ParticlesHSK 1

Expressing close possession without 的

In Chinese, the possessive particle 的 is often omitted when indicating close personal relationships (family, partners) or institutional affiliations (school, company). Using 的 in these contexts would sound unnatural.

Structure

Pronoun + Noun

Omit 的 for close personal or institutional relationships

Exemples

我家很大。
Wǒ jiā hěn dà.
My house is very big.
你哥哥很高。
Nǐ gē ge hěn gāo.
Your big brother is very tall.
我们学校很大。
Wǒ men xué xiào hěn dà.
Our school is big.
他儿子很有名。
Tā ér zi hěn yǒu míng.
His son is really famous.
这是我女朋友。
Zhè shì wǒ nǚ péng you.
This is my girlfriend.