Menu

有的
有的
yǒude
indefinite pronoun

‘some’
HSK1 HSK2 TBCL1 TBCL2

Common Errors

有的 is used to describe different subgroups within a larger group of people or things. It often appears in sentences that make comparisons or contrasts among these subgroups.

1. Incorrect position

Learners may use 有的 in the position of the object. In such cases, the object should be moved to the beginning of the sentence as the topic.

*这些书我喜欢有的,我不喜欢有的
这些书有的我喜欢,有的我不喜欢。

這些書我喜歡有的,我不喜歡有的
這些書有的我喜歡,有的我不喜歡。

2. Redundant repetition of the noun after the second 有的

Learners may repeat the noun after each 有的 even when the set is already established. This is not ungrammatical, but it often sounds heavier than necessary in fluent discourse. When the context is clear, the noun is commonly omitted after the second (and later) 有的.

* 她有很多朋友,有的朋友是中国人,有的朋友是外国人。
她有很多朋友,有的是中国人,有的是外国人。

她有很多朋友,有的朋友是中國人,有的朋友是外國人。
她有很多朋友,有的是中國人,有的是外國人。

L1 Interferences Errors

English learners may confuse the use of 有的 with 一些, since both can be translated as ‘some’. However, their functions are different: 一些 is an indefinite measure word used to emphasize the indefinite quantity of the noun, while 有的 is an indefinite pronoun that highlights a portion of a larger group.

我有一些外国朋友,有的喜欢中国茶,有的不喜欢。

我有一些外國朋友,有的喜歡中國茶,有的不喜歡。

I have some foreign friends, some like Chinese tea, and some don’t.

姐姐买了一些新的衣服,有的很贵,有的很便宜。

姐姐買了一些新的衣服,有的很貴,有的很便宜。

My older sister bought some new clothes, some are expensive, and some are cheap.

Classroom activity : Know your classmates better!

Participants:

whole class.

Time required:

20 min.

Materials (optional):

A survey prepared in advance with simple questions, such as:

  1. 你喜欢喝什么? A. 茶, B. 咖啡, C. 酒
  2. 你穿什么颜色的衣服? A. 黑色, B. 白色, C. 蓝色
  3. 你有动物吗? A. 猫, B. 狗, C. 没有
Procedure:
  1. The teacher shares the QR code for the survey and asks students to complete it.
  2. The teacher shows the results of the survey and asks students to form sentences with the 有的…… 有的…… structure.
  3. After showing the results, students form sentences using the 有的…… 有的…… structure to express contrasts or comparisons among classmates’ preferences.

Example sentences:

  1. 班上的学生,有的喜欢喝茶,有的喜欢喝咖啡,还有的喜欢喝酒。/ 班上的學生,有的喜歡喝茶,有的喜歡喝咖啡,還有的喜歡喝酒。
  2. 有的学生喜欢喝茶,有的喜欢喝咖啡,还有的喜欢喝酒。/ 有的學生喜歡喝茶,有的喜歡喝咖啡,還有的喜歡喝酒。