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How to use pronouns in Mandarin

Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence to avoid repetition and make communication clearer. They help refer to people, places, things, or ideas without constantly repeating their names.

Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to refer to specific people or things.

While in English there's subject and object pronouns, Mandarin uses the same words for both cases, no matter the order or function in the sentence.

pronoun
hànzì
pīnyīn
I
you
she
he
it
we
我们
wǒmen
you
你们
nǐmen
they
他们
tāmen
I like you
 喜欢 
you like me
 喜欢 

In English you would have to adapt to me, him, her, us and them, but you can keep the same pronouns in Mandarin.

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronous can be used to show ownership. To indicate possession in Mandarin, simply add 的 (de) after any of the previous pronouns.

this is my book
  我的 

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same, like myself, himself, ourselves. The reflexive pronouns are formed simply by adding 自己 (zìjǐ).

he cooks by himself
 自己 做饭

Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to indicate specific things.

pronoun
hànzì
pīnyīn
this
zhè
that
these
这些
zhèxiē
those
那些
nàxiē
here
这里
zhèlǐ
there
那里
nàlǐ
this is my friend
  我的 朋友

Interrogative pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. Some words are interrogative adverbs in English, but in Mandarin there's little distinction.

pronoun
hànzì
pīnyīn
who
shéi
what
什么
shénme
which
where
哪里
nǎlǐ
when
什么时候
shénme shíhou
why
为什么
wèishénme
how
怎么
zěnme
how many
多少
duōshǎo
who are you?
  谁?

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns can introduce dependent clauses. Mandarin doesn't have relative pronouns such as who and which. Instead, you must use 的 (de) to indicate that.

subject + relative pronoun + object + to be + complement
object + 的 + subject + complement
the phone that I bought yesterday was very expensive
 昨天   手机  
the restaurant where we ate was very crowded
我们 吃饭  饭馆  拥挤
the movie which we watched yesterday was interesting
我们 昨天   电影  有趣

Indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are words that refer to non-specific people or things.

pronoun
hànzì
pīnyīn
any
任何
rènhé
someone / anyone
有人
yǒurén
anyone
没人
méirén
nobody
任何人
rènhérén
something / anything
什么
shénme
everthing
什么都
shénmedōu
nothing
什么也
shénmeyě
anywhere
哪里
nǎlǐ
everywhere
哪里都
nǎlǐdōu
nowhere
哪里也
nǎlǐyě
sometime / anytime
什么时候
shénme shíhou
always
什么时候都
shénme shíhoudōu
never
什么时候也
shénme shíhouě
he likes to eat everything
 什么都 喜欢 

Without directly equivalent in Enlish, 多少 (duōshǎo) can be used for any amount, also adding 都 and 也 for negation.

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