GCSE Mandarin: Family and Relationships Revision Guide

Key vocabulary

• 家庭 (jiātíng) — family
• 爸爸 (bàba) — dad
• 妈妈 (māma) — mum
• 哥哥 (gēge) — older brother
• 弟弟 (dìdi) — younger brother
• 姐姐 (jiějie) — older sister
• 妹妹 (mèimei) — younger sister
• 儿子 (érzi) — son
• 女儿 (nǚ'ér) — daughter
• 爷爷 (yéye) — grandpa (father's side)
• 奶奶 (nǎinai) — grandma (father's side)
• 狗 (gǒu) — dog
• 猫 (māo) — cat

Grammar point: showing possession with 的

The particle 的 (de) is placed after a person or pronoun to show possession, similar to ''s' in English. For example: 我的爸爸 (wǒ de bàba) — 'my dad'; 他的猫 (tā de māo) — 'his cat'. Note that 的 is often dropped with close family members in casual speech (e.g. 我爸爸 is also acceptable), but it is safer to include it for GCSE writing and speaking.

Grammar point: measure words

In Mandarin, a measure word must be placed between a number and a noun. Unlike English, you cannot say 'one brother' directly — you must say 'one [measure word] brother'. The most common general measure word is 个 (gè), used for people: 一个哥哥 (yí gè gēge) — 'one older brother'. Animals use a different measure word, 只 (zhī): 两只猫 (liǎng zhī māo) — 'two cats'. Note that 'two' before a measure word is 两 (liǎng), not 二 (èr).

Talking about your family with 有

The verb 有 (yǒu) means 'to have' and is used to describe family members: 我有一个姐姐和一个弟弟 (wǒ yǒu yí gè jiějie hé yí gè dìdi) — 'I have an older sister and a younger brother'. To say you have no siblings, use the negative form 没有 (méiyǒu): 我没有兄弟姐妹 (wǒ méiyǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi) — 'I don't have any siblings'.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the measure word between a number and a noun — you must say 一个姐姐, not 一姐姐.
• Using 二 instead of 两 before a measure word when saying 'two' (两个, not 二个).
• Confusing 有 (to have) with 是 (to be) — family relationships and possession use 有, not 是.