Cases

Understanding Cases in Mandarin Chinese

Subject Case

• Subject is the doer or performer of the action in a sentence.
• In Mandarin, the subject generally comes before the verb.
• Subject pronouns include: 我 (I), 你 (you), 他 / 她 / 它 (he / she / it), 我们 (we), 你们 (you plural), and 他们 / 她们 / 它们 (they).

Object Case

• Objects receive or respond to the action of a verb.
• Generally, in Mandarin, the object comes after the verb.
• Object pronouns are similar as subject pronouns, 我 (me), 你(you), 他 / 她 / 它 (him / her / it), 我们 (us), 你们 (you plural), and 他们 / 她们 / 它们 (them).

Possessive Case

• This case shows ownership or relation.
• Mandarin possessive pronouns include: 我的 (my), 你的 (your), 他的 / 她的 / 它的 (his/ her/ its), 我们的 (our), 你们的 (your plural) and 他们的 / 她们的 / 它们的 (their).
• 的 is often used to mark possession, in a similar way to ‘s in English.

Utilising Cases in Sentence Determination

• Word order in Mandarin is typically subject - verb - object (SVO).
• Example: 我喜欢猫。 (I like cats.) - 我 (subject), 喜欢 (verb), 猫 (object).
• The use of 是 indicates a state or condition and links a subject to a description.
• Example: 他是老师。 (He is a teacher.) - 他 (subject), 是 (verb), 老师 (complement).
• The object generally follows the verb and is the receiver of the action.
• Example: 你看书。 (You read a book.) - 你(subject), 看(verb), 书(object).

Remember, the rules of grammar are a guide. Some sentence structures might not strictly adhere to these guidelines, but becoming familiar with the typical cases and their use will greatly enhance your ability to comprehend and construct sentences in Mandarin Chinese.