Self, family and describing people 自我介绍与家庭成员

Ages and adjective descriptions are stated directly; 是 is not used before them. ✗ 我是十五岁。 ✗ 她是很高。 ✓ 我十五岁。(Wǒ shíwǔ suì.) — I am fifteen. ✓ 她很高。(Tā hěn gāo.) — She is tall. 是 is only needed before a NOUN (我是学生 — I am a student), never before a number+岁 or an adjective.

English "brother"/"sister" is not one Chinese word — the age relative to you must be specified, and 个 counts people. ✗ 我有一个兄弟。(does not say older or younger) ✗ 我家有四人。(missing 个) ✓ 我有一个弟弟。(Wǒ yǒu yí gè dìdi.) — a younger brother. ✓ 我家有四个人。(Wǒ jiā yǒu sì gè rén.) — four people in my family. Always pick 哥哥/弟弟/姐姐/妹妹, and keep 个 before 人.

A one-word generic description does not meet Task Completion at the top band. ✗ 我妈妈很好。("good" says almost nothing) ✓ 我妈妈很友好，也很有耐心，她常常帮我练习中文。(Wǒ māma hěn yǒuhǎo, yě hěn yǒu nàixīn, tā chángcháng bāng wǒ liànxí Zhōngwén.) — friendly and patient, often helps me practise Chinese. Add a specific trait plus a detail, not one generic adjective.

For an opinion about a family member, say WHY, not just WHAT the relationship is. ✗ 我跟我姐姐的关系很好。(states what, no reason) ✓ 我跟我姐姐的关系很好，因为她常常帮我，也很有耐心。(Wǒ gēn wǒ jiějie de guānxi hěn hǎo, yīnwèi tā chángcháng bāng wǒ, yě hěn yǒu nàixīn.) — good, because she often helps me and is patient. Always follow the relationship with a 因为 reason.

In a plain statement a single positive adjective needs 很 before it — 很 is grammatically required here, not emphatic. ✗ 她高。 ✗ 我姐姐幽默。(both sound incomplete in isolation) ✓ 她很高。(Tā hěn gāo.) ✓ 我姐姐很幽默。(Wǒ jiějie hěn yōumò.) Drop 很 only in a 比-comparison, where no 很 goes before the adjective.

的 can be dropped between a personal pronoun and a close family member, because the bond is close — both 我爸爸 and 我的爸爸 are correct, and native speakers usually drop 的 for close family. ✗ believing 我爸爸 (without 的) is wrong ✓ 我爸爸很高。(Wǒ bàba hěn gāo.) — my dad is tall. A possessed object keeps 的: 我的手机 (my phone). 的 drops more freely for close family than for objects.