A clause is a group of words with a verb in it, like “loves to eat candy” or “you bought.” In Chinese, you can put a clause in front of a noun to describe it, and 的 de links the two together. It does the same job as “who” or “that” in English: “the child who loves candy,” “the clothes that you bought.”
一 The Basic Pattern
Clause + 的 + Noun
The whole description goes before the noun, and 的 de sits in between. When the noun is the one doing the action, the clause is just the verb (and its object).
愛爱吃糖的那個那个孩子是我兒子儿子
The child who loves to eat candy is my son.
教你中文的老師老师也是我的老師老师
The teacher who teaches you Chinese is also my teacher.
不給给我錢钱的人不可以離開离开
Anyone who doesn’t give me money can’t leave.
The clause can be negative too.
想喝咖啡的人舉手举手
Raise your hand if you want coffee.
Literally: “People who want coffee, raise your hands.”
二 When the Clause Has Its Own Subject
The clause can also have its own subject. Then the noun is the thing (or person) that the action is done to.
Subject + Verb + 的 + Noun
你說说的那個那个人是我前女友
The person you’re talking about is my ex-girlfriend.
你知道你穿的衣服是我買买的嗎吗？
Do you know that the clothes you’re wearing are the ones I bought?
Where does 那個那个 go?那個那个nàge can go either before the clause or right before the noun. Both of these are correct: 愛吃糖的那個孩子爱吃糖的那个孩子 and 那個愛吃糖的孩子那个爱吃糖的孩子.
三 Compare with English
English puts the description after the noun. Chinese puts it before. This is the biggest thing to get used to.
English
the teacher who teaches you Chinese
Noun first, then the description with “who” or “that.”
Chinese
教你中文的老師老师
Description first, then 的, then the noun. No word for “who” or “that” is needed.
四 Common Mistakes
❌ 老師老师的教你中文
✅ 教你中文的老師老师
Don’t follow English word order. The description comes first, and the noun comes last.
❌ 我昨天買买衣服很好看
✅ 我昨天買买的衣服很好看
Without 的 de, it sounds like “I bought clothes yesterday,” and the rest of the sentence doesn’t fit. 的 de turns it into “the clothes I bought yesterday.”
❌ 那個那个女生誰谁在唱歌是我姐姐
✅ 在唱歌的那個那个女生是我姐姐
誰谁shéi means “who?” as a question word only. It can’t be used like English “who” to link a description. Use 的 de instead.
五 Practice
Tap the words below in the right order to build the sentence, then check your answer. If it’s wrong, you can try again as many times as you like, or hit “Show answer” if you get stuck. Careful: some tiles are traps and are not needed!
Question 1 of 10
“The book I bought yesterday is really interesting.”
Tap words below to build the sentence
❌ Try Again
我昨天買买的書书很有意思
Starting with 昨天 zuótiān is also correct.
我昨天買我昨天买 is the description, and 的 de links it to 書书shū.
“The person who is singing is my older sister.”
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❌ Try Again
在唱歌的那個那个人是我姐姐
那個那个 at the front (那個在唱歌的人是我姐姐那个在唱歌的人是我姐姐) is also correct.
The 誰谁shéi tile is a trap. Chinese doesn’t use a “who” word to link the description.
“Students who didn’t do their homework have to stay.”
Tap words below to build the sentence
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沒没寫写功課作业的學生学生要留下來留下来
The whole negative clause 沒寫功課没写作业 describes the students.
“Is this the cake your mom made?”
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❌ Try Again
這这是你媽媽妈妈做的蛋糕嗎吗？
The clause 你媽媽做你妈妈做 has its own subject (your mom), and the cake is what she made.
“The restaurant we went to last time has closed.”
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我們我们上次去的那家餐廳餐馆關門关门了
Starting with 上次 shàngcì is also correct.
The description 我們上次去我们上次去 comes before 那家餐廳那家餐馆.
“Anyone who has questions can ask me.”
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有問題问题的人可以問问我
“People who have questions” becomes 有問題的人有问题的人: description, 的 de, then the noun.
“I don’t like people who are always late.”
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我不喜歡喜欢常常遲到迟到的人
The description can come after the verb too, right in front of the noun it describes.
“The coffee you gave me is really good.”
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你給给我的咖啡很好喝
The 地 de tile is a trap. It sounds the same, but it links a description to a verb. Before a noun, use 的 de.
“Who is the person sitting next to you?”
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坐在你旁邊旁边的那個那个人是誰谁？
Here 誰谁shéi is the real question word at the end, not a linking word.
“Where’s the phone I just put on the table?”
Tap words below to build the sentence
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我剛剛刚刚放在桌上的手機手机在哪裡哪里？
Starting with 剛剛刚刚gānggāng is also correct.
A long description is no problem: 我剛剛放在桌上我刚刚放在桌上 all goes before 的 de.
