Particles (的, 了, 吗) in Chinese 小词
xiǎo cí
Particle (grammar word) in Chinese is 助词 (zhù cí).
Also searched for as: chinese particles, grammar particles, de le ma, little words.
The tiny words that hold sentences together. 15 essential little words words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Chinese grammar leans on small particles rather than word endings, and 的 (de) is one of the most frequent characters in the language, marking possession as in 我的书 (wǒ de shū), 'my book'. This list covers the little words that change a sentence's meaning or mood: 了 (le) for change or completion, 吗 (ma) for yes-no questions, 吧 (ba) for suggestions, and 把 (bǎ) and 被 (bèi) for rearranging word order.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 的 | de | (possessive) 's |
| 了 | le | (change or completed action) |
| 吗 | ma | (yes/no question) |
| 呢 | ne | and you?; (ongoing) |
| 吧 | ba | (suggestion) |
| 啊 | a | (exclamation; softening) |
| 过 | guò | (have done before) |
| 着 | zhe | (ongoing state) |
| 得 | de | (how something is done) |
| 地 | de | -ly (adverb marker) |
| 们 | men | (plural for people) |
| 把 | bǎ | (moves the object before the verb) |
| 被 | bèi | (passive) by |
| 跟 | gēn | with |
| 从 | cóng | from |
Usage tips
- 的 (de), 得 (de) and 地 (de) sound identical: 的 comes before nouns, 得 after verbs to describe how something is done, and 地 before verbs, like English '-ly'.
- 吧 (ba) softens a sentence into a suggestion or a guess: 我们走吧 (wǒ men zǒu ba), 'let's go', or 你是学生吧？ (nǐ shì xué sheng ba), 'you're a student, right?'
- 的 is often dropped with close relationships and groups you belong to, as in 我妈妈 (wǒ mā ma), 'my mum', and 我们学校 (wǒ men xué xiào), 'our school'.
Common mistakes
- Adding 了 (le) to every past sentence: 了 marks completion or change, not past tense, so past habits take no 了, as in 我以前常常去 (wǒ yǐ qián cháng cháng qù), 'I used to go often'.
- Using 被 (bèi) as freely as the English passive: 被 usually suggests something unwanted happened, so neutral sentences stay active, as in 这本书是他写的 (zhè běn shū shì tā xiě de), 'this book was written by him'.
Mini dialogue
- A你去过中国吗？Nǐ qù guo Zhōng guó ma?Have you been to China?
- B去过，我在北京住了两年。你呢？Qù guo, wǒ zài Běi jīng zhù le liǎng nián. Nǐ ne?Yes, I lived in Beijing for two years. What about you?
- A我还没去过。明年我们一起去吧！Wǒ hái méi qù guo. Míng nián wǒ men yī qǐ qù ba!I haven't been yet. Let's go together next year!
- B好啊！Hǎo a!Sure!
Example sentences
- 这是我的书。This is my book.
- 我吃饭了。I've eaten.
- 你是老师吗？Are you a teacher?
- 我很好，你呢？I'm fine, and you?
- 我们走吧！Let's go!
- 好啊！Sure!
- 我去过中国。I've been to China.
- 门开着。The door is open.
- 她唱得很好。She sings very well.
- 他慢慢地走过来。He walked over slowly.
- 同学们好！Hello, everyone!
- 请把门关上。Please close the door.
- 我的蛋糕被吃了！My cake has been eaten!
- 我跟朋友去看电影。I'm going to the cinema with a friend.
- 我从英国来。I'm from the UK.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Little words speaking island has 8 everyday questions about little words to prepare your own answers to.