Chinese Pronouns
There are just a few pronouns in Mandarin Chinese, and unlike many European languages, there are no subject / verb agreements to worry about. Just a few simple rules tell you.everything you need to know about pronouns in Chinese.
BASIC PRONOUNS
These are the pronouns of written Mandarin Chinese.
I, me: wǒ: 我
You: nǐ - 你
You (formal): nín: 您
He, Him: tā: 他
She, Her: tā: 她
It: tā: 它
You'll notice that there are two ways of saying "you." When speaking to elders or someone in authority, it is more polite to address them formally with 您 (nín) instead of the less formal 你 (nǐ).
While there are six pronouns listed above in written Mandarin, in spoken Mandarin it boils down to just three basic pronouns: I / me, you, he / she / it. This is because 他 / 她 / 它 are all pronounced the same, tā.
PLURALS
Plurals are formed by adding 們 (traditional form) / 們 (simplified form) at the end of a basic pronoun. This character is pronounced "men." See below:
We, Us: wǒ men: 我們 / 我們
You (plural): nǐ men: 你們 / 你們
They, Them: tā men: 他們 / 他們
DIFFERENTIATING GENDER
As discussed earlier, gender differentiating pronouns like "he", "she", and "it" all have the same sound, tā, but different written characters.
In spoken Mandarin, differentiating between genders is a little less obvious. However, the context of the sentence will usually tell you whether the speaker is referring to a man, a woman, or a thing.
REFLEXIVE PRONOUN
Mandarin Chinese also has a reflexive pronoun 自己 (zì jǐ). This is used when both subject and object are the same.
For example:
Tā xǐ huàn tā zì jǐ
他喜歡他自己 / 他喜歡他自己
He likes himself.
自己 (zì jǐ) can also be used directly after a noun or pronoun to intensify the subject. For example:
Wǒ zì jǐ xǐ huàn.
我自己喜歡 / 我自己喜歡
I, myself, like it.
SENTENCE EXAMPLES USING CHINESE PRONOUNS
Here are some sentences using pronouns. See if you can use these examples as a guide or template to creating your own sentences.
Audio files are marked with ►
Wǒ: 我
I am a student.
►Wǒ shì xuéshēng.
我是學生｡ (traditional)
我學生｡ (simplified)
I like ice cream.
►Wǒ xǐhuān bīngqílín.
我喜歡冰淇淋｡
我喜歡冰淇淋｡
I don’t have a bicycle.
►Wǒ méi yǒu jiǎotàchē.
我沒有腳踏車｡
我沒有腳踏車｡
Nǐ: 你
Are you a student?
►Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
你是學生嗎?
你是學生嗎?
Do you like ice cream?
►Nǐ xǐhuan bīngqílín ma?
你喜歡冰淇淋嗎?
你喜歡冰淇淋嗎?
Do you have a bicycle?
►Nǐ yǒu jiǎotàchē ma?
你有腳踏車嗎?
你有腳踏車嗎?
Tā: 她
She is a doctor.
►Tā shì yīshēng.
她是醫生｡
她是醫生｡
She likes coffee.
►Tā xǐhuan kāfēi.
她喜歡咖啡｡
她喜歡咖啡｡
She doesn’t have a car.
►Tā méi yǒu chē.
她沒有車｡
她沒有車｡
Wǒ men: 我們 / 我們
We are students.
►Wǒmen shì xuéshēng.
我們是學生｡
我們是學生｡
We like ice cream.
►Wǒmen xǐhuan bīngqílín.
我們喜歡冰淇淋｡
我們喜歡冰淇淋｡
We don’t have a bicycle.
►Wǒmen méi yǒu jiǎotàchē.
我們沒有腳踏車｡
我們沒有腳踏車｡
Tā men: 他們 / 他們
They are students.
►Tāmen shì xuéshēng.
他們是學生｡
他們是學生｡
They like coffee.
►Tāmen xǐhuan kāfēi.
他們喜歡咖啡｡
他們喜歡咖啡｡
They don’t have a car.
►Tāmen méi yǒu chē.
他們沒有車｡
他們沒有車｡
Zì jǐ: 自己
He lives by himself.
►Tā zìjǐ zhù.
他自己住｡
I will go myself.
►Wǒ zìjǐ qù.
我自己去｡
