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Level Foundations · HSK 1

的: Possession and Description

的 (de, neutral tone) is the most common character in Chinese. At A1 it does one job in two flavours: it attaches something to the front of a noun. That something can be an owner (我的书, my book) or a description (很大的房子, a very big house).

The order is always the same: the extra information first, then 的, then the noun. It's like English 's, which also puts the owner first: Li Ming's mum is 李明的妈妈.

Owner + 的 + thing

Any pronoun or noun can be the owner. 谁的 asks whose. If the noun is clear from context, it can be dropped: 这本书是我的 (this book is mine).

  • 这是我的书。

    Zhè shì wǒ de shū.

    This is my book.

  • 老师的电话是多少？

    Lǎoshī de diànhuà shì duōshao?

    What's the teacher's phone number?

  • 这是谁的手机？——是我的。

    Zhè shì shéi de shǒujī? — Shì wǒ de.

    Whose phone is this? — It's mine.

When 的 drops out

After a pronoun, 的 usually disappears before close relationships and before groups you belong to: 我妈妈 (my mum), 我朋友 (my friend), 我们学校 (our school), 我家 (my home). With a noun as owner it usually stays: 李明的妈妈.

  • 我妈妈是老师。

    Wǒ māma shì lǎoshī.

    My mum is a teacher.

  • 我们学校很大。

    Wǒmen xuéxiào hěn dà.

    Our school is big.

  • 李明的妈妈是医生。

    Lǐ Míng de māma shì yīshēng.

    Li Ming's mum is a doctor.

Adjective + 的 + noun

A one-syllable adjective usually joins its noun directly: 新书 (new book), 好人 (good person). Add 很 or use a longer adjective and 的 is needed: 很大的房子, 漂亮的衣服.

Leave the noun off and the phrase means "the ... one": 大的 (the big one). 别的 means "other", and 有的…有的… means "some ..., others ...".

  • 我想买一本新书。

    Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì běn xīn shū.

    I want to buy a new book.

  • 他们有一个很大的房子。

    Tāmen yǒu yí ge hěn dà de fángzi.

    They have a very big house.

  • 我要大的。

    Wǒ yào dà de.

    I want the big one.

  • 有的人喜欢茶，有的人喜欢咖啡。

    Yǒude rén xǐhuan chá, yǒude rén xǐhuan kāfēi.

    Some people like tea, others like coffee.

Common mistakes

  • ✗书的我

    ✓我的书

    wǒ de shū

    The owner always comes first. Don't copy English "the book of mine".

  • ✗很大房子

    ✓很大的房子

    hěn dà de fángzi

    Once the adjective has 很 in front of it, it needs 的 to attach to a noun.

  • ✗她是我的好的朋友。

    ✓她是我的好朋友。

    Tā shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou.

    One-syllable adjectives like 好 join the noun directly. Two 的 in a row sounds clumsy.

Questions learners ask

Is 我的妈妈 wrong?

No, it's grammatical, but it sounds deliberate, as if you're stressing "MY mum (not yours)". In everyday speech 我妈妈 is normal.

Are there other characters pronounced de?

Yes: 地 (how something is done) and 得 (how well something is done), both at A2. All three are said de; only the writing differs.

Practice this in lessons

The Foundations lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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