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

Examples

我家很大。
Wǒ jiā hěn dà.
My house is very big.
你哥哥很高。
Nǐ gēge hěn gāo.
Your big brother is very tall.
我们学校很大。
Wǒmen xuéxiào hěn dà.
Our school is big.
他儿子很有名。
Tā érzi hěn yǒumíng.
His son is really famous.
这是我女朋友。
Zhè shì wǒ nǚpéngyou .
This is my girlfriend.