How to use 的
Pronoun + Noun
Possession normally links a possessor and a noun with 的, but Mandarin often leaves this particle out after a pronoun when the relationship is familiar or closely associated. Family members, partners, and a person's school or company are common settings for this shorter structure. The pronoun then connects directly to the noun.
This is a natural option rather than an absolute ban on 的. Speakers may retain the particle for emphasis, contrast, or a more elaborated noun phrase. Do not extend the omission mechanically to every possession: ordinary objects often still take 的. Listen for the relationship being expressed and how the surrounding sentence presents it, rather than judging ownership alone.
Examples with pinyin and English
我家很大。
My house is very big.
你哥哥很高。
Your big brother is very tall.
这是我女朋友。
This is my girlfriend.
她妈妈很漂亮。
Her mom is very pretty.
What to remember
- Omission is common with family nouns.
- Schools and companies can follow pronouns directly.
- Retaining 的 can suit emphasis or contrast.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.