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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 4

她是我的汉语老师 She is my Chinese teacher

Tā shì wǒ de Hànyǔ lǎoshī

The full set of personal pronouns, the possessive particle 的, introducing friends, classmates, and teachers.

Dialogue

朋友 — Friends

马小明大dà山shān, 谁shuí是shì你nǐ的de朋péng友yǒu? Dashan, who are your friends?
大山谢xiè小xiǎo文wén是shì我wǒ的de朋péng友yǒu! Xie Xiaowen is my friend!
马小明我wǒ也yě是shì你nǐ的de朋péng友yǒu吗ma? Am I also your friend?
大山你nǐ? 你nǐ不bú是shì我wǒ的de朋péng友yǒu …… You? You're not my friend...
马小明不bú是shì?! Not?!
大山你nǐ是shì我wǒ的de好hǎo朋péng友yǒu! You're my GOOD friend!

Dialogue

老师 — The teacher

谢小文高gāo老lǎo师shī是shì中zhōng国guó人rén吗ma? Is Teacher Gao Chinese?
大山是shì, 高gāo老lǎo师shī是shì中zhōng国guó人rén。 Yes, Teacher Gao is Chinese.
谢小文高gāo老lǎo师shī是shì你nǐ们men的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī吗ma? Is Teacher Gao your Chinese teacher?
大山是shì, 高gāo老lǎo师shī是shì我wǒ们men的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī。 Yes, Teacher Gao is our Chinese teacher.
谢小文我wǒ的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī不bú是shì高gāo老lǎo师shī …… My Chinese teacher isn't Teacher Gao...
大山谁shuí是shì你nǐ的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī? Who is your Chinese teacher?
谢小文我wǒ的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī …… 也yě是shì高gāo老lǎo师shī! My Chinese teacher... is also Teacher Gao!

Dialogue

同学们 — Students

高老师你nǐ们men好hǎo, 同tóng学xué们men! 我wǒ是shì你nǐ们men的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī。 Hello, students! I am your Chinese teacher.
大山您nín是shì我wǒ们men的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī吗ma? Are you our Chinese teacher?
高老师是shì, 我wǒ是shì你nǐ们men的de汉hàn语yǔ老lǎo师shī。 Yes, I am your Chinese teacher.
大山我wǒ是shì您nín的de学xué生shēng吗ma? Am I your student?
高老师是shì, 你nǐ是shì我wǒ的de学xué生shēng。 Yes, you are my student.
大山我wǒ也yě是shì您nín的de朋péng友yǒu吗ma? Am I also your friend?
高老师我wǒ是shì你nǐ的de老lǎo师shī, 不bú是shì你nǐ的de朋péng友yǒu! I'm your teacher, not your friend!

Vocabulary

汉字	Pinyin	POS	Meaning
她	tā	pron.	she; her
他	tā	pron.	he; him
我们	wǒmen	pron.	we; us
他们	tāmen	pron.	they; them (male/mixed)
她们	tāmen	pron.	they; them (female group)
的	de	part.	(possessive/structural particle)
汉语	Hànyǔ	n.	Chinese (the language)
朋友	péngyou	n.	friend
同学	tóngxué	n.	classmate; fellow student
中国	Zhōngguó	n.	China
跟	gēn	prep.	with; and (prepositional)
人	rén	n.	person; people

New characters

汉字	Pinyin	Meaning
朋	péng	(in 朋友 = friend) 朋友 péngyou — friend高朋 Gāo Péng — Gao Peng (persona — taxi driver)朋月 Péng Yuè — Peng Yue (persona)
友	yǒu	(in 朋友 = friend); friend 朋友 péngyou — friend大友 Dà Yǒu — Da You (persona — market vendor)友天 Yǒu Tiān — You Tian (persona)
的	de	(possessive/structural particle) 别的 biéde — other; different真的 zhēn de — really; truly真的吗 zhēn de ma — really? (frequent reaction)
中	zhōng	middle; in (in 中国 = China) 中国 Zhōngguó — China中文 Zhōngwén — Chinese (written)中学 zhōngxué — middle / high school
国	guó	country 中国 Zhōngguó — China国家 guójiā — country; nation外国 wàiguó — foreign country
人	rén	person 家人 jiārén — family member老人 lǎorén — elderly person男人 nánrén — man
汉	hàn	(in 汉语 = Chinese language; 汉字 = Chinese character) 汉语 Hànyǔ — Chinese (the language)汉字 Hànzì — Chinese character
语	yǔ	(in 汉语 = Chinese language) 汉语 Hànyǔ — Chinese (the language)语法 yǔfǎ — grammar
同	tóng	same; together (in 同学 = classmate) 同学 tóngxué — classmate; fellow student同事 tóngshì — colleague同意 tóngyì — agree
她	tā	she; her 她们 tāmen — they; them (female group)
跟	gēn	with; and (preposition)

Hanzi — writing & recognition

他

tā he; him Writing

5 strokes left-right radical 亻

Left: 亻 (person radical). Right: 也. The 亻 component signals "person" — many character starting with 亻 refer to people or human actions.

们

men (plural suffix for pronouns and people) Writing

5 strokes left-right radical 亻

A phono-semantic compound: left side 亻 (person, semantic) + right side 门 (mén, phonetic hint). 们 is the productive plural suffix for pronouns (我们, 你们, 他们) and for people-nouns (同学们, 朋友们).

的

de (possessive/structural particle) Writing

8 strokes left-right

Phono-semantic compound: left 白 (white, semantic origin) + right 勺 (sháo, phonetic). 的 is one of the most frequently-used characters in all of Chinese — you will see it on every page.

她

tā she; her Recognition

6 strokes left-right radical 女

中

zhōng middle; in (in 中国 = China) Recognition

4 strokes single-component

中 depicts a flag pole through the center of an enclosure. Original meaning: "center" or "middle". Now also used for 中国 (Middle Kingdom = China).

国

guó country Recognition

8 strokes enclosure

The 囗 (enclosure) on the outside represents walls/borders. Inside is 玉 (jade, signifying treasure). Together: "a place enclosed by walls containing treasure" → country.

同

tóng same; together (in 同学 = classmate) Recognition

6 strokes half-enclosure

Grammar

人称代词 Personal Pronouns (Full Set)

汉语的人称代词分为单数和复数。复数是单数加"们"。"您"是"你"的敬称, 没有复数。"他"和"她"发音相同 (tā), 只在书面上区分。

Chinese personal pronouns split into singular and plural. The plural is formed by adding 们 to the singular. 您 is the formal/polite version of 你 — it has no plural form. 他 (he) and 她 (she) are pronounced identically (tā); the difference is only written, not spoken.

我是学生。 Wǒ shì xuéshēng. I am a student.
我们是你的朋友。 Wǒmen shì nǐ de péngyou. We are your friends.
他们是我的朋友。 Tāmen shì wǒ de péngyou. They are my friends.

Grammar

结构助词"的" The Structural Particle 的 (Possession)

"的"放在所属者和东西之间, 表示所属。语序: 所属者 + 的 + 东西。注意: 关系很近的时候 (家人、好朋友), "的"可以省略 — 我妈妈, 我朋友。

The particle 的 sits between the owner and the thing owned, expressing possession. Word order: Owner + 的 + Thing. Note: when the relationship is close (family, close friends), 的 can be dropped — 我妈妈 (my mom), 我朋友 (my friend) are both common.

我的汉语老师 wǒ de Hànyǔ lǎoshī my Chinese teacher
她是我的同学。 Tā shì wǒ de tóngxué. She is my classmate.
他们是我的朋友。 Tāmen shì wǒ de péngyou. They are my friends.

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