Relative Clauses — Who, Which, That
English relative clauses follow the noun; Chinese 的-clauses precede it
Category: Relative Clauses
The Rule
English: noun + relative pronoun + clause. 'The book [that I bought] is good.' Chinese: clause + 的 + noun. '[我买的]书很好。' The clause flips from before (Chinese) to after (English).
Why This Matters
Chinese uses 的 to attach modifying clauses before the noun: 我昨天看的电影 = 'I yesterday watched DE movie'. English reverses this: 'the movie that I watched yesterday'. Chinese speakers must learn to restructure the sentence and add relative pronouns.
Examples
• The woman who works here is my mother. — "在这里工作的女人是我妈妈。" [Chinese: [在这里工作的]女人 → English: woman [who works here]] • The food that she cooked was delicious. — "她做的菜很好吃。" [Chinese: [她做的]菜 → English: food [that she cooked]] • The city where I grew up is small. — "我长大的城市很小。" ['Where' for places]
Common Mistakes
❌ I yesterday bought book is good. ✅ The book that I bought yesterday is good. → Chinese pre-noun modifier order doesn't work in English. The clause must follow the noun. ❌ The man which helped me... ✅ The man who helped me... → 'Who' for people, 'which' for things. Chinese 的 doesn't distinguish.
Quick Tip
Chinese 的-clause goes BEFORE the noun. English relative clause goes AFTER. Flip the order and add who/which/that.
Chinese 的-clause goes BEFORE the noun. English relative clause goes AFTER. Flip the order and add who/which/that.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: I yesterday bought book is good. → Correct: The book that I bought yesterday is good.. Chinese pre-noun modifier order doesn't work in English. The clause must follow the noun.
Incorrect: The man which helped me... → Correct: The man who helped me.... 'Who' for people, 'which' for things. Chinese 的 doesn't distinguish.
Quiz
Complete: 'The car ___ he drives is red.'