Language/Yue-chinese/Grammar/Plurals
Hi Yue Chinese learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be focusing on plurals in Yue Chinese. As with many languages, the rules for plurals can be quite complex, but we will break it down into easy-to-understand concepts. We'll also be weaving cultural information and interesting facts regarding Chinese language and customs throughout the lesson. So let's dive in!
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Nouns, Yue Chinese Grammar → Final Review → Comprehensive Review, Sentence Pattern Changes & Location and Direction.
Basic Rules[edit | edit source]
In Yue Chinese, adding the suffix 们(mèn) to a noun generally makes it plural. For example, "people" in Yue Chinese is 人 (rén). To make it plural, you add 们(mèn) to make 人们 (rén mèn) which means "people". Here's another example:
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 学生 (xué shēng) | sshway shung | student (singular) |
| 学生们 (xué shēng mén) | sshway shung mun | students (plural) |
However, there are some nouns in Yue Chinese which don't require the suffix 们(mèn) to indicate that they are plural. For example, the word "sheep" in Yue Chinese is 羊 (yáng). To make it plural, you simply add 羊 (yáng) again which becomes 羊羊 (yáng yáng) which means "sheep".
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 羊 (yáng) | yung | sheep (singular) |
| 羊羊 (yáng yáng) | yung yung | sheep (plural) |
Plural Demonstratives[edit | edit source]
In English, we use different words like "this" or "these" depending on if the noun is singular or plural. In Yue Chinese, the demonstratives (words that indicate specific people, things, or ideas) also change depending on whether the noun is singular or plural. The singular form of "this" in Yue Chinese is 这个 (zhè ge) and the plural form is 这些 (zhè xiē). Here are some examples:
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个 (zhè ge) | juh guh | this (singular) |
| 这些 (zhè xiē) | juh sye | these (plural) |
| 那个 (nà ge) | nuh guh | that (singular) |
| 那些 (nà xiē) | nuh sye | those (plural) |
Plural Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Just like with demonstratives, personal pronouns also change depending on whether the noun they are referring to is singular or plural. The personal pronoun for "I" in Yue Chinese is 我 (wǒ) and the plural form is 我们 (wǒ mèn) which means "we".
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我 (wǒ) | wuh | I, me (singular) |
| 我们 (wǒ mèn) | wuh mun | we, us (plural) |
| 你 (nǐ) | nee | you (singular) |
| 你们 (nǐ mèn) | nee mun | you all, you guys, y'all (plural) |
| 他 (tā) | tah | he, him, she, her (singular) |
| 他们 (tā mèn) | tah mun | they, them (plural) |
Counters[edit | edit source]
In Yue Chinese, classifiers or counters (量词 Liàngcí) are used to describe the quantity of objects. Something as seemingly simple as counting objects in Chinese is a little more complex than in English but will become second nature with practice. Here are some common examples of Yue Chinese counters:
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一本书(yī běn shū) | yee bun shoo | one book |
| 两本书(liǎng běn shū) | lyung bun shoo | two books |
| 三只猫(sān zhī māo) | san jir maow | three cats |
| 四条裤子(sì tiáo kùzi) | sih tyauh koo dz | four pairs of pants |
Notice how different classifiers are used for different objects.
Culturally Speaking[edit | edit source]
In Chinese culture, there are many superstitions around numbers. The number 4 (sì) and numbers that sound similar to it are considered unlucky because 4 (死 sǐ) sounds like "death". So the number 4 is avoided in things like phone numbers and addresses. The number 8 (bā) is considered a lucky and auspicious number because it sounds like the Chinese word for "wealth" (发 fā). Place numbers that include lots of 8's in any sort of financial or business dealings to bring good luck.
Chinese people are obsessed with good luck and good fortune, so it's not surprising that even the way they count their objects has an element of superstition to it. When counting out loud in Chinese, the order of the numbers is particularly important, especially when it comes to lucky or unlucky numbers. For example, the number 5 (wǔ) is considered lucky, so it's common to group things in fives (五个 wǔ ge) or multiples of five when counting them out loud. In turn, lucky numbers 6 therefore take on even luckier meanings when presented in the Lucky 6 format of 666, often seen on car licence plates and phone numbers.
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
To help you better understand plurals in context, here is an example conversation:
- Person 1: 这是你们的狗吗？(zhè shì nǐ mén de gǒu ma?) (Is this your all's (group) dog?)
- Person 2: 是，那是我们家的狗。(shì, nà shì wǒ mén jiā de gǒu.) (Yes, that is our family's dog.)
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
And there you have it! Plurals may be a bit tricky, but with some practice and exposure to Yue Chinese, they will become easier to understand and use. Don't hesitate to use sites like Polyglot Club to find native speakers and ask them any questions you may have. Additionally, you can check out our [Language/Yue-chinese/Grammar|Grammar] page to learn more about Yue Chinese grammar. Thanks for reading and happy learning, friends! 🎉
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
Sources[edit | edit source]
Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Yue Chinese Grammar Intermediate Grammar Verb Tense, Yue Chinese Grammar → Advanced Grammar → Possibility and ..., Negation & Making Comparisons.
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Negation
- Nouns
- Adjectives
- Future Tense
- Questions
- How to Use Have
- Conditional Mood
- Pronouns
- How to Use Be