Learn Hardcore Chinese: Wǒ gēge yǐjīng gōngzuò le, mèimei hái zài xuéxiào xuéxí. - My older brother is already working; my younger sister is still studying at school.

Using 我的哥哥 is not wrong, but it can sound slightly more distant or emphatic, like “my brother (as opposed to someone else’s)” rather than the neutral “my brother.”

So in everyday speech and writing, 我哥哥, 我妹妹, 我妈妈, 我爸爸 without 的 are very natural.

How do I know that 哥哥 means older brother and 妹妹 means younger sister?

In Mandarin:

哥哥 (gēge) specifically means older brother.
弟弟 (dìdi) means younger brother.
姐姐 (jiějie) means older sister.
妹妹 (mèimei) means younger sister.

Chinese does not have a generic single word like English brother or sister without age information; the age relationship is built into the word itself.

So 我哥哥 automatically means my older brother, and 我妹妹 automatically means my younger sister.

What is the role of 已经 and 了 in 我哥哥已经工作了? Why are both used?

已经 and 了 work together to express a completed or changed situation.

已经 = already (focuses on expectation / timing)
了 (here) = a change-of-state or completion marker

我哥哥已经工作了 suggests:

He has already started working / entered the workforce,
This is now true, possibly in contrast to before (when he was a student or not working).

The combination 已经 … 了 is very common to express something that has already become the case. For example:

我已经吃饭了。 = I’ve already eaten.
他们已经回家了。 = They’ve already gone home.

What would change if I remove 已经 or 了 from 我哥哥已经工作了?

我哥哥工作了 (only 了, no 已经)
- Basic meaning: “My older brother (has) worked / started working.”
- It states a change/completion, but without the explicit “already” flavor.
- Feels a bit more neutral or matter-of-fact.
我哥哥已经工作 (only 已经, no 了)
- This sounds incomplete or unnatural in standard Mandarin.
- With 已经, listeners expect some kind of completion marker or clear result; usually 了 or a clear resulting state.

So in normal speech, you’d usually say 我哥哥已经工作了 or rephrase:

我哥哥已经开始工作了。 = My older brother has already started working.
我哥哥已经在工作了。 = My older brother is already working (now).

Does 工作了 mean “worked,” “has worked,” or “is working”? What tense is it?

Chinese does not mark tense the same way English does.

In 我哥哥已经工作了, 了 is aspect, not tense:

It indicates a change of situation: he was not working before, now he does have a job / is in the working stage of life.
Depending on context, you might translate it as:
- “My older brother has already started working.”
- “My older brother is already working.”
- “My older brother already works.”

Which English tense/form you choose depends on context and what sounds natural, but in Chinese the key idea is “this is now the case, in contrast to before.”

Why isn’t there a 在 before 工作 (like 在工作) in 我哥哥已经工作了?

在 before a verb often marks a progressive action:

在工作 / 正在工作 = “is working (right now)”

我哥哥已经工作了 is not emphasizing “he’s in the middle of working right this second,” but rather his life stage/status: he has already entered the workforce.

If you said:

我哥哥已经在工作了。
- More like: “My older brother is already working (now),” often implying at this moment or more strongly focusing on ongoing action.

So:

Without 在: focus on the fact that he has a job / has started working.
With 在 (especially 正在): focus on ongoing activity right now.

What does 还 mean in 妹妹还在学校学习? Is it like “also”?

Here 还 (hái) means “still / yet”, not “also.”

妹妹还在学校学习。
- “My younger sister is still studying at school.”

It implies:

She continues to be in that state (studying at school).
Often there’s an implied contrast: someone else has moved on (e.g., started working), but she hasn’t yet.

If you want “also,” you normally use 也:

妹妹也在学校学习。 = “My younger sister is also studying at school.”

In this sentence, 还 highlights the contrast with the brother:

Brother: already working.
Sister: still at school.

In 妹妹还在学校学习, what is 在 doing? Is it progressive aspect (“is studying”) or location (“at school”)?

Here 在 is primarily marking location:

在学校学习 = “study at school”

Grammatically, 在 is a kind of preposition/coverb:

在 + place + Verb = do something at some place
So 在学校学习 literally: “at school study.”

There is also a progressive use:

在学习 / 正在学习 = “(is) studying (right now)”

In this particular sentence:

妹妹还在学校学习。
- Emphasis: she is still at school, studying there (as a student).
- Both her location (at school) and activity (studying) are described, but the 在 attaches most directly to 学校 (place), not as a bare progressive marker like 正在.

Contextually, English naturally says “is still studying at school,” which combines both ideas.

Why is the order 妹妹还在学校学习 and not something like 妹妹在学校还学习?

Mandarin has a fairly fixed preferred order for elements like this:

Subject + (time/degree adverb) + 在 + place + Verb

妹妹 (subject)
还 (adverb “still”)
在学校 (location phrase: “at school”)
学习 (verb: “study”)

So 妹妹还在学校学习 follows the natural pattern.

妹妹在学校还学习 is not how a native speaker would normally order these elements; 还 generally comes before the main location or verb phrase it modifies.

Why isn’t there 们 (plural) after 哥哥 and 妹妹? How do I know if it’s one brother or many brothers?

In this sentence, 哥哥 and 妹妹 each normally refer to one person.

哥们 as “my brothers” (literal plural of 哥哥) is not used in the same simple way that English adds “s.”
们 can pluralize some nouns referring to people (e.g. 孩子们, 学生们), but with close family titles in this type of sentence, you usually just say the plain word.

If you really need to emphasize plurality, you’d typically use something like:

我的哥哥们 = my older brothers (explicit, a bit formal or literary in feel)
Or say 两个哥哥, 三个妹妹, etc.

Without such marking, 我哥哥, 我妹妹 are understood as single specific siblings. The context usually makes this clear.

Why can the two parts be joined just by a comma, without “and”?

我哥哥已经工作了，妹妹还在学校学习。

In Chinese, it is very common to connect related clauses simply with a comma (，) without a conjunction like “and.”

The relationship (here, a contrast) is understood from context and from words like 已经 and 还:

First clause: already working
Second clause: still studying

You could add a conjunction for extra clarity or style, for example:

我哥哥已经工作了，而妹妹还在学校学习。
我哥哥已经工作了，但是妹妹还在学校学习。

But the simple comma is perfectly natural and very typical in Chinese.

Could I say 学习在学校 instead of 在学校学习?

No, 学习在学校 is not natural Chinese.

The normal structure is:

在 + place + Verb
- 在学校学习 = study at school
- 在家工作 = work at home
- 在公司上班 = go to work / work at the company

So the 在 + place phrase comes before the verb being done at that place. The reverse order (学习在学校) is ungrammatical in standard Mandarin.

What is the difference between 学习, 读书, and 上学 in sentences like this?

All three relate to studying/school, but they’re used differently:

学习 – “to study / to learn”
- General study or learning, can be in or out of school.
- 在学校学习 = study at school.
读书 – literally “read books,” but often:
- “to study” (often at school or university),
- or more broadly “to read.”
- 在大学读书 = attend university / study at university.
上学 – “to attend school / to go to school (as a student).”
- Emphasizes being a pupil/student rather than the act of studying.
- 还在上学 = still in school (as a student).

So:

妹妹还在学校学习。
- Focus: She is still studying at school.
妹妹还在上学。
- Focus: She is still a student / still attending school.

All can be correct depending on nuance; the original sentence chooses 学习 to highlight the act of studying.

Where exactly does 还 attach in 妹妹还在学校学习? Is it modifying 在, 学校, or 学习?

In 妹妹还在学校学习, 还 functions as an adverb that modifies the whole predicate 在学校学习.

You can think of the structure as:

妹妹 (subject)
还 (still)
在学校学习 (is at school studying)

So 还 expresses that this entire situation (being at school and studying) continues, in contrast to the brother’s new situation (working).

It is not specifically “still at” or “still studying” alone; it’s “still in that overall state of being a student at school.”