🎭 Building Sentences: Pronouns and Questions in Chinese

Imagine you’re a detective building a case. Every sentence needs a WHO (pronouns) and sometimes a WHAT/WHY/HOW (questions). Today, you’ll become a Chinese sentence detective!

🌟 The Big Picture

Think of Chinese sentences like a LEGO set. Pronouns are your mini-figure pieces - they represent people. Question words are your mystery pieces - they help you find answers. Let’s snap them together!

👤 Personal Pronouns: Your Main Characters

In every story, you need characters. In Chinese, these are super simple - just memorize 3 words and you’re set!

The Big Three

🎯 The Magic: All three versions of “tā” sound EXACTLY the same! You only see the difference when writing:

• 他 = he (person on left side)
• 她 = she (woman 女 on left side)
• 它 = it (roof on top, like covering a thing)

Simple Examples

我是学生。
Wǒ shì xuéshēng.
I am a student.

你好！
Nǐ hǎo!
Hello! (You good!)

他很高。
Tā hěn gāo.
He is tall.

👥 Plural Pronouns: Adding Friends to the Party

Want to talk about more than one person? Just add 们 (men) at the end! It’s like adding an “s” in English, but even easier.

The Plural Formula

Single Pronoun + 们 = Plural!

Example in Action

我们是朋友。
Wǒmen shì péngyou.
We are friends.

你们好！
Nǐmen hǎo!
Hello everyone!

他们在学校。
Tāmen zài xuéxiào.
They are at school.

🏠 Possessive Pronouns: Claiming What’s Yours

Want to say “my,” “your,” or “their”? Add 的 (de) after any pronoun! It’s like a magic ownership stamp.

The Possession Formula

Pronoun + 的 = My/Your/Their

Examples

这是我的书。
Zhè shì wǒ de shū.
This is my book.

你的猫很可爱！
Nǐ de māo hěn kě'ài!
Your cat is very cute!

他们的房子很大。
Tāmen de fángzi hěn dà.
Their house is very big.

🎯 Pro Tip: For close relationships (family, body parts), you can drop 的:

• 我妈妈 (my mom) - sounds more natural than 我的妈妈

👆 Demonstrative Pronouns: Pointing at Things

When you point at something, you need words like “this” and “that.” Chinese makes it super clear!

The Pointing Words

With Objects (Add a Measure Word!)

When pointing at specific objects, add 个 (gè) or the right measure word:

这个苹果很甜。
Zhège píngguǒ hěn tián.
This apple is very sweet.

那个人是谁？
Nàge rén shì shéi?
Who is that person?

我在这里！
Wǒ zài zhèlǐ!
I'm here!

❓ Interrogative Pronouns: Your Question Toolkit

These are the detective words that help you ask questions. The beautiful thing? Chinese questions keep the same word order as statements!

The Essential Question Words

How They Work

In Chinese, you just swap the answer with the question word. Like magic!

Statement: 他是老师。(He is a teacher.)
Question:  他是谁？(He is who? → Who is he?)

Statement: 这是书。(This is a book.)
Question:  这是什么？(This is what? → What is this?)

Statement: 你去北京。(You go to Beijing.)
Question:  你去哪里？(You go where? → Where are you going?)

🔧 Question Words: 怎么 & 为什么

These two words unlock the HOW and WHY of everything!

怎么 (zěnme) - How / How come

Use 怎么 when you want to know:

1. How to do something
2. What happened (surprise!)

你怎么去学校？
Nǐ zěnme qù xuéxiào?
How do you go to school?

这个字怎么写？
Zhège zì zěnme xiě?
How do you write this character?

你怎么来了？
Nǐ zěnme lái le?
How come you came? (surprise!)

为什么 (wèishénme) - Why

Use 为什么 when you want to know the reason:

你为什么学中文？
Nǐ wèishénme xué Zhōngwén?
Why do you study Chinese?

他为什么不来？
Tā wèishénme bù lái?
Why isn't he coming?

为什么天是蓝的？
Wèishénme tiān shì lán de?
Why is the sky blue?

🔢 Question Words: 多少 & 几

Both mean “how many/how much” but they’re used differently!

几 (jǐ) - How Many (Small Numbers)

Use 几 when you expect a number under 10 and with a measure word:

你有几本书？
Nǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū?
How many books do you have?

现在几点？
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it? (What hour?)

你几岁？
Nǐ jǐ suì?
How old are you? (for kids)

多少 (duōshao) - How Many/Much (Any Amount)

Use 多少 for:

1. Larger numbers (expected 10+)
2. Prices and amounts
3. No measure word needed!

这个多少钱？
Zhège duōshao qián?
How much is this?

你们班有多少学生？
Nǐmen bān yǒu duōshao xuésheng?
How many students are in your class?

你的电话号码是多少？
Nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshao?
What's your phone number?

🎯 Quick Rule

🎮 Putting It All Together

Now let’s see how these pieces connect in real conversations!

Mini Dialogue 1: Meeting Someone

A: 你好！你是谁？
   Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ shì shéi?
   Hello! Who are you?

B: 我是小明。你呢？
   Wǒ shì Xiǎo Míng. Nǐ ne?
   I'm Xiao Ming. And you?

A: 我是小红。你的书在哪里？
   Wǒ shì Xiǎo Hóng. Nǐ de shū zài nǎlǐ?
   I'm Xiao Hong. Where is your book?

B: 在那里！
   Zài nàlǐ!
   Over there!

Mini Dialogue 2: At a Store

A: 这个多少钱？
   Zhège duōshao qián?
   How much is this?

B: 五十块。
   Wǔshí kuài.
   50 yuan.

A: 为什么这么贵？
   Wèishénme zhème guì?
   Why so expensive?

B: 因为这是我们的特别产品！
   Yīnwèi zhè shì wǒmen de tèbié chǎnpǐn!
   Because this is our special product!

🌈 Memory Map

graph TD
    A["Chinese Pronouns"] --> B["Personal<br/>我你他她它"]
    A --> C["Plural<br/>+们"]
    A --> D["Possessive<br/>+的"]
    A --> E["Demonstrative<br/>这/那"]

    F["Question Words"] --> G["Who/What<br/>谁/什么"]
    F --> H["How/Why<br/>怎么/为什么"]
    F --> I["How Many<br/>几/多少"]

💡 Key Takeaways

1. Personal pronouns are just 3 base words: 我, 你, 他/她/它
2. Add 们 for plural, add 的 for possession
3. 这 (this) = close, 那 (that) = far
4. Questions use the same word order - just swap the answer spot!
5. 怎么 = how, 为什么 = why
6. 几 = small numbers (need measure word), 多少 = any amount

🚀 You Did It!

You now know all the building blocks for Chinese pronouns and questions! These simple pieces will help you build thousands of sentences. Remember: Chinese grammar is like LEGO - once you know the pieces, you just snap them together!

Next step: Practice by pointing at things around you and asking questions. “这是什么？” “那是谁的？” The more you use them, the more natural they become!