Chinese Pronouns Learning Guide
An introductory course to understanding and learning the use of pronouns in the Chinese language.
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一些 (yī xiē)
some
The Chinese word for 'some' is '一些'. It is used in the same way as in English, to indicate an unspecified amount or number. For example, 'I need some apples' translates to '我需要一些苹果'.
一切 (yīqiè)
everything
'一切' is a Chinese word that is used to refer to all things or everything in a comprehensive way, encompassing all parts, aspects or details. It is used in various contexts, just like 'everything' in English.
也不 (yě bù)
neither
In Chinese, '也不' is used similar to the word 'neither' in English as to say neither one thing nor the other. It often appears in the context of a sentence with the verb or predicate occurring after '也不'. So, the structure of usage is usually subject + '也不' + verb/predicate.
什么 (shénme)
what
The Chinese word '什么' is translated as 'what' in English. It is a common question word and can be used to ask about both people and things. It can be used in various situations, such as asking 'What is this?', 'What do you want?', etc. Moreover, '什么' can be used to express 'any' or 'nothing' depending on the context.
他 (tā)
him
In Chinese, '他' is a third-person pronoun same as 'him' in English. It is used to refer to a male person or a person where the gender is unknown or irrelevant in the context. In verbal or written context, it can be used as the subject, object, or possessive form based on its position in the sentence.
Example sentences with 他 →他们 (tā men)
they
The Chinese word '他们' translates to 'they' in English. It is a plural pronoun used to refer to a group of people. Like English, it is used in the subject position in a sentence. For example, in the sentence '他们在公园里玩', the word '他们' is used to mean 'they' and the sentence translates to 'They are playing in the park'.
他们的 (tā men de)
their
The term '他们的' is the Chinese equivalent of the English possessive adjective 'their', and it is used before a noun, showing possession or belonging to previously mentioned or understood people or objects. It is generally used to modify and determine the nouns and has no gender or number difference.
他们自己 (tāmen zìjǐ)
themselves
The Chinese word '他们自己' is similar to 'themselves' in English. It's most often used as a reflexive pronoun to refer back to the subject of the clause. In addition, it can also be used for emphasis in some contexts.
他的 (tā de)
his
The Chinese word '他的' is a possessive pronoun which is analogues to 'his' in English. It is used to show possession or belonging of an object to a male person. Similar to English, it is placed before the noun (or object) that it describes.
Example sentences with 他的 →他自己 (tā zìjǐ)
himself
The Chinese term '他自己' is equivalent to the English word 'himself'. This term is used when referring back to a male subject in the third person. It is often used for emphasis in the sentence or to indicate that the action is performed alone or without help from others.
任何人 (rèn hé rén)
anybody
The Chinese term '任何人' is used similarly to the English 'anybody'. It is a term for an indeterminate or unspecified person. It can be used in various contexts including questions, negatives, and conditionals. Remember, Chinese grammar can be quite different from English, so the word order and structure may vary.
你 (nǐ)
you
The character '你' translates to 'you' in English. It is the common way of addressing a person directly in Chinese, similar to how 'you' is used in English. However, be aware that in Chinese the way of addressing someone can be subject to the relationship or social ranking between the speaker and the addressee.
Example sentences with 你 →你的 (nǐ de)
your
In Chinese, '你的' (your) is used to denote possession towards something. This can be a tangible or intangible item. For instance, if you wanted to say 'your book', you would say '你的书'. It is also used the same way as 'your' in English when referring to relationships, like '你的朋友' (your friend).
你自己 (nǐ zìjǐ)
yourself
In Chinese, '你自己' is used to refer to the person that the speaker is talking to, in a similar way to 'yourself' in English. It is often used to show emphasis and can be used in a variety of contexts.
其他 (qí tā)
other
The Chinese word '其他' is regularly used to refer to additional or different societal elements or scenarios not previously mentioned. It facilitates the discussion of variation and multiplicity, often used in a similar context as 'other' is in English.
另一个 (lìng yī gè)
another
The Chinese word '另一个' is used quite similarly to the English word 'another'. It can be used to refer to an additional person or thing of the same type as one already mentioned or known about. It generally precedes a noun. For instance, '给我另一个' can be translated to 'give me another.'
哪个 (nǎ gè)
which
The Chinese word '哪个' translates to 'which' in English. It is used in questions to ask someone to make a choice or select from a pre-determined options or list. It is very similar to 'which' in English where 'which' also asks for a specific item or thing from a set of items or things.
哪里都不 (nǎlǐ dōu bù)
nowhere
The Chinese equivalent of the word 'nowhere' is '哪里都不', usually used in phrases or sentences, not often used alone. It's use is context dependent and it directly translates to 'nowhere' in English.
在哪里 (zài nǎlǐ)
where
The word '在哪里' in Chinese is used to inquire about the position or place of the subject matter similar to how 'Where' is used in English. It can be used in middle or at the end of sentences. It is commonly used in questions to ask about location.
她 (tā)
her
The Chinese word '她' translates to 'her' in English. It is a gender-specific pronoun used to refer to a female individual or entity. In Chinese grammar, it is usually used as the subject or object of the sentence, similar to how 'her' is used in English.
Example sentences with 她 →她自己 (tā zìjǐ)
herself
The Chinese word '她自己' is used to refer to the female person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified. It is usually used to emphasize that the woman or girl does something without help or alone. Also, it can be used to refer back to the subject of the clause, after verbs referring to mental activity.
如 (rú)
as
In Chinese, 'as' is translated to '如' (rú). It is used in similar ways to English, often appearing in comparisons or hypotheticals. It can also mean 'like' or 'similar to' in various contexts.
如此 (rú cǐ)
so
In Chinese, '如此' is used similarly to the word 'so' in English. It can be used for emphasis, connection or to indicate the degree or extent of something. The term '如此' is commonly used in formal and written Chinese.
Example sentences with 如此 →它 (tā)
it
The Chinese word '它' is used much like the English pronoun 'it'. It can refer to an object, an animal or a concept. However, unlike in English, it is not used to refer to people. For humans, there are different pronouns.
Example sentences with 它 →它的 (tā de)
its
The Chinese word '它的' is the equivalent of the English word 'its'. It is predominantly used as a possessive adjective, standing in for inanimate and non-human objects or ideas. It commonly connects the subject of the sentence with characteristics, properties, or things belonging to it.
少 (shǎo)
few
The Chinese word '少' has the same meaning as 'few' in English. It is most commonly used in the context of quantity to describe a small number of items or people. In Chinese, it is usually placed before a noun to indicate that there is a small amount of something.
我 (wǒ)
I
The word '我' is used in Chinese in the same way 'I' is used in English, to refer to oneself. It can be used in all circumstances where one would use 'I' in English.
Example sentences with 我 →我们 (wǒmen)
we
The Chinese word for 'we' is '我们'. It is used in the same way as 'we' in English, referring to a group of people that includes the speaker or writer. In a sentence, it can be used as the subject of a verb, similar to how you would use 'we' in English.
Example sentences with 我们 →我们的 (wǒ men de)
our
The Chinese word for 'our' is '我们的'. It is used to denote something that belongs to us. In sentences, it usually comes before nouns in the same way 'our' is used in English. Unlike English, possession in Chinese does not change the noun following it.
我们自己 (Wǒmen zìjǐ)
ourselves
The Chinese phrase '我们自己' (Wǒmen zìjǐ) is used in the same way English speakers use 'ourselves.' It can be used to refer to the speaker and the people with them collectively and also to place emphasis on the group of people involved. It's often used in the reflexive sense to express self-action or to stress the subject. For example, we might say, '我们必须自己做这件事' which means 'we must do this thing ourselves.'
Example sentences with 我们自己 →Page 1 of 2
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