Possessive pronouns express 'whose', used to indicate ownership of something or someone. In spoken Chinese, a common structure is possessive pronoun + noun. In simple sentences, possessive pronouns usually come before the noun.

Common possessive pronouns are: 我的, 你的, 他的, 她的, 它的, 我们的, 你们的, 他们的, 她们的. These forms remain largely unchanged in modern spoken Chinese.

The plural possessive is formed by adding 的 to我们, 你们, 他们, and 她们. Chinese does not mark plurals on nouns like English; the focus is on the pronoun itself.

De is the core element that forms the possessive link between pronouns and nouns. In most cases the standard structure is possessive pronoun + de + noun.

In intimate terms, fixed expressions, or frequent spoken usage, the de can sometimes be omitted. This is common in phrases like my mom, your teacher, or his home. Omitting it makes speech more colloquial, but the possessive relationship must remain clear.

My/Your/His/Her mainly refer to people and the things they own. Choosing he or she depends on the gender of the referent; written language marks this more clearly. In speech, if the gender is not emphasized, he is sometimes used generically.

Its is used for ownership of animals, objects, institutions, and other non-human categories. In speech, it can also be used affectionately to refer to children or pets.

Possessive pronouns commonly pair with nouns such as people, objects, places, relationships, etc. Examples include my friend, your room, their school. These combinations form a complete possessive expression.

The possessive pronoun + noun usually occupies the subject, object, or predicative position. For example: My book is here; I like your idea; That is hers. Changing syntactic position does not affect the possessive expression.

Written language tends to retain the de to ensure sentences are complete and clear. In spoken language, omitting de is more common, but care should be taken to avoid ambiguity. In formal writing, prefer the full form.