Languages › Mandarin Chinese Pronouns Share Flipboard Email Print JupiterImages / Getty Images Languages Mandarin History and Culture Pronunciation Vocabulary Understanding Chinese Characters by Qiu Gui Su Qiu Gui Su is a native Mandarin speaker who has taught Mandarin Chinese for over 20 years. Updated March 17, 2019 There are just a few pronouns in Mandarin Chinese, and unlike many European languages, there are no subject / verb agreements to worry about. Just a few simple rules tell you everything you need to know about pronouns in Chinese. Basic Pronouns These are the pronouns of written Mandarin Chinese. I, me: wǒ: 我You: nǐ - 你You (formal): nín: 您 He, Him: tā: 他She, Her: tā: 她It: tā: 它 You'll notice that there are two ways of saying "you." When speaking to elders or someone in authority, it is more polite to address them formally with 您 (nín) instead of the less formal 你 (nǐ). While there are six pronouns listed above in written Mandarin, in spoken Mandarin it boils down to just three basic pronouns: I / me, you, he / she / it. This is because 他 / 她 / 它 are all pronounced the same, tā. Plurals Plurals are formed by adding 們 (traditional form) / 们 (simplified form) at the end of a basic pronoun. This character is pronounced "men." See below: We, Us: wǒ men: 我們 / 我们You (plural): nǐ men: 你們 / 你们They, Them: tā men: 他們 / 他们 Differentiating Gender As discussed earlier, gender differentiating pronouns like "he", "she", and "it" all have the same sound, tā, but different written characters. In spoken Mandarin, differentiating between genders is a little less obvious. However, the context of the sentence will usually tell you whether the speaker is referring to a man, a woman, or a thing. Reflexive Pronoun Mandarin Chinese also has a reflexive pronoun 自己 (zì jǐ). This is used when both subject and object are the same. For example: Tā xǐ huàn tā zì jǐ他喜欢他自己 / 他喜歡他自己He likes himself. 自己 (zì jǐ) can also be used directly after a noun or pronoun to intensify the subject. For example: Wǒ zì jǐ xǐ huàn.我自己喜欢 / 我自己喜歡I, myself, like it. Sentence Examples Using Chinese Pronouns Here are some sentences using pronouns. See if you can use these examples as a guide or template to creating your own sentences. Audio files are marked with ► Wǒ: 我 I am a student.►Wǒ shì xuéshēng.我是學生。 (traditional)我学生。 (simplified)I like ice cream.►Wǒ xǐhuān bīngqílín.我喜歡冰淇淋。我喜欢冰淇淋。I don’t have a bicycle.►Wǒ méi yǒu jiǎotàchē.我沒有腳踏車。我没有脚踏车。 Nǐ: 你 Are you a student?►Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?你是學生嗎?你是学生吗?Do you like ice cream?►Nǐ xǐhuan bīngqílín ma?你喜歡冰淇淋嗎?你喜欢冰淇淋吗?Do you have a bicycle?►Nǐ yǒu jiǎotàchē ma?你有腳踏車嗎?你有脚踏车吗? Tā: 她 She is a doctor.►Tā shì yīshēng.她是醫生。她是医生。She likes coffee.►Tā xǐhuan kāfēi.她喜歡咖啡。她喜欢咖啡。She doesn’t have a car.►Tā méi yǒu chē.她沒有車。她没有车。 Wǒ men: 我們 / 我们 We are students.►Wǒmen shì xuéshēng.我們是學生。我们是学生。We like ice cream.►Wǒmen xǐhuan bīngqílín.我們喜歡冰淇淋。我们喜欢冰淇淋。We don’t have a bicycle.►Wǒmen méi yǒu jiǎotàchē.我們沒有腳踏車。我们没有脚踏车。 Tā men: 他們 / 他们 They are students.►Tāmen shì xuéshēng.他們是學生。他们是学生。They like coffee.►Tāmen xǐhuan kāfēi.他們喜歡咖啡。他们喜欢咖啡。They don’t have a car.►Tāmen méi yǒu chē.他們沒有車。他们没有车。 Zì jǐ: 自己 He lives by himself.►Tā zìjǐ zhù.他自己住。I will go myself.►Wǒ zìjǐ qù.我自己去。 Continue Reading