HSK 1Lesson 5
The lesson uses family names and ages in short conversations. You practice saying whether someone has a family member.
You will learn to ask someone's age and say who is in your family.
Ask age and talk about immediate family possession.
Part 1 · 19 new words
Contains 6 words
years old
how many; what number
much; many
big; old
this year
change-of-state particle
Contains 5 words
family member; family
dad; father
Contains 4 words
older brother
older sister
Contains 2 words
son
daughter
Contains 2 words
to have; there is
do not have; there is not
Part 2 · 10 phrases
你几岁了？
How old are you?
你多大了？
How old are you?
我今年八岁了。
I am eight this year.
他今年十岁了。
He is ten this year.
他们是我的家人。
They are my family.
他们是我爸爸、妈妈。
They are my dad and mom.
你有弟弟吗？
Do you have a younger brother?
我没有姐姐。
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Two children look at a family picture and ask about age and an older brother.
美美Meimei
你几岁了？
How old are you?
方方Fangfang
我今年八岁了。
I am eight this year.
美美Meimei
你哥哥多大了？
Part 4 · 4 points
Dates, clock time, days of the week, and age
In this lesson, the time-and-age grammar focuses on age: use 几岁jǐ suì or 多大duō dà to ask, and number + 岁suì to answer.
Age question
Asks how old someone is.
你几岁了？nǐ jǐ suì le? asks age directly.
mom; mother
child
child; little friend
younger brother
younger sister
I do not have an older sister.
她有女儿。
She has a daughter.
她是小朋友。
She is a child.
How old is your older brother?
方方Fangfang
他今年十岁了。
He is ten this year.
A classmate looks at a family picture and asks who is in it.
美美Meimei
他们是你的家人吗？
Are they your family?
方方Fangfang
是，他们是我爸爸、妈妈。
Yes, they are my dad and mom.
美美Meimei
她是你姐姐吗？
Is she your older sister?
方方Fangfang
不是，她是我妹妹。
No, she is my younger sister.
Two classmates look at a family picture and identify one sibling before asking about another.
美美Meimei
他是你弟弟吗？
Is he your younger brother?
方方Fangfang
是，我有弟弟。
Yes, I have a younger brother.
美美Meimei
你有姐姐吗？
Do you have an older sister?
方方Fangfang
我没有姐姐。
I do not have an older sister.
A student asks a classmate about the girl in the classmate's family picture.
美美Meimei
她是你的女儿吗？
Is she your daughter?
方方Fangfang
是，她是我的女儿。
Yes, she is my daughter.
美美Meimei
她几岁了？
How old is she?
方方Fangfang
她今年五岁了。
She is five this year.
Current age answer
Says the person's age this year.
我今年八岁了wǒ jīnnián bā suì le and 她今年五岁tā jīnnián wǔ suì both state a current age; final 了le is not required in every age answer.
In sentences
Ask a child's age
你几岁了？
How old are you?
几岁jǐ suì is a direct age question.
Ask another age
你哥哥多大了？
How old is your older brother?
多大duō dà also asks age.
The broader curriculum group includes dates, clock time, days of the week, and age. Here, the usable part is age. Ask 你几岁了？nǐ jǐ suì le? for a simple age question, especially with children. Ask 你多大了？nǐ duō dà le? as another common age question.
To answer, say the person, then 今年jīnnián, then the number plus 岁suì: 我今年八岁了wǒ jīnnián bā suì le. The lesson often adds final 了le in familiar age questions and answers, but the age pattern itself does not require it: 她今年五岁tā jīnnián wǔ suì is also a complete age statement.
有 — possession and existence
Use 有yǒu before a family word to say someone has that family member.
Have a family member
Says or asks whether a family member exists for someone.
你有弟弟吗？nǐ yǒu dìdi ma? asks whether the listener has a younger brother.
In sentences
Ask with 有 (yǒu)
你有弟弟吗？
Do you have a younger brother?
有yǒu comes before the family member.
Answer with 有 (yǒu)
有，我有弟弟。
Yes, I have a younger brother.
The answer repeats 有yǒu to state the family member clearly.
我有弟弟。
I have a younger brother.
她有女儿。
She has a daughter.
有yǒu means have or there is. In this lesson, use it to talk about family: 我有弟弟wǒ yǒu dìdi, 她有女儿tā yǒu nǚ'ér. To ask, put 吗ma at the end: 你有弟弟吗？nǐ yǒu dìdi ma?.
Negation with 没有
Use 没有méiyǒu, not 不有bù yǒu, to say someone does not have something.
Do not have
Negates 有yǒu.
没有méiyǒu is the normal negative form for 有yǒu.
In sentences
Short no answer
没有。
No.
Use 没有méiyǒu as a short answer to a 有yǒu question.
Full negative answer
我没有姐姐。
I do not have an older sister.
Put 没有méiyǒu before the family member.
没有，她有女儿。
No, she has a daughter.
To say someone does not have a family member, use 没有méiyǒu. Say 我没有姐姐wǒ méiyǒu jiějie, not 我不有姐姐wǒ bù yǒu jiějie. 没有méiyǒu can also answer a yes/no question by itself before giving more information.
Nominal predicate age statements
Chinese age statements do not need 是shì: say 我今年八岁了wǒ jīnnián bā suì le, not 我是八岁wǒ shì bā suì.
Age statement without 是 (shì)
Says how old someone is.
There is no 是shì in either 我今年八岁了wǒ jīnnián bā suì le or 她今年五岁tā jīnnián wǔ suì. The optional lesson-ending 了le does not create the age predicate.
In sentences
My age
我今年八岁了。
I am eight this year.
The age follows the person and time word directly.
Another person's age
他今年十岁了。
He is ten this year.
Use the same pattern for another person.
Age without final 了 (le)
她今年五岁。
She is five this year.
The age predicate is complete without final 了le.
In a simple age statement, the age phrase can work as the predicate. Say the person, then 今年jīnnián, then the age: 我今年八岁了wǒ jīnnián bā suì le or 她今年五岁tā jīnnián wǔ suì. Do not put 是shì before the age.
Final 了le appears in several familiar age lines in this lesson, but it is formulaic support here, not a required part of the nominal-predicate structure. This differs from identity sentences such as 她是我妹妹tā shì wǒ mèimei, where 是shì links a person to an identity.
Ask whether Teacher Wang has a child
王老师有小朋友吗？
Does Teacher Wang have a child?
有have小朋友family member
Why it matters · The question uses 有yǒu before 小朋友xiǎopéngyou, which means child in this family context.
有，她有女儿，没有儿子。
Yes, she has a daughter and no son.
有女儿positive family statement没有儿子negative family statement
Why it matters · The same answer contrasts 有女儿yǒu nǚ'ér, has a daughter, with 没有儿子méiyǒu érzi, does not have a son.
He is ten
他今年十岁了。
He is ten this year.
他who今年time word十岁age
Why it matters · 他今年十岁了tā jīnnián shí suì le follows the same no-是shì age pattern.
