5.13Usage: +++++
们
Plural marker
Added to individual characters to indicate "a collective"
| 我 (wǒ) | I/Me | 我们 (wǒ men) | We/Us |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你 (nǐ) | You | 你们 (nǐ men) | You (all) |
| 他 (tā) | He / Him | 他们 (tā men) | Them |
| 她 (tā) | She / Her | 她们 (tā men) | Them (Women) |
| 它 (tā) | It / Its | 它们 (tā men) | Them (Animals / Things) |
| 孩子 (hái zi) | Child(ren) | 孩子们(hái zi men) | Children |
| 朋友 (péng yǒu) | Friend(s) | 朋友们 (péng yǒu men) | Friends |
| 小猫 (xiǎo māo) | Kitten(s) | 小猫们 (xiǎo māo men) | Kittens |
+ PERSONAL NOTE +
This is the most generic way of referencing a collective, yet, it is not always common practice. In daily conversations, it is fine to omit 们 when telling someone that you are Picking up Children (接孩子), Meeting Friends (见朋友) or Feeding Kittens (喂小猫).
Very importantly, when classifiers (个) and quantity are indicated, 们 becomes unnecessary. For examples: Three Children (三个孩子), Two Friends (两个朋友) or Five Kittens (五只小猫).