HSK 1Lesson 13
The lesson uses home and classroom objects to practice small quantities. You focus on the right measure word for each noun.
You will learn to count family members, books, cups, cats, and dogs with common measure words.
Count visible people, family groups, books, cups, cats, and dogs.
Part 1 · 11 new words
Contains 4 words
measure word (general)
measure word (books)
measure word (family members)
measure word (animals)
Contains 2 words
how many; how much
few; little
Contains 2 words
cup; glass
home; family
Contains 3 words
cat
dog
Part 2 · 12 phrases
一个人
one person
一本书
one book
一个杯子
one cup
两个杯子
two cups
三口人
three family members
你家有几口人？
How many people are in your family?
我家有三口人。
There are three people in my family.
要几个杯子？
How many cups are needed?
Part 3 · 4 conversations
A classmate asks how many people are in a family and who the three people are.
美美Meimei
你家有几口人？
How many people are in your family?
方方Fangfang
我家有三口人。
There are three people in my family.
美美Meimei
都是谁？
Part 4 · 2 points
Numbers, measure words, and quantity questions
Chinese often places a measure word between the number and noun: 三口人sān kǒu rén, 一本书yì běn shū, 一只小猫yì zhī xiǎo māo. Use 几jǐ with a measure word to ask small quantities, and use 多少duōshao for a more open quantity question.
Count a noun
Counts people, books, cups, or animals with the right measure word.
small; young
多少人
how many people
很少
very few
我家有猫
my family has a cat
他家有狗
his family has a dog
Who are they?
方方Fangfang
爸爸、妈妈和我。
My father, my mother, and me.
Classmates check the group size and count cups and books for the group.
美美Meimei
有多少人？
How many people are there?
方方Fangfang
四个人。
Four people.
美美Meimei
你有几个杯子？
How many cups do you have?
方方Fangfang
我有两个杯子，五本书。杯子少，书不少。
I have two cups and five books. There are few cups, but quite a few books.
Two classmates ask how many dogs are at home and describe the small dog.
美美Meimei
你家有几只狗？
How many dogs does your family have?
方方Fangfang
我家有一只小狗。
My family has one small dog.
美美Meimei
小狗几岁了？
How old is the dog?
方方Fangfang
两岁了。
It is two years old.
Two classmates count cats and ask whether there is also a dog.
美美Meimei
你家有几只猫？
How many cats does your family have?
方方Fangfang
两只小猫。
Two small cats.
美美Meimei
有狗吗？
Do you have a dog?
方方Fangfang
没有狗。
There is no dog.
三口人sān kǒu rén uses 口kǒu because the sentence is counting people in a family.
Ask a small expected quantity
Asks how many when the answer is expected to be a small count.
几口人jǐ kǒu rén asks how many family members.
Ask an open quantity
Asks how many without choosing a measure word first.
多少人duōshao rén asks about the number of people more generally.
In sentences
Family count
三口人
three family members
Use 口kǒu when counting family members.
Book count
一本书
one book
Use 本běn when counting books.
Cup count
一个杯子
one cup
Use 个gè as the general measure word for 杯子bēizi.
Animal count
一只小猫
one small cat
Use 只zhī when counting small animals.
Family quantity question
几口人
how many family members
Use 几jǐ with the measure word when asking for a small expected count.
Book quantity question
几本书
how many books
Keep the measure word after 几jǐ.
Open quantity question
多少人
how many people
Use 多少duōshao before the noun for a more open how-many question.
你家有几口人？
How many people are in your family?
你有几本书？
How many books do you have?
有多少人？
How many people are there?
Chinese often places a measure word between the number and noun: 三口人sān kǒu rén, 一本书yì běn shū, 一个杯子yí gè bēizi, 一只小猫yì zhī xiǎo māo. Use 口kǒu for family members, 本běn for books, 个gè for general nouns such as people or cups, and 只zhī for small animals. To ask a small expected quantity, put 几jǐ before the measure word, as in 几口人jǐ kǒu rén or 几本书jǐ běn shū. Use 多少duōshao before a noun when the number is more open, as in 多少人duōshao rén.
Close possession (no 的)
With the close relationship word 家jiā, put the person directly before it: 我家wǒ jiā for my family or household and 你家nǐ jiā for your family or household.
Put the person directly before 家 (jiā)
Names someone's family or household in the natural close-relationship form.
你家nǐ jiā asks about your family or household. Keep 的de in ordinary possession phrases such as 我的书wǒ de shū.
In sentences
Close household phrase
我家
my family / my household
Use the direct form with 家jiā for the ordinary family or household meaning.
Ordinary possession contrast
我的书
my book
An ordinary possessed noun such as 书shū keeps 的de.
你家有几口人？
How many people are in your family?
我家有一只小猫。
My family has one small cat.
The usual possession pattern uses 的de, but a few very close relationship phrases commonly leave it out. In this lesson, learn the reliable pattern person plus 家jiā: 我家wǒ jiā and 你家nǐ jiā. Here 家jiā means the person's family or household.
Do not remove 的de from every possession phrase. Use the direct no-的de form with the close relationship pattern taught here. A phrase such as 我的书wǒ de shū still needs 的de, and 我的家wǒ de jiā can emphasize my physical home rather than the ordinary household expression 我家wǒ jiā.
Dialogue 1 · A Family of Three · Turn 2
Answer about the speaker's family
我家有三口人。
There are three people in my family.
我connected person家close relationship noun
Why it matters · 我家wǒ jiā uses the same direct person-plus-家jiā structure.
