A2 Intermediate Quantities & Measures

How to Say “Some… Others…” with 有的 (yǒude)

有的 (yǒude) means “some of [a group]” and usually comes in a contrast: 有的…，有的… (“some…, others…”). 这些苹果有的甜，有的酸 (“some of these apples are sweet, some are sour”). 有的人 = “some people.” Different from 一些, which is just a plain quantity (“some / a few”).

Why this trips learners up

有的 (yǒude) lets you split a group into parts and say what each part does. It means “some of [them]”, and it almost always travels in a pair: 有的…，有的… = “some…, others…”. 这些苹果有的甜，有的酸 = “some of these apples are sweet, some are sour”; 我的同学有的是中国人，有的是外国人. You can split into three or more groups too, often with a 还 on the last one: 有的…，有的…，还有的…. A favourite combo is 有的人 (“some people”).

The key thing English speakers miss: where English switches to a different word — “some… others…” — Chinese just repeats 有的. The second group isn’t “others” (别的) — it’s 有的 again. Each subset gets its own 有的 stuck in front of it; leave the second one out and the sentence breaks.

有的 also doesn’t have to come in a pair — a lone 有的 can mean “some of them”: 我拍了很多照片，有的已经发给你了 (“I took lots of photos; some I’ve already sent you”).

Don’t confuse 有的 with 一些 (yìxiē). 有的 partitions a known group (“some of the apples are bad” — implying others aren’t). 一些 just names an unspecified amount and is what you use to introduce or count — 我买了一些苹果 (“I bought some apples”). And note 有的 is never “sometimes” — that’s 有时候 (yǒu shíhou).

The structure

有的 yǒude Other 有的 yǒude Other

Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Time Place Adverb Function word Adjective Other

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

zhèxiē píngguǒ 这些苹果 Subject yǒude 有的 Pattern tián 甜 Adjective yǒude 有的 Pattern suān 酸 Adjective

Some of these apples are sweet, some are sour (the basic 有的…有的… split).

zhōumò 周末 Time yǒude 有的 Pattern rén 人 Subject xǐhuan shuìjiào 喜欢睡觉 Verb yǒude 有的 Pattern rén 人 Subject xǐhuan yùndòng 喜欢运动 Verb

On weekends, some people like to sleep, some like to exercise (有的人).

wǒ de tóngxué 我的同学 Subject yǒude 有的 Pattern shì 是 Verb zhōngguó rén 中国人 Object yǒude 有的 Pattern shì 是 Verb wàiguó rén 外国人 Object

Some of my classmates are Chinese, some are foreigners (有的…是…).

jiàoshì lǐ 教室里 Place yǒude 有的 Pattern zài kàn shū 在看书 Verb yǒude 有的 Pattern zài xiě zì 在写字 Verb hái 还 Adverb yǒude 有的 Pattern zài shuìjiào 在睡觉 Verb

In the classroom, some are reading, some writing, and some sleeping (three groups — 还有的).

wǒ mǎi de shuǐguǒ 我买的水果 Subject yǒude 有的 Pattern fàng zài bīngxiāng lǐ 放在冰箱里 Verb yǒude 有的 Pattern fàng zài zhuōzi shàng 放在桌子上 Verb

The fruit I bought — some is in the fridge, some on the table (split by place).

zhè cì kǎoshì 这次考试 Time yǒude 有的 Pattern tí 题 Object zuò de hěn kuài 做得很快 Verb yǒude 有的 Pattern tí 题 Object xiǎng le hěn jiǔ 想了很久 Verb

On this exam, some questions I did quickly, some I pondered for ages (有的题).

wǎngshàng de pínglùn 网上的评论 Subject yǒude 有的 Pattern hěn yǒuyòng 很有用 Adjective yǒude 有的 Pattern wánquán méi dàoli 完全没道理 Adjective

Online reviews — some are useful, some make no sense at all (an abstract group).

wǒ 我 Subject pāi le hěn duō zhàopiàn 拍了很多照片 Verb yǒude 有的 Pattern yǐjīng 已经 Adverb fā gěi nǐ 发给你 Verb le 了 Function word

I took lots of photos; some I’ve already sent you (a lone 有的 = “some of them”).

Common mistakes

Avoid: 我买了有的苹果。 wǒ mǎi le yǒude píngguǒ.

Say this: 我买了一些苹果。 wǒ mǎi le yìxiē píngguǒ.

Why it happens: 有的 partitions a group you already have in mind. To INTRODUCE “some / a few” as a quantity, use 一些: 我买了一些苹果 (“I bought some apples”), not 有的苹果. 有的 doesn’t count or introduce.

Avoid: 有的学生喜欢数学，喜欢英语。 yǒude xuésheng xǐhuan shùxué, xǐhuan yīngyǔ.

Say this: 有的学生喜欢数学，有的喜欢英语。 yǒude xuésheng xǐhuan shùxué, yǒude xǐhuan yīngyǔ.

Why it happens: Each subset needs its own 有的 — repeat it before every group: 有的学生喜欢数学，有的喜欢英语. Drop the second 有的 and the contrast collapses.

Avoid: 有的我会迟到。 yǒude wǒ huì chídào.

Say this: 有时候我会迟到。 yǒu shíhou wǒ huì chídào.

Why it happens: 有的 means “some members of a group.” “Sometimes” (on some occasions) is 有时候 (yǒu shíhou), a totally different word — 有时候我会迟到, never 有的我会迟到.

Compare & contrast

有的 — some [of a group], vs others	一些 — some / a few (a plain amount)	The difference
有的学生迟到了yǒude xuésheng chídào le	一些学生迟到了yìxiē xuésheng chídào le	有的学生迟到了 implies a split — “some students were late” (and others weren’t). 一些学生迟到了 just reports a quantity — “some students were late,” no contrast.
苹果有的坏了píngguǒ yǒude huài le	我买了一些苹果wǒ mǎi le yìxiē píngguǒ	苹果有的坏了 = “some of the apples went bad” (partitioning the apples). 我买了一些苹果 = “I bought some apples” (an amount). Partition → 有的; quantity → 一些.

Rule of thumb有的 splits a known group into subsets — “some…, others…” (有的甜，有的酸) — and can stand alone (有的好吃). 一些 just names an unspecified amount and is what you use to introduce or count (买了一些). If you could add “…and others…,” it’s 有的; if you mean “a quantity of,” it’s 一些.

Try it yourself

Say “Some of these apples are sweet, some are sour.” — repeat 有的 before each group.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

How to Say “Some… Others…” with 有的 (yǒude) grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure

有的 + Other + 有的 + Other

Example

这些苹果有的甜有的酸

Some of these apples are sweet, some are sour (the basic 有的…有的… split).

Watch out

✗ 我买了有的苹果。 → ✓ 我买了一些苹果。