Grade 7 Mandarin Chinese FAMILY – NUCLEAR FAMILY - Listening and Speaking – Oral Expression Notes
Mandarin Chinese — FAMILY: Nuclear Family (Oral Expression)
Target age: 12 (Kenyan context). Focus: grammar for speaking about your nuclear family (parents, siblings) — useful patterns, vocabulary, and short dialogues for listening and oral practice.
Learning outcomes (grammar focus)
- Recognize family words and simple phrases in short conversations (listening).
- Use varied vocabulary and correct grammar to say who is in your family (speaking).
- Use possession, count words and simple question forms correctly in speech.
Key vocabulary (family + common Kenyan jobs)
Use the character — pinyin — English. Small visual hint added.
- 爸爸 — bàba — father 👨 (use: 我爸爸 / 我的爸爸)
- 妈妈 — māma — mother 👩 (我妈妈 / 我的妈妈)
- 哥哥 — gēge — older brother 👦
- 姐姐 — jiějie — older sister 👧
- 弟弟 — dìdi — younger brother 👦
- 妹妹 — mèimei — younger sister 👧
- 我 — wǒ — I / me (我家 = my household)
- 我们 — wǒmen — we / us
- 有 — yǒu — to have / there is
- 没有 — méiyǒu — do not have / there is not
- 几 / 几个 — jǐ / jǐ ge — how many / how many (count)
- 口 (kǒu) — family member measure word for counting people (used in 你家有几口人？)
- 个 (gè) — general measure word (两个哥哥 = two older brothers)
- 岁 — suì — years old (他十岁 — he is 10 years old)
- 老师 — lǎoshī — teacher (common in Kenyan context)
- 司机 — sījī — driver
- 医生 — yīshēng — doctor
- 农民 — nóngmín — farmer
Important grammar patterns (with examples)
1) Possession: 的 (de)
Structure: Noun + 的 + family-word → 我的妈妈 (wǒ de māma) = my mother.
Example: 我 的 爸爸 是 司机。
Wǒ de bàba shì sījī. — My dad is a driver.
Structure: Noun + 的 + family-word → 我的妈妈 (wǒ de māma) = my mother.
Example: 我 的 爸爸 是 司机。
Wǒ de bàba shì sījī. — My dad is a driver.
2) Have / not have: 有 / 没有
Structure: Subject + 有 + object / Subject + 没有 + object.
Examples: 我有一个哥哥。Wǒ yǒu yí ge gēge. — I have one older brother.
我没有妹妹。Wǒ méiyǒu mèimei. — I don't have a younger sister.
Structure: Subject + 有 + object / Subject + 没有 + object.
Examples: 我有一个哥哥。Wǒ yǒu yí ge gēge. — I have one older brother.
我没有妹妹。Wǒ méiyǒu mèimei. — I don't have a younger sister.
3) Asking “How many?” — 几 vs 多少
你家有几口人？Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén? — How many people are in your family? (use 口 for family)
你有几个哥哥？Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè gēge? — How many older brothers do you have?
你家有几口人？Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén? — How many people are in your family? (use 口 for family)
你有几个哥哥？Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè gēge? — How many older brothers do you have?
4) Name / occupation / identity: 是 (shì)
Structure: Subject + 是 + noun (job / identity).
Example: 我的妈妈是老师。Wǒ de māma shì lǎoshī. — My mother is a teacher.
Structure: Subject + 是 + noun (job / identity).
Example: 我的妈妈是老师。Wǒ de māma shì lǎoshī. — My mother is a teacher.
5) Age: ...岁
我十二岁。Wǒ shí'èr suì. — I am 12 years old.
他十三岁。Tā shísān suì. — He is 13 years old.
我十二岁。Wǒ shí'èr suì. — I am 12 years old.
他十三岁。Tā shísān suì. — He is 13 years old.
6) Plural / groups: 们
我们 = we; 他们 = they (male/mixed); 她们 = they (female).
我们家五口人。Wǒmen jiā wǔ kǒu rén. — Our family has five people.
我们 = we; 他们 = they (male/mixed); 她们 = they (female).
我们家五口人。Wǒmen jiā wǔ kǒu rén. — Our family has five people.
Short dialogues (listening + identify grammar)
Read each dialogue aloud. Listen for the highlighted grammar points: 的, 有/没有, 几口人, 是, 岁.
Dialogue 1 — Introduce family
A: 你家有几口人？
Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?
(How many people are in your family?)
B: 我家四口人。
Wǒ jiā sì kǒu rén.
(There are four people in my family.)
B: 我有爸爸、妈妈和一个妹妹。
Wǒ yǒu bàba, māma hé yí ge mèimei.
(I have a dad, a mom, and one younger sister.)
A: 你家有几口人？
Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?
(How many people are in your family?)
B: 我家四口人。
Wǒ jiā sì kǒu rén.
(There are four people in my family.)
B: 我有爸爸、妈妈和一个妹妹。
Wǒ yǒu bàba, māma hé yí ge mèimei.
(I have a dad, a mom, and one younger sister.)
Dialogue 2 — Jobs and ages
A: 你爸爸做什么工作？
Nǐ bàba zuò shénme gōngzuò?
(What does your father do?)
B: 我的爸爸是司机，他四十岁。
Wǒ de bàba shì sījī, tā sìshí suì.
(My father is a driver; he is 40 years old.)
A: 你爸爸做什么工作？
Nǐ bàba zuò shénme gōngzuò?
(What does your father do?)
B: 我的爸爸是司机，他四十岁。
Wǒ de bàba shì sījī, tā sìshí suì.
(My father is a driver; he is 40 years old.)
Practice activities (oral, grammar-focused)
- Listening identification: Teacher reads Dialogue 1 twice. Students write down — how many people? (四口人), which family members are named? (爸爸、妈妈、妹妹). Point out the use of 有 and 口.
- Substitution drill: Replace family words — 我有一个哥哥 → 我有两个哥哥 / 我没有哥哥. Focus: change numbers, add 没有.
- Ask-and-answer pairs (speaking): Student A asks: 你家有几口人？ Student B answers using 我家…口人 and lists members with 我的 + relation + 是 + job if applicable.
- Fill-the-pattern: Provide blanks to complete using 的, 有, 是, 岁. Example: 我___妈妈___老师。(Answer: 的, 是 → 我的妈妈是老师。)
- Roleplay (Kenyan context): One student is a classmate; ask about family and parents' jobs: 你爸爸/妈妈做什么工作？ Use common Kenyan jobs (司机, 农民, 老师, 医生) in answers.
Common mistakes and tips (grammar)
- Don't forget 的 for possession: 我妈妈 (need 我的 when saying "my mother") — 我妈妈 sounds OK in speech but teaching the structure 我的 + noun makes grammar clear.
- Use correct measure words: count family members with 口 (几口人) or use 个 for people and items (两个哥哥).
- When saying ages, put number before 岁: 他十岁 / 她十二岁.
- Use 没有 to negate existence (I don't have) — not 用不 (which negates ability).
Quick reference grammar card (copy for oral practice)
- Possession: 我的 + family word → 我的爸爸 (my father).
- Have / Not have: 我有... / 我没有... → 我有一个姐姐 / 我没有弟弟.
- How many: 你家有几口人？→ 我家三口人.
- Job: 他/她是 + job → 他是医生 / 她是老师.
- Age: 我十二岁 / 他二十岁 → number + 岁.
- Have / Not have: 我有... / 我没有... → 我有一个姐姐 / 我没有弟弟.
- How many: 你家有几口人？→ 我家三口人.
- Job: 他/她是 + job → 他是医生 / 她是老师.
- Age: 我十二岁 / 他二十岁 → number + 岁.
Use the dialogues above for short listening tests: ask learners to identify one grammar point each time (possession, count, job, age). Encourage students to speak full sentences, not only single words.
Good practice: ask three classmates about their families and report in full Mandarin sentences.