How to Talk About Your Parents and Siblings

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Chinese by ChineseClass101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about your parents and siblings in Chinese.

For example, "This is my father, mother, younger brother, younger sister, and me." is

这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

Lisa Xu is at a coffee shop with her classmate, Lu Liu .

Lisa is showing some pictures to Lu. She points to one of them and asks about the people visible in it.

Before you hear the conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

爸爸 (bàba)

"father"

爸爸

妈妈 (māma)

"mother"

妈妈

弟弟 (dìdì)

"younger brother"

弟弟

妹妹 (mèimei)

"younger sister"

妹妹

Listen to the conversation, and focus on the response.

Ready?

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

是的。这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

One more time with the English translation.

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

"Is this your family?"

是的。这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

"Yes, it is. This is my father, mother, younger brother, younger sister, and me."

Let’s break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Lu asks,

"Is this your family?"

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

First is 这 (zhè), "this." 这 . 这。

Next is 是 (shì), in this case, it’s like the "is," in “This is…." 是 . 是。

After this is 你的 (nǐ de), meaning, "your." 你的。

There are two parts:

First is 你 (nǐ), "you." 你 . 你。

Second is 的 (de), a possessive marking particle. 的 . 的。

Think of 的 (de) as a way to indicate possession. The word it follows possesses the thing that comes after it. In this sentence, it marks 你 (nǐ), "you," as the possessor.

Together, 你的 (nǐ de), "your." 你的。

Next is 家人 (jiārén), "family." 家人。

There are two parts:

First is 家 (jiā), "home" or "family." 家家。

Next is 人(rén), "person" or "people." 人人。

Together, it's 家人 (jiārén), literally “home people,” but translates as "family." 家人。

Last is 吗 (ma). This is a question marking particle. It turns a sentence into a question. 吗 . 吗。

All together, it’s 这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?) Literally, “This is your family,” but it translates as "Is this your family?"

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

Remember this question. You’ll hear it again later.

Let’s take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how Lisa says,

"Yes, it is. This is my father, mother, younger brother, younger sister, and me."

是的。这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

There are two parts to the response.

First is 是的 (shì de), which translates as "Yes, [it is]," in this context. 是的.

This starts with 是 (shì), meaning "yes," when responding to a yes-no question. 是 . 是.

Note: 是 (shì) is used to affirmatively answer questions that contain 是, like

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?) "Is this your family?"

By replying with 是 (shì), you are affirming the information in the question.

It's followed by 的 (de), which, in this case, is a sentence-final particle that indicates the speaker is certain about what he or she is saying. 的 (de).

Together, 是的 (shì de) is a set phrase meaning "Yes, [it is], in this case." 是的。

Note: “it is” is understood from context, as this is a response to the question.

After this, Lisa points to the picture, and says,

这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

"This is my father, mother, younger brother, younger sister, and me."

First is 这 (zhè), "this." 这。

Next is 是 (shì), in this case, it’s like the "is," in “This is…." 是。

Together, 这是 (zhè shì), "this is." 这是。

After this, 我的 (wǒ de), meaning "my." 我的。

There are two parts:

First is 我 (Wǒ), "I." 我 . 我。

Next is 的 (de), the possessive-marking particle. 的。

Together, 我的 (wǒ de), "my." 我的。

Next is 爸爸 (bàba), "father." 爸爸 . 爸爸。

Together, 我的爸爸 (wǒ de bàba) , "my father." 我的爸爸。

Next is 妈妈 (māma), "mother." 妈妈 . 妈妈。

Next is 妈妈 (dìdì), "younger brother." 妈妈 . 妈妈.

After this is 妹妹 (mèimei), "younger sister." 妹妹 . 妹妹。

Next is 和 (hé), "and." 和 . 和。

Finally, he points at himself in the picture and says "我," translating as "me" in this context. 我。

All together, 是的。这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

"Yes, it is. This is my father, mother, younger brother, younger sister, and me."

是的。这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

The pattern is:

这是我的 (Zhè shì wǒ de) FAMILY MEMBER 、FAMILY MEMBER和我。(hé wǒ.)

"This is my FAMILY MEMBER, FAMILY MEMBER and me."

To use this pattern, simply replace the FAMILY MEMBER placeholders with your family members.

Imagine your family members are your father, mother, younger sister, older sister and you.

Older sister is 姐姐 (jiějie) 姐姐 . 姐姐。

Say

"This is my father, mother, younger sister, older sister, and me."

Ready?

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、妹妹、姐姐和我。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, mèimèi, jiějie hé wǒ.)

"This is my father, mother, younger sister, older sister, and me."

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、妹妹、姐姐和我。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, mèimèi, jiějie hé wǒ.)

In more casual situations, 我的爸爸 (wǒ de bàba), “my father,” can be shortened to 我爸 (wǒ bà).

The possessive-marking particle 的 (de), as in 我的爸爸 (wǒ de bàba), can be omitted, and 爸爸 (bàba) can be shortened to 爸 (bà). 我爸 (wǒ bà).

In the case of “my mother,” 我的妈妈 (wǒ de māma) is shortened to 我妈 (wǒ mā).

This shortened pattern can also be used with other family members.

You should be aware of this, but you won’t need it for this lesson.

Again, the key pattern is:

这是我的 (Zhè shì wǒ de) FAMILY MEMBER 、FAMILY MEMBER和我。(hé wǒ.)

"This is my FAMILY MEMBER, FAMILY MEMBER and me."

Let’s look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

“This is my father, mother, younger brother, younger sister, and me.”

这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、妹妹、姐姐和我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, mèimèi, jiějie hé wǒ.)

“This is my father, mother, younger sister, older sister, and me. ”

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、妹妹、姐姐和我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, mèimèi, jiějie hé wǒ.)

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和我。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie hé wǒ.)

“This is my father, mother, older sister, and me.”

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和我。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie hé wǒ.)

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐、弟弟和我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie, dìdi hé wǒ.)

“This is my father, mother, older sister, younger brother, and me. ”

这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐、弟弟和我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie, dìdi hé wǒ.)

这是我的爸爸、妈妈还有我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma háiyǒu wǒ.)

“This is my father, mother, and also me. ”

这是我的爸爸、妈妈还有我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma háiyǒu wǒ.)

Did you notice how the native speaker used a slightly different pattern?

这是我的爸爸、妈妈还有我。(Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma háiyǒu wǒ.)

“This is my father, mother and also me. “

They used 还有 (háiyǒu) instead of 和 (hé).

还有 "and also” 还有 . 还有。

The pattern is:

FAMILY MEMBER 还有我。(háiyǒu wǒ.)

"FAMILY MEMBER and also me."

You should be aware of this pattern, but for this lesson, we will use the pattern:

FAMILY MEMBER 和我。(hé wǒ.)

"FAMILY MEMBER and me."

Let's review the key vocabulary.

姐姐 (jiějie),

"older sister."

姐姐 . 姐姐。

弟弟 (dìdi),

"younger brother."

弟弟 . 弟弟。

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speakers, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how Lisa says

“Yes, it is.”

是的 (shì de)

And how to say "me?"

我 (wǒ)

Do you remember how to say “and?”

和 (hé)

And how to say "younger sister?"

妹妹 (mèimèi)

And do you remember how to say "younger brother?"

弟弟 (dìdì)

Do you remember how to say "mother?"

妈妈 (māma)

And how to say "father?"

爸爸 (bàba)

Do you remember how to say "my father?"

我的爸爸 (wǒ de bàba)

And how to say "this?"

这 (zhè)

Do you remember how Lisa says,

"Yes, it is. This is my father, mother, younger brother, younger sister, and me."?

是的。这是我的爸爸、弟弟、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

是的。这是我的爸爸、妈妈、妹妹和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, dìdì, mèimei hé wǒ.)

Do you remember how to say "family"?

家人 (jiārén)

And how to say “your family?”

你的家人 (nǐ de jiārén)

Do you remember how to say the question-marking particle?

吗 (ma)

Do you remember how Lu asks,

"Is this your family?"

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

And how to say "older brother?"

哥哥 (gēge)

Do you remember how to say "older sister?"

姐姐 (jiějie)

Let's practice.

Imagine you’re Jason , and you have a father, 爸爸 (bàba), mother, 妈妈 (māma), younger sister, 妹妹 (mèimèi), and an older sister, 姐姐 (jiějie).

Respond to your friend’s question referring to the photo.

Don’t forget to include "Yes, it is," at the beginning of your response.

Ready?

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

是的。这是我的爸爸、妈妈、妹妹、姐姐和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, mèimèi, jiějie hé wǒ.)

Listen again and repeat.

是的。这是我的爸爸、妈妈、妹妹、姐姐和我。(Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, mèimèi, jiějie hé wǒ.)

Let’s try another.

Imagine you’re Lisa’s classmate, Zhenxuan .

You have a father, 爸爸 (bàba), mother, 妈妈 (māma), and an older sister, 姐姐 (jiějie).

Ready?

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

是的。这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和我。 (Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie hé wǒ.)

Listen again and repeat.

是的。这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和我。 (Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie hé wǒ.)

Let’s try one more.

Imagine you’re Lisa's classmate and language-exchange partner, Lu .

You have a father, 爸爸 (bàba), mother, 妈妈 (māma), older sister, 姐姐 (jiějie), and younger brother, 弟弟 (dìdi).

Ready?

这是你的家人吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de jiārén ma?)

是的。这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐、弟弟和我。 (Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie, dìdi hé wǒ.)

Listen again and repeat.

是的。这是我的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐、弟弟和我。 (Shì de. Zhè shì wǒ de bàba, māma, jiějie, dìdi hé wǒ.)

Well Done! This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to talk about your parents and siblings, an essential skill for talking about your family.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

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