Beginner Lesson 18.1 – Ask Which
VOCABULARY
GRAMMAR
Grammar 1: Ask Which in Chinese · HSK 1
nǎ 哪 which
哪 is the pronoun we use to ask which in Chinese. It cannot be followed directly by a noun. Instead, we need to follow this structure:
哪 + Measure Word + Noun
For example:
- nǎge rén
哪个人
which person - nǎwèi lǎoshī
哪位老师
which teacher
Grammar 2: Measure Word in Chinese (III)· HSK 1
zhè 这 this, nà 那 that, and nǎ 哪 which are all Pronouns in Chinese. When they are used before nouns, we need to follow this structure:
Pronoun (这/那/哪) + Measure Word + Noun
This is one of the most important usages of Measure Word in Chinese. Here are some examples:
| PINYIN | CHINESE | ENGLISH |
| zhège píngguǒ | 这个苹果 | this apple |
| nàge xīngqī | 那个星期 | that week |
| nǎge yuè | 哪个月 | which month |
| zhèwèi péngyou | 这位朋友 | this friend |
| nàwèi lǎoshī | 那位老师 | that teacher |
| nǎwèi tóngxué | 哪位同学 | which classmate |
| zhège 'érzi | 这个儿子 | this son |
| nàge nǚ'ér | 那个女儿 | that daughter |
| nǎge gēge | 哪个哥哥 | which big brother |
Sometimes 这, 那 , 哪 can be directly used before Nouns, with the Measure Word omitted. Here are some examples:
| PINYIN | CHINESE | ENGLISH |
| zhèzhōu | 这周 | this week |
| nàtiān | 那天 | that day |
| nǎnián | 哪年 |
which year |
NOTES: We can say nànián 那年 that year and nǎnián 哪年 which year, but we don't say zhènián 这年 for "this year" because we say jīnnián 今年.
Grammar 3: 同学 VS. 学生 in Chinese· HSK 1
In Chinese 学生 means student, while 同学 means classmate, basically people who take the same class with you. But sometimes 同学 can be used to address someone who appears to be a student. Generally, 学生 is the identity of being a student, and 同学 is either "your classmate", or the name or title you use to address someone that you believe to be a student, usually when (1) you are older and not a student yourself, or (2) you are also a student but not necessarily in the same class or school.