New Guy

BangWo
 November 07, 2012 at 11:13 PM posted in General Discussion

Hey, just sorta started studying Chinese, so I get a little over focused when I see something that confuses me.  Thought someone might lend me a hand on this grammar point which is probably super easy to understand....

你这房子真不错！

Why isn't it "ni de fangzi..." The ChinesePod translation is "Your house is really great."

 

thanks ahead of time

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BangWo
 November 08, 2012 at 08:15 PM

Thanks for the fast answer.

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TomMangione
 November 08, 2012 at 03:59 AM

Chinese doesn't always use a 的 with pronouns to show possession. This is especially true if something is seen to have a close relationship. For example, you often see examples like  我爸 "my Dad", 你妈 "your Mom" and 我国 "my country".

@Mr_Trendy - You're right. 你这房子 could also be translated as "This house of yours..." However, we chose not to use it in the translation as it sounds awkward in English. 

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Right-Wingnut
 November 08, 2012 at 01:33 AM

I think the sentence really translates to "This house of your's ...".

It sounds a bit odd to my English ears as well, but I guess its just one of thing you have to accept and move on.

I suppose it could be written more fully as 你这里的房子...