This lesson is about the personal pronouns in Mandarin. Before moving on with this lesson, you should know about the differences between English and Chinese concerning the usage of personal pronouns.
In English, personal pronouns change according to their positions in the sentence. For example, we use "I" as the subject and "me" as an object. But in Chinese, there's no such rule. We use the same word whether it's a subject or an object. You will get a better understanding as the lesson unfolds.
In English, personal pronouns change according to their positions in the sentence. For example, we use "I" as the subject and "me" as an object. But in Chinese, there's no such rule. We use the same word whether it's a subject or an object. You will get a better understanding as the lesson unfolds.
1st Person Singular
The first person singular in Chinese is 我(ㄨㄛˇ; wǒ). 我 means I or me. 我 can be used both as a subject and as an object.It's the same with other personal pronouns in Chinese.
2nd Person Singular
- 你(ㄋㄧˇ; nǐ) is a second person singular. 你 means you, but 你 is singular. The radical of 你 is 亻(ㄖㄣˊ; rén). 亻 suggests people.
- If we replace the 亻 radical of 你 with 女(ㄋㄩˇ; nǚ), it becomes 妳(ㄋㄧˇ; nǐ). 妳 is a feminine second-person singular pronoun. 女 means female or woman. 妳 is a relatively new word, coined under the influence of Western culture. Before Western culture's influence, Chinese personal pronouns don't have genders. In Taiwan, 妳 is quite commonly used. But, according to Wikipedia, 妳 is not used in Mainland China.
- 您(ㄋㄧㄣˊ; nín) also means you. Notice that 您 is the second tone. 您 is used to show respect to the person you are addressing to, especially in formal usage. There is a 心(ㄒㄧㄣˉ; xīn) under 你. 心 means heart. It symbolizes "I put you on my heart."
3rd Person Singular
There are many different words for third person singular in Taiwanese Mandarin.
- 他(ㄊㄚˉ; tā) means he or him.
- 她(ㄊㄚˉ; tā) means she or her.
- 它(ㄊㄚˉ; tā) is for plants or objects with no life.
- 牠(ㄊㄚˉ; tā) is used for animals. Its radical is 牛(ㄋㄧㄡˊ; niú), which means cow or ox.
- 祂(ㄊㄚˉ; tā) is for deities. Its radical is 礻, which indicates deity.
Although they are written differently, their pronunciations are the same. They are all commonly used in Taiwan. But in mainland China, they only have 他 and 它
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