A1 Beginner Sentence Structure

When to Drop 的 (de): Close Possession

For close relationships (family, partners, close friends) and institutions (school, work), Chinese drops the possessive 的: it's 我妈, not 我的妈. Keeping 的 sounds oddly distant.

Why this trips learners up

One of the first things you learn is that possession in Chinese uses 的 (de): 我的书 (my book), 你的手机 (your phone). So it feels logical to say 我的妈妈 for “my mom”. Grammatically it isn't broken — but to a native ear it sounds oddly formal, as if you're putting distance between yourself and your own mother.

The fix is counter-intuitive: with close relationships (family, partners, close friends) and institutions you belong to (your school, your company), Chinese drops the 的. It's 我妈, 我女朋友, 我们学校 — just Pronoun + Noun. The closer the bond, the more a 的 feels like a wall. Keep 的 for everything else (我的书, 我的钱).

The structure

我 wǒ 妈 mā

Colour key

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

Subject Verb Object Negation Adverb Function word Adjective Question

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.

wǒ bà 我爸 Subject shì 是 Verb lǎoshī 老师 Object

My dad is a teacher.

nǐ mèimei 你妹妹 Subject zhēn 真 Adverb kě’ài 可爱 Adjective

Your little sister is really cute.

wǒmen gōngsī 我们公司 Subject bú 不 Negation dà 大 Adjective

Our company isn't big.

wǒ gē 我哥 Subject hěn 很 Adverb huì 会 Function word zuòfàn 做饭 Verb

My big brother is a great cook.

nǐmen lǎoshī 你们老师 Subject yángé 严格 Adjective ma 吗 Question

Is your teacher strict?

wǒ biǎodì 我表弟 Subject zài 在 Adverb xué 学 Verb kāichē 开车 Object

My cousin is learning to drive.

Common mistakes

Avoid: 这是我的妈妈。 zhè shì wǒ de māma.

Say this: 这是我妈妈。 zhè shì wǒ māma.

Why it happens: With your own family, 的 reads as distance. 我的妈妈 isn't ungrammatical, but it lands like “my mother, the person who…”. Natives just say 我妈妈 — or 我妈.

Avoid: 我们的学校很大。 wǒmen de xuéxiào hěn dà.

Say this: 我们学校很大。 wǒmen xuéxiào hěn dà.

Why it happens: Institutions you belong to behave the same way. Your school, your company — these are close ties, so the 的 drops: 我们学校, not 我们的学校.

Avoid: 这是我书。 zhè shì wǒ shū.

Say this: 这是我的书。 zhè shì wǒ de shū.

Why it happens: Don't over-correct. The 的-drop is only for close relationships and institutions. An ordinary object — a book, a phone, money — keeps 的: 我的书, never 我书.

Compare & contrast

Drop 的 (close ties & institutions)	Keep 的 (everything else)	The difference
我姐wǒ jiě	我的手机wǒ de shǒujī	Family is a close bond, so 的 disappears (我姐). A phone is just an object — it keeps 的 (我的手机).
我们公司wǒmen gōngsī	我的钱wǒ de qián	An institution you're part of drops 的 (我们公司). Money is an ordinary possession — keep 的 (我的钱).

Rule of thumbDrop 的 when the bond is close and personal (家人, 朋友, 男/女朋友) or institutional (学校, 公司). Keep it for everything else — objects, acquaintances. The closer the tie, the more 的 sounds like distance.

Try it yourself

Say “Your little brother is smart” — tap the words into the right order.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

When to Drop 的 (de): Close Possession grammar.merrymandarin.com

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

Structure

我 + 妈

Example

我爸是老师

My dad is a teacher.

Watch out

✗ 这是我的妈妈。 → ✓ 这是我妈妈。