们 (tāmen) - they (female) | 她的 (tā de) - hers | Same pronunciation as male form |
New Vocabulary
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鸡 | jī | chicken | |
| 七 | qī | seven | |
| 西 | xī | west | |
| 西瓜 | xīguā | watermelon | Second syllable often unstressed in casual speech |
| 们 | men | plural marker | Never used alone; attaches to pronouns |
| 很 | hěn | very | Used between subject and adjective |
| 也 | yě | also/too | Comes after subject |
| 的 | de | possession marker | Pronounced like "duh" |
Grammar Particles
| Particle | Pinyin | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吗 | ma | Question marker | 你好吗？(nǐ hǎo ma?) - How are you? |
| 的 | de | Possession | 我的 (wǒ de) - mine |
| 们 | men | Plural | 我们 (wǒmen) - we |
Important Rules
- 们 (men) is only used with pronouns and some animate nouns
- Word order: Subject + 也 (yě) + Rest of sentence
- Possession: Owner + 的 (de) + Object
- In casual speech, second syllables of common words (like 西瓜 xīguā) are often unstressed
Finals Review
- i, u, ü (German ü with dots)
- Character structure often has left and right radicals
Character Components
- Most Chinese characters are composed of radicals
- Common structure: left radical + right radical
- Understanding radicals helps with character recognition and memorization
Common Phrases and Combinations
| Chinese | Pinyin | Literal Meaning | Actual Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | you good | Hello |
| 你好吗？ | nǐ hǎo ma? | you good [question]? | How are you? |
| 我很好 | wǒ hěn hǎo | I very good | I'm very well |
| 你呢？ | nǐ ne? | you [question]? | And you? |
| 我也很好 | wǒ yě hěn hǎo | I also very good | I'm good too |
| 早上好 | zǎo shang hǎo | morning up good | Good morning |
| 你们好 | nǐmen hǎo | you [plural] good | Hello everyone |
| 我们的 | wǒmen de | we [plural] [possession] | our/ours |
| 他们的 | tāmen de | they [plural] [possession] | their/theirs |
| 你们的 | nǐmen de | you [plural] [possession] | your/yours (plural) |