Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ hěn ài wǒ de jiārén.

Adding 很 makes the feeling sound stronger or more emotional, closer to I really love my family or I love my family very much.
Without 很, it is a straightforward statement of fact; with 很, it sounds a bit more expressive or emphatic.

So both are fine:

我爱我的家人。 – I love my family.
我很爱我的家人。 – I really / very much love my family.

Does 很 always mean very here, or is it sometimes just a linking word like am?

In this sentence, 很 is a real degree adverb, and it does carry the meaning of very, really, so much, etc.

The “just a linking word” use of 很 mainly happens with adjectives, e.g.:

我很高兴。 – I am (very) happy.
Often this 很 doesn’t feel strongly like very; it just makes the sentence sound natural.

But 爱 is a verb, not an adjective, so 我很爱… is not a neutral linking pattern. It clearly adds intensity, like:

我很爱我的家人。 ≈ I really love my family.

Why is 很 placed before 爱? Could I say 我爱很我的家人 or put 很 after 爱?

The normal word order in Mandarin is:

subject + adverb + verb + object

So in this sentence:

我 – subject
很 – adverb of degree
爱 – verb
我的家人 – object

That is why 很 must go before 爱: 我很爱我的家人.

Forms like 我爱很我的家人 or putting 很 after 爱 are ungrammatical. Adverbs such as 很, 非常, 特别 almost always go before the verb or adjective they modify.

What exactly does 的 do in 我的家人?

的 is a possessive/attributive marker. It links the possessor to the thing possessed, similar to English ’s or of.

So:

我 – I / me
的 – possessive marker
家人 – family member(s)

我的家人 literally means my family members, or more naturally my family.

Structure: [possessor] + 的 + [thing possessed]
Examples:

我的书 – my book
她的朋友 – her friend
他们的老师 – their teacher

Can I drop 的 and say 我家人 instead of 我的家人? Is there a difference?

Sometimes you will see 我家人, but it is much more common inside a longer sentence, like:

我家人都住在北京。 – My family all live in Beijing.

In the position of a simple object here, 我的家人 is the more natural and standard choice. 我很爱我家人 is not wrong, but it sounds a bit clipped or informal, and more natural with something after it (e.g. 我很爱我家人给我的支持 – I really love the support my family gives me).

General idea:

我的家人 – neutral, clear my family.
我家人 – often used when 我家 (“my home / my family”) is being treated as a unit, or when followed by more information.

For your level, using 我的家人 is the safest and most natural.

What does 家人 mean exactly? Does it refer only to close family, and is it singular or plural?

家人 (jiārén) literally means family person/people and is usually understood as family members – generally the people who belong to your family and live (or used to live) together as a household.

It is usually plural in meaning, even though there is no explicit plural marker. It most often refers to close family (parents, children, siblings, spouse). Context decides exactly who is included.

So:

我的家人 ≈ my family members / my family, not just one person.

Why don’t we say 家人们 to show it is plural, like adding -s in English?

Mandarin normally does not mark plural on nouns when it’s obvious from context. 家人 is already understood as family members, so adding 们 is usually unnecessary.

家人们 can appear in speech or writing, but it gives a slightly stylistic or rhetorical feeling, often when addressing them directly, like:

亲爱的家人们… – Dear family members…

In everyday sentences like 我很爱我的家人, the natural, neutral form is just 家人, without 们.

Is 家人 literally home person? Could the sentence be misunderstood as I love the people at home (not necessarily my family)?

Historically, 家人 is made up of 家 (home/family) + 人 (person), but in modern Mandarin it is a fixed word meaning family member(s).

When native speakers see 家人 in 我很爱我的家人, they understand my family members, not just random people currently in a house. You would not normally interpret it as “whoever happens to be at home”.

To refer to people who are at home right now, you’d say something like:

在家的人 – the people who are at home.

What is the difference between 家, 家人, and 家庭 when I want to say family?

All three can relate to family, but their usual uses are a bit different:

家 (jiā)
- Literal: home, house.
- By extension: family (as a unit).
- 我爱我的家。 – I love my home / my family (depending on context).
家人 (jiārén)
- Focuses on the people in the family: family members.
- 我很爱我的家人。 – I really love my family (the people).
家庭 (jiātíng)
- More abstract: the family as a social unit or household.
- Common in more formal or abstract contexts: 家庭关系 (family relationships), 家庭问题 (family problems).
- You can say 我爱我的家庭, but it sounds a bit more formal/abstract than 我爱我的家人.

In everyday emotional statements, 家人 and 家 are more common than 家庭.

Do I need a measure word with 家人, like 一个家人 or 一家人?

In your sentence, no measure word is needed: 我很爱我的家人 is complete and natural.

Some related patterns:

一家人 – literally “one family (of people)”, meaning the whole family as a group.
- 我们一家人都很健康。 – Our whole family is healthy.
一个家人 – “one family member” is grammatically possible, but not very common; people usually say 一个家里人, 一个家里的成员, or simply specify the role (一个家里的人, 一个亲戚, etc.).

So:

To say my family / my family members as a whole: 我的家人.
To emphasize as a whole family unit: 我们一家人.

Is 我很爱我的家人 formal or casual? Are there more natural alternatives?

我很爱我的家人 is neutral and can be used in both spoken and written Mandarin. It’s clear and natural.

Some common variations:

我爱我的家人。 – I love my family. (plain, simple)
我非常爱我的家人。 – I love my family very much. (a bit stronger, slightly more formal)
我特别爱我的家人。 – I especially / really love my family. (emotional, colloquial)

All of these are acceptable; choice depends on how strong or emotional you want to sound.

Are there any special pronunciation or tone-change rules in 我很爱我的家人?

The tones are:

我 – wǒ (3rd)
很 – hěn (3rd)
爱 – ài (4th)
我 – wǒ (3rd)
的 – de (neutral)
家 – jiā (1st)
人 – rén (2nd)

There is no 3rd-tone + 3rd-tone sequence here (like 很好), so the main textbook tone sandhi rule doesn’t apply between 很 and 爱. In natural speech, 很 before another syllable often sounds like a low, half-third tone, but you don’t need to consciously change it beyond normal fluent pronunciation.

So you can basically pronounce each syllable with its dictionary tone and you’ll be understood.