Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 16

CEFR A2-B1

4 min read

Test yourself (16 questions)

Mandarin Relative Clauses: The Clause Goes Before 的

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

English hangs the description after the noun: the book that I bought. Mandarin puts it in front and joins it with (de): (wǒ mǎi de shū). There is no word for who, which or that, and the noun comes last.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. zhè shì shū de wǒ mǎi 。

  2. wǒ yǒu yí gè péng you shuí huì shuō zhōng wén 。

  3. zhè shì wǒ zuó tiān mǎi dì shū 。

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

the clause (describes the noun)的 de (the link)What do the colours mean?
Clause
的
Noun
HanziPinyinEnglish
wǒ mǎi de shūthe book (that) I bought
zuótiān lái de rénthe person who came yesterday
huì shuō Zhōngwén de péngyoua friend who can speak Chinese
zài zhuōzi shang de bēizithe cup on the table

Clause first, (de) in the middle, noun last: the reverse of English. It is the (wǒ de shū) pattern from possession with 的, with a whole clause where (wǒ) was.

Who's who?
Four panels, each person in the middle of an action: a woman with long hair and a bow reads an open book; a man with a moustache stirs a steaming pot on the stove; a boy runs, arms swinging; a girl with pigtails talks on the phone, with sound waves and a speech bubble.

看书的人 (kàn shū de rén): the person reading. 做饭的人 (zuòfàn de rén): the person cooking. 跑步的孩子 (pǎobù de háizi): the child running. 打电话的女孩 (dǎ diànhuà de nǚhái): the girl on the phone.

No who, which or that

the clause (describes the noun)的 de (the link)What do the colours mean?

English picks a link word to suit the noun. Mandarin uses (de) every time:

HanziPinyinEnglish
huì shuō Zhōngwén de péngyoua friend who can speak Chinese
wǒ mǎi de shūthe book that I bought
tā zhù de fángzithe house where he lives
wǒmen qù guo de dìfangthe places we've been to

Never add a second link word. (shéi) asks who but never links a clause to a noun, so is English grammar in Chinese characters. Put the clause first: 。 (wǒ yǒu yí ge huì shuō Zhōngwén de péngyou), I have a friend who can speak Chinese.

The noun can be the doer or the thing

the clause (describes the noun)的 de (the link)What do the colours mean?

The clause has a gap where the noun would go, and the gap tells you its role:

HanziPinyinEnglish
xǐhuan wǒ de rénthe person who likes me
wǒ xǐhuan de rénthe person I like
lái de rénthe people who came
tā xiě de xìnthe letter he wrote

(xǐhuan wǒ) has no one doing the liking, so the noun does it. (wǒ xǐhuan) has nothing being liked, so the noun is the thing liked. Nothing fills the gap: no pronoun, no (tā).

Long clauses: jump to the 的 (de)

the clause (describes the noun)的 de (the link)What do the colours mean?

Mandarin makes you wait for the noun. The trick is to jump to the (de): the noun is straight after it, and everything before it is description.

When
Where
Doing
的
Noun
HanziPinyinEnglish
zuótiān zài túshūguǎn kàn shū de nàge rénthat person reading in the library yesterday
wǒ zuótiān zài Běijīng mǎi de shūthe book I bought in Beijing yesterday

Read the first row backwards in English: that person, who was reading, in the library, yesterday.

With 这 (zhè), 那 (nà) and measure words

the clause (describes the noun)的 de (the link)What do the colours mean?

(zhè) or (nà) with its measure word can go before the clause or after it, just before the noun:

HanziPinyinEnglish
wǒ zuótiān mǎi de nà běn shūthat book I bought yesterday
nà běn wǒ zuótiān mǎi de shūthat book I bought yesterday
yí ge huì shuō Zhōngwén de Yīngguó péngyoua British friend who can speak Chinese

Both orders in the first two rows are natural. A word joined straight to the noun with no (de), such as (Yīngguó) in (Yīngguó péngyou), stays right next to it.

Leaving out the noun: 我买的 (wǒ mǎi de)

the clause (describes the noun)的 de (the link)What do the colours mean?

When the noun is obvious, drop it. The (de) phrase then means "the one that" or "what":

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ mǎi de tài guì le.The one I bought was too dear
。Wǒ yào hóng de.I want the red one
。Tā shuō de shì zhēn de.What he said is true
。Zuótiān lái de shì wǒ péngyou.The one who came yesterday is my friend

This is the same trick that makes (wǒ de) mean "mine", and you will hear it constantly.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。no word for who: the clause goes first
clause, then (de), then the noun
a clause needs (de) to join the noun
a noun follows, so (de), not (de)

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Describe three people with a clause: (zhù zài Běijīng de péngyou), a friend who lives in Beijing.
  3. Then read the two 了 (le), the next grammar in the course.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/6

Does the noun do the action, or have it done to it?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order. The clause goes before 的, the noun after it.

  1. This is the book I bought.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I have a friend who can speak Chinese.

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. zhè shì shū de wǒ mǎi 。

  2. wǒ yǒu yí gè péng you shuí huì shuō zhōng wén 。

  3. zhè shì wǒ zuó tiān mǎi dì shū 。

Matching

0/5

Match each phrase to its English.

Chapters 1 and 2 free

This article is one lesson in a whole course

Every grammar point has its own article and drill, and the course wraps them in graded stories, games and printable worksheets, in the order you need them.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.

Start learning free

Mandarin · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The whole system on one screen
  3. No who, which or that
  4. The noun can be the doer or the thing
  5. Long clauses: jump to the 的 (de)
  6. With 这 (zhè), 那 (nà) and measure words
  7. Leaving out the noun: 我买的 (wǒ mǎi de)
  8. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'the book that I bought' in Mandarin?
Put the clause before the noun and join them with (de): (wǒ mǎi de shū). There is no word for 'that'; does the linking, and the noun comes last.
Does Mandarin have relative pronouns like 'who' or 'which'?
No. (zuótiān lái de rén) is 'the person who came yesterday', and (tā xǐhuan de diànyǐng) is 'the film he likes'. (shéi) asks who; it never links a clause to a noun.
How do you know if the noun is the subject or the object of the clause?
From the gap. (xǐhuan wǒ de rén) has no one doing the liking, so the noun does it: the person who likes me. (wǒ xǐhuan de rén) has nothing being liked, so the noun is it: the person I like.
Can you drop the noun after (de)?
Yes, when it is obvious: (wǒ yào hóng de), I want the red one; (tā shuō de shì zhēn de), what he said is true. The phrase stands for 'the one that'.
Where do (zhè), (nà) and measure words go with a relative clause?
Either before the clause or after it: (nà běn wǒ zuótiān mǎi de shū) and (wǒ zuótiān mǎi de nà běn shū) both mean that book I bought yesterday.