Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns tell us who is doing an action, and they are basic building blocks for sentences in Mandarin Chinese. This short guide gives you the key pronouns with examples so you can start forming sentences immediately.
Subject Pronouns
Here are the main subject pronouns used to indicate who is performing an action in Mandarin Chinese.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| ☁️ 我 | wǒ | I |
| 🌤 你 | nǐ | You (singular) |
| 🌩️ 他 | tā | He |
| 🌧️ 她 | tā | She |
| 🌨️ 它 | tā | It |
| 🌈 我们 | wǒmen | We |
| 🌬️ 你们 | nǐmen | You (plural) |
| ⚡ 他们 | tāmen | They (male or mixed) |
| ❄️ 她们 | tāmen | They (female) |
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Usage
Subject pronouns normally appear at the start of a sentence before the verb to clearly show who does the action. Mandarin sentences follow a straightforward Subject-Verb-Object order.
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Omitting Pronouns
In Mandarin, you can omit the subject pronoun when the context makes the person clear, especially in speech or short replies. This keeps sentences concise and natural.
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Summary
Subject pronouns like wǒ 我 and nǐ 你 tell us who is doing an action, and they typically come before the verb in Mandarin sentences. Practice using them in simple sentences, and notice when you can leave them out because the meaning is clear from context.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025