Family and things you have

Google voice when available; device voice as a fallback. Pinyin shows dictionary tones; natural speech includes the tone changes taught in the lessons.

Put the owner first

的 links an owner to a noun: 我的书, “my book”. The owner comes before 的 and the thing owned comes after it. 的 is neutral in tone.

With close family relationships, 的 is often omitted after a pronoun: 我姐姐 is natural. You can also say 我的姐姐; the shorter form is common in everyday conversation.

Use 有 and 没有

有 means “have”. A simple question adds 吗: 你有书吗？ For a negative statement use 没有, not 不有.

The same 有 can express existence, but first practice ownership. 我没有书 says “I don’t have a book/books”; nouns do not automatically change form for singular and plural. Context and quantity words clarify the number.

Learn family words as relationships

Mandarin distinguishes older and younger siblings. 哥哥 is an older brother, 弟弟 a younger brother, 姐姐 an older sister, and 妹妹 a younger sister. Their second syllables are neutral in the forms taught here.

一个 means “one” with the general measure word 个. You will study measure words in Unit 3. Use invented family details if you prefer; no personal information is needed.

Lesson vocabulary

Listen once, say it aloud, and try to recall the Chinese before looking.

Practice questions

Try every question, then check your answers. Capital letters and punctuation do not affect your score. Pinyin tone marks matter. For typed answers, use simplified characters or the taught pinyin (spacing is flexible).

Showing an answer makes that question a practice item worth zero for this attempt. Retry with the answers hidden when you’re ready. If audio cannot play, use Show answer / text to practice by reading.

Independent practice

These are independent practice tasks. The site does not record your voice, save your writing, or grade open-ended answers. Ask a teacher or conversation partner for feedback when you can.