HSK 1Lesson 3
You point out teachers, classmates, and friends in a simple school setting. The lesson keeps the focus on short, useful introductions.
You will learn to identify people around you and say how they are connected to you.
Identify familiar people, titles, relationships, and simple affiliation.
Part 1 · 13 new words
Contains 3 words
he; him
she; her
who
Contains 4 words
teacher
classmate
Contains 4 words
male
female
Contains 2 words
possessive particle
Chinese language
Part 2 · 12 phrases
她是老师。
She is a teacher.
他是我的同学。
He is my classmate.
她是我的朋友。
She is my friend.
他是男老师。
He is a male teacher.
她是女同学。
She is a female classmate.
先生，你好！
Hello, sir!
女士，你好！
Hello, madam!
她是谁？
Who is she?
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Before class, a student points to the teacher at the front of the room and asks who she is.
美美Meimei
她是谁？
Who is she?
方方Fangfang
她是王老师。
She is Teacher Wang.
美美Meimei
王老师是你的汉语老师吗？
Part 4 · 3 points
Possession/modification with 的
Use 的de between a person and a relationship noun: 我的老师wǒ de lǎoshī.
Person plus 的 (de) plus relationship
Shows who a teacher, classmate, or friend is connected to.
friend
Teacher Wang
Mr.; sir
Ms.; madam
他是谁？
Who is he?
她是我的汉语老师。
She is my Chinese teacher.
他是你的老师吗？
Is he your teacher?
是，他是我的老师。
Yes, he is my teacher.
Is Teacher Wang your Chinese teacher?
方方Fangfang
是，她是我的汉语老师。
Yes, she is my Chinese teacher.
Before class, Meimei asks Fangfang about a man in the classroom.
美美Meimei
他是谁？
Who is he?
方方Fangfang
他是我的同学。
He is my classmate.
美美Meimei
他是你的朋友吗？
Is he your friend?
方方Fangfang
是，他是我的朋友。
Yes, he is my friend.
A student at the classroom door first mistakes a classmate for Teacher Wang, then asks who she is.
美美Meimei
你好，你是王老师吗？
Hello, are you Teacher Wang?
方方Fangfang
不是，我是方方。
No, I am Fangfang.
美美Meimei
你是我的同学吗？
Are you my classmate?
方方Fangfang
是，我是你的同学。
Yes, I am your classmate.
At the school door, a student asks an adult man about the woman beside him.
美美Meimei
先生，她是你的朋友吗？
Sir, is she your friend?
先生Sir
不是，她是王老师。
No, she is Teacher Wang.
美美Meimei
她是汉语老师吗？
Is she a Chinese teacher?
先生Sir
是，她是汉语老师。
Yes, she is a Chinese teacher.
我的老师wǒ de lǎoshī means my teacher. Change the first part to 你nǐ for your teacher.
In sentences
My teacher
我的老师
my teacher
The first word names the connected person; 的de marks the connection.
Your Chinese teacher
你的汉语老师
your Chinese teacher
你 + 的nǐ + de marks whose teacher; 汉语 + 老师Hànyǔ + lǎoshī says what kind of teacher.
她是我的汉语老师。
She is my Chinese teacher.
他是我的同学。
He is my classmate.
Use 的de after a person or pronoun to connect that person to a relationship noun. In 我的老师wǒ de lǎoshī, 我wǒ names the connected person, 的de marks the connection, and 老师lǎoshī names the relationship.
Do not use 的de inside the short role labels taught in this lesson. 汉语老师Hànyǔ lǎoshī means “Chinese-language teacher,” with 汉语Hànyǔ directly describing 老师lǎoshī. To say “my Chinese teacher,” put the two layers together: 我wǒ + 的de + 汉语Hànyǔ + 老师lǎoshī → 我的汉语老师wǒ de Hànyǔ lǎoshī. Use person + 的de for the connection; use the bare descriptor + noun pattern for the kind of role.
Ask person identity with 谁
Use 谁shéi where the person answer would go.
Ask who someone is
Asks for the person's identity.
谁shéi stays where the person answer would go.
In sentences
Ask who she is
她是谁？
Who is she?
Use 她tā for a woman or girl in writing.
Ask who he is
他是谁？
Who is he?
Use 他tā for a man or boy in writing.
Ask which person has the role
谁是汉语老师？
Who is the Chinese teacher?
谁shéi takes the person position because the person with the role is unknown.
The previous lesson used 什么shénme to ask for a name or thing. This lesson extends that question-word system with 谁shéi, which asks for a person. In 她是谁？Tā shì shéi?, the person answer after 是shì is unknown, so 谁shéi goes in that answer position.
Keep the normal sentence order: person first, then 是shì, then 谁shéi. Do not move 谁shéi to the front. You can also put 谁shéi in the person position when that is the unknown part: 谁是汉语老师？Shéi shì Hànyǔ lǎoshī?, “Who is the Chinese teacher?”
Bare role descriptors before nouns
In the short role labels taught here, put 男nán, 女nǚ, or 汉语Hànyǔ directly before the person noun without 的de: 女同学nǚ tóngxué.
Description before noun
Names what kind of classmate or teacher without adding 的de.
Put the descriptor before the noun without 的de: 女同学nǚ tóngxué, 汉语老师Hànyǔ lǎoshī.
In sentences
Female classmate
女同学
female classmate
女nǚ describes 同学tóngxué directly; do not add 的de in this role label.
Chinese-language teacher
汉语老师
Chinese teacher
汉语Hànyǔ describes 老师lǎoshī directly; do not add 的de in this role label.
她是女同学。
She is a female classmate.
她是我的汉语老师。
She is my Chinese teacher.
In the short role labels taught in this lesson, put the descriptor directly before the person noun: 女同学nǚ tóngxué, “female classmate,” and 汉语老师Hànyǔ lǎoshī, “Chinese-language teacher.” Do not insert 的de between these parts.
This is different from the person-connection pattern. 汉语老师Hànyǔ lǎoshī says what kind of teacher; 我的老师wǒ de lǎoshī says whose teacher. The combined phrase 我的汉语老师wǒ de Hànyǔ lǎoshī has both layers: 我wǒ + 的de marks the connection, while 汉语Hànyǔ + 老师lǎoshī forms the role label without another 的de. This is the bounded choice for the role words in this lesson, not a rule for every possible Chinese modifier.
