Traditional Chinese - Family Talk

你有兄弟姊妹嗎？

Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?

Do you have any brothers or sisters?

Meaning: Do you have any brothers or sisters?

When to use: Use this as a natural general question about someone’s siblings.

我有___個兄弟，___個姊妹。

Wǒ yǒu ___ ge xiōngdì, ___ ge jiěmèi.

I have ___ brothers and ___ sisters.

Meaning: I have ___ brothers and ___ sisters.

When to use: Use this to give the number of brothers and sisters you have.

Tip: Use 個 (ge) after the number. For exact older or younger siblings, use 哥哥 (gēge), 弟弟 (dìdi), 姊姊 (jiějie), or 妹妹 (mèimei).

我是獨生子女

Wǒ shì dúshēng zǐnǚ.

I'm an only child.

Meaning: I’m an only child.

When to use: Use this when you have no brothers or sisters. It works for any gender.

他是我的___。

Tā shì wǒ de ___.

He is my ___.

Meaning: He is my ___.

When to use: Use this to identify a male family member or personal connection.

Tip: 他 (tā) and 她 (tā) sound the same, but 他 (tā) is used for “he” in writing.

她是我的___。

Tā shì wǒ de ___.

She is my ___.

Meaning: She is my ___.

When to use: Use this to identify a female family member or personal connection.

Tip: 他 (tā) and 她 (tā) sound the same, but 她 (tā) is used for “she” in writing.

你跟誰住在一起？

Nǐ gēn shéi zhù zài yìqǐ?

Who do you live with?

Meaning: Who do you live with?

When to use: Use this to ask about someone’s household members in a natural spoken way.

我跟我的___住在一起。

Wǒ gēn wǒ de ___ zhù zài yìqǐ.

I live with my ___.

Meaning: I live with my ___.

When to use: Use this to say who is in your home, such as parents, a partner, or roommates.

你有小孩嗎

Nǐ yǒu xiǎohái ma?

Do you have children?

Meaning: Do you have children?

When to use: Use this common Taiwan Mandarin question when asking if someone has kids.

我結婚了

Wǒ jiéhūn le.

I'm married.

Meaning: I’m married.

When to use: Use this simple phrase to state your marital status.

你家有幾個人

Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ ge rén?

How many people are in your family?

Meaning: How many people are in your family?

When to use: Use this common spoken question to ask about family size.

Tip: 你家 (nǐ jiā) here means “your family,” not just “your house.”

我家有___個人。

Wǒ jiā yǒu ___ ge rén.

There are ___ people in my family.

Meaning: There are ___ people in my family.

When to use: Use this to answer a question about family size.

我家人___

Wǒ jiārén ___.

My family is ___.

Meaning: My family is ___.

When to use: Use this to describe your family in a simple general way.

我爸媽___

Wǒ bàmā ___.

My parents are ___.

Meaning: My parents are ___.

When to use: Use this to describe your parents’ relationship status or situation.