Ch 25 · Lesson 11Mandarin · Chapter 25 · Lesson 11 · Common mistake
个, 本 or 张?
is the safe default, until a noun has a measure word of its own.
The rule
(gè) is the general measure word, right for people and for a great many things: , . But a noun with its own measure word needs it. (běn) is for books and anything bound, such as magazines; (zhāng) is for flat things such as tickets, photos and tables. is not informal, it is wrong.
Pick the right one
0/6Pick the right one: 个 or 本 or 张.
我买了一书。 (I bought a book)
wǒ mǎi le yī ___ shū 。 (I bought a book)
我有两问题。 (I have two questions)
wǒ yǒu liǎng ___ wèn tí 。 (I have two questions)
我买了两票。 (I bought two tickets)
wǒ mǎi le liǎng ___ piào 。 (I bought two tickets)
我有三朋友。 (I have three friends)
wǒ yǒu sān ___ péng you 。 (I have three friends)
桌子上有三照片。 (there are three photos on the table)
zhuō zǐ shàng yǒu sān ___ zhào piàn 。 (there are three photos on the table)
这杂志很有意思。 (this magazine is very interesting)
zhè ___ zá zhì hěn yǒu yì si 。 (this magazine is very interesting)
You met this in chapter 4. Worth a second look if the drill caught you out.
Back to the full lessonLesson 11 of 29 in this chapter