Relative clauses with 的: the book I bought yesterday
Everything that describes a noun comes before it, closed by 的. Chinese has no word for “who”, “which” or “that” — 的 does all the joining.
Structure
（主语 +）动词短语 + 的 + 名词 ｜ 指示词 + 量词 + 从句 + 的 + 名词
Explanation
Chinese words in this text can be activated to show a dictionary gloss.
English hangs a describing clause behind the noun — “the book I bought yesterday”. Chinese does the opposite: the whole clause goes in front, and marks the join. . Once you accept that everything modifying a noun precedes it, the pattern becomes mechanical.
The clause may describe the object of the action — “the book I bought yesterday” — or its subject: “the person wearing red”, “the students who can speak Chinese”. There is no relative pronoun in either case, and no change to the verb.
With a demonstrative and a measure word, two orders are possible and both are used: and . The first is the default; the second puts a little more weight on “that one in particular”.
The noun can be left out when the context makes it obvious, and the phrase then stands on its own: “This is the one I bought”, “I’ll take the red one.” This headless use is extremely common in shops and conversation.
Three things to watch. is never optional: is not a sentence. The clause is not introduced by — , but no second inside. And when a modifier gets long, Chinese keeps it in front anyway; there is no equivalent of moving a heavy clause to the end.
Correct
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
这是我昨天买的书。這是我昨天買的書。
Zhè (fourth tone, falling) shì (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) zuótiān (second tone, rising) mǎi (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) shū. (first tone, high and level)···
This is the book I bought yesterday.
那个穿红衣服的人是我姐姐。那個穿紅衣服的人是我姐姐。
Nàge (fourth tone, falling) chuān (first tone, high and level) hóng (second tone, rising) yīfu (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) rén (second tone, rising) shì (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) jiějie. (third tone, dipping)···
The person in the red clothes is my older sister.
会说汉语的同学请举手。會說漢語的同學請舉手。
Huì (fourth tone, falling) shuō (first tone, high and level) Hànyǔ (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) tóngxué (second tone, rising) qǐng (third tone, dipping) jǔ (third tone, dipping) shǒu. (third tone, dipping)···
Would the students who speak Chinese please raise their hands.
Incorrect — Common mistakes
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 这是书我昨天买的。
Correct
Correct sentence: 这是我昨天买的书。
Why: The describing clause goes in front of the noun, never behind it. Chinese has no way of attaching a relative clause after its head.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 那个人穿红衣服是我姐姐。
Correct
Correct sentence: 那个穿红衣服的人是我姐姐。
Why: Without 的 the words 穿红衣服 read as a second predicate, so the sentence says two unrelated things. 的 is what turns them into a modifier.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 这是我昨天买书。
Correct
Correct sentence: 这是我昨天买的书。
Why: 的 cannot be dropped. Without it the string reads as “I bought a book yesterday”, not as a noun phrase.
Compared with
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
This is the 的 of the three-way 的／得／地 distinction, in its largest use. The test still holds: if a noun follows, write 的. What is new here is how much can sit in front of it — not just 我 or 红色, but a whole clause with its own subject, verb and time word: 我昨天在书店买的书. Learners who have only met 我的书 are often surprised that the same 的 can carry that much weight, and they either drop it or reach for 得. If the phrase ends in a noun, it is 的, however long the front part gets.
The three de: 的, 得 and 地 →Often confused with
Degree complements: 他跑得很快
（主语）+ 动词 + 得 + 很／不 + 形容词 ｜ （主语）+（宾语）+ 动词 + 得 + 形容词
More →Mini quiz
Question 1 / 3Total score: 0
Arrange the parts to say “This is the book I bought yesterday.”
Build the sentence