Language Notes 6.1
有Yǒu: has/have or there is/are.
没有méiyǒu: do not have/there are no, does not have/there is no…
To change a sentence into a question, just place 吗 at the end of the sentence or use the affirmative-negative 有没有 question form.
- Q: Do you have older brothers?
Use 吗 to form the question:
Use 有没有 to form the question:
Answer A: Yes, I have three elder brothers.
Answer B: No, I don’t have older brothers.
Answer the following question and write down in Chinese how many siblings do you have
你 有 几个 兄弟 姐妹?
Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè xiōngdì jiěmèi? (meaning: How may brothers and sisters do you have?)
Ex. I have two elder brothers, one younger brother, three sisters.
Your answer:
Language Notes 6.2
Conjunction: 和hé
The conjunction 和 means “and.” It is often used to join or list out nouns and pronouns. Unlike the English conjunction “and’ 和 cannot be used to connect two full sentences.
- She and I are good friends. (friend: 朋友 péngyǒu)
- She and Clarrisa are classmates.
Language Notes 6.3
的 de
When 的 is used after 你，我，and 他，the 的 can be omitted. Normally possession is expressed using the particle 的(de). However, you can omit 的(de) in these cases: A close personal relationship is involved (family, close friends, boyfriends or girlfriends). For example, 我的妹妹 or 我妹妹 both are correct.
- This is my mother.
- This is my friend, Xiao Mei.
- My dog is called Lucky. (狗 gǒu: dog)
Language Tips
- 二 vs. 两
Two teachers Chinese 中文： - 口 vs. 个
How many people in your family? –》
Chinese 中文: （You can use either 口 or 个 in this question.）
I have two older sisters.–>
Chinese 中文：(You can only use 个， not 口 in this sentence.)
- Special punctuation in Chinese: 顿号 Dùn Hào ‘、’ – The ‘Enumeration Comma’—It is used to make a list.
I have four people in my family: My dad, mother, one older sister and me.
Translate into Chinese 中文：
- When making a list in Chinese, it is usually go from largest to smallest, most senior to most junior, or in sequential progression.
Ling-Ling Chinese 