Expressing possession in
Chinese is accomplished with the particle 的 (de). But
sometimes when certain (especially close) relationships are involved,
it's more natural to drop the 的 (de).
Structure
Pronoun + Noun
Normally
possession is
expressed using the
particle 的 (de). However,
you can omit 的 (de) in these cases:
- A close personal relationship is involved (family, close friends,
boyfriends or girlfriends)
- An institutional or organizational relationship is involved
(school, work)
In these cases 的 (de) should be omitted. It doesn't sound as
natural if you leave it in.
Examples
- 我 家 很 大。Wǒ jiā hěn
dà.My house is very big.
- 你 哥哥 很 高 。 Nǐ gēge hěn
gāo.Your big brother is very tall.
- 这 是 我 女朋友。 Zhè shì wǒ
nǚpéngyou.This is my
girlfriend.
- 她 妈妈 很 漂亮。Tā māma hěn
piàoliang.Her mom is very pretty.
- 我们 学校 很 大 。Wǒmen
xuéxiào hěn dà.Our school is
big.
- 他们 公司 在 北京。Tāmen
gōngsī zài Běijīng.Their company is
in Bejing.
- 你 男朋友 很 帅。Nǐ
nánpéngyou hěn shuài.Your boyfriend
is very handsome.
- 他 儿子 很 有名。Tā érzi hěn
yǒumíng.His son is really famous.
- 我 女儿 会 说 英语。Wǒ nǚ'ér
huì shuō Yīngyǔ.My daughter can speak
English.
- 他 爸爸 是 我们 公司 的
老板。Tā bàba shì wǒmen
gōngsī de lǎobǎn.His dad is the boss
of our company.
If 的 (de) was used in the above examples, it would create an unnatural
sense of distance between the two.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
Category:A1 grammar points