Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒmen de línjū zhù zài wǒ jiā duìmiàn, shì yí wèi hěn rèqíng de āyí. - Our neighbor lives across from my home; she is a very warm auntie.

我们的邻居
Here 的 is the possessive marker, like “’s” in English:
- 我们的邻居 = our neighbor.
很热情的阿姨
Here 的 links a describing part (很热情 “very warm/enthusiastic”) to the noun (阿姨 “auntie/lady”). It’s forming an adjective phrase + 的 + noun structure:
- 很热情的阿姨 = a warm(-hearted) auntie / a very friendly lady.

So:

First 的: possession (“our neighbor”).
Second 的: description/attribution (“warm auntie”).

Why do we say 住在 and not just 住?

住 by itself means “to live / to reside.”

我们的邻居住在我家对面
literally: “Our neighbor lives-at my house opposite.”

在 is a location marker (at / in / on).
The common pattern is:

主语 (subject) + 住 + 在 + 地方 (place)

Examples:

他住在北京。= He lives in Beijing.
我住在学校附近。= I live near the school.

You can sometimes see 住我家对面, but 住在 is much more standard and sounds more natural in modern Mandarin when you specify a place.

Is the word order 住在我家对面 fixed, or can you say 在我家对面住?

Both orders are possible, but they feel a bit different:

住在我家对面 (most common, neutral)
- Verb + 在 + Place
- This is the most typical pattern for “live somewhere.”
在我家对面住 (less common; a bit more marked/emphatic)
- 在 + Place + Verb
- This structure can be used to emphasize the location more:
  在我家对面住的那个人… (The person who lives across from my house…)

In your exact sentence, 住在我家对面 is the most natural and standard version.

What exactly does 对面 mean here? Is it like “across from,” “opposite,” or something else?

对面 (duìmiàn) means “the opposite side” / “across from” / “facing (on the other side).”

我家对面 = the place opposite my house / across from my house.

Some comparisons:

对面 – opposite side / across (usually facing each other)
- 他住在学校对面。= He lives across from the school.
旁边 – beside / next to
- 他住在我家旁边。= He lives next to my house.

In this sentence, 对面 clearly means directly across the street / corridor / hallway from your house.

Why is there no 的 after 对面? Why is it 我家对面 and not 我家的对面?

Both 我家对面 and 我家的对面 are understandable, but in most location phrases:

When a place word like 上, 下, 里, 外, 前面, 对面, etc. directly follows a noun, the 的 is often omitted:
- 我家对面
- 学校旁边
- 桌子上面

So:

我家对面 is just the normal, slightly more concise way to say “the opposite of my house.”
我家的对面 is possible but sounds a bit heavier, and people usually don’t say it that way in quick everyday speech unless they want to stress possession for some reason.

As a learner, it’s safe to follow this pattern: > location word right after a place noun → usually drop 的
e.g. 我家对面, 学校后面, 图书馆旁边.

What is the function of 是 here? Is it like “is” in English?

Yes, 是 (shì) is working very much like “is / am / are” here, linking the subject to a noun phrase:

(我们的邻居) 是一位很热情的阿姨。
= (Our neighbor) is a very warm auntie / a very friendly lady.

Because “our neighbor” is already understood from the first part, Chinese can omit it in the second part:
住在我家对面，是一位很热情的阿姨。
→ “(The one who) lives across from my house is a very warm(-hearted) lady.”

So 是 introduces the identification of who that neighbor is.

Why do we use 一位 here instead of 一个? What’s special about 位?

位 (wèi) is a polite measure word for people. It shows respect or politeness.

Compare:

一个阿姨 – a (female) neighbor/auntie (neutral/casual)
一位阿姨 – a (female) neighbor/auntie (more respectful / polite / slightly more formal)

In the sentence:

是一位很热情的阿姨。
(She) is a very warm(-hearted) lady.

Using 位 sounds polite and appreciative toward the neighbor, which matches the positive description 很热情.

In daily speech, people also say 一个阿姨, but 一位 is a nice habit when talking politely about adults, teachers, guests, etc.

Why is 一 pronounced yí in 一位 (yí wèi) instead of yī?

This is a case of tone sandhi (tone change) for 一 (yī):

When 一 (yī) is followed by a 4th-tone syllable (like 位 wèi), it normally changes from 1st tone (yī) to 2nd tone (yí).

So:

一 + 位 (4th tone) → yí wèi

Other examples:

一样 → yí yàng
一定 → yí dìng

General rules for 一:

Before 4th tone → yí (2nd tone)
Before 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tone → often yì (4th tone)
When said alone or emphasized by itself → yī (1st tone)

Does 很 here really mean “very”? Or is it just a link between adjective and noun?

很 (hěn) literally means “very,” but in modern Chinese it often works as a default adverb before adjectives, sometimes not as strong as “very.”

In 一位很热情的阿姨:

It can be understood as “a very warm(-hearted) auntie,”
but it can also just sound like “a warm(-hearted) auntie,” with “very” not strongly emphasized.

Key idea:

Stative adjectives in Chinese (like 热情, 高, 漂亮, etc.) usually need some adverb (很, 非常, 真, 有点, etc.) or another structure.
Saying just 她热情 as a descriptive statement can sound abrupt or contrastive, like “she is enthusiastic (as opposed to what you thought).”

So 很 here both:

makes the sentence sound natural, and
adds a mild “quite/very” sense.

What exactly does 阿姨 (āyí) mean here? Is it a real aunt?

阿姨 has two main uses:

Literal family meaning: “aunt on the maternal side” (your mother’s sister, or sometimes women in that generation on the mother’s side).
Polite/address term for a middle-aged woman, especially one around your mother’s age, even if not related.

In this sentence:

是一位很热情的阿姨。

it most likely means:

a middle-aged woman neighbor,
addressed or referred to politely as 阿姨 (like “Auntie” or “Mrs./Ms.”) rather than a blood relative.

Chinese often uses:

叔叔 for a man around your father’s age,
阿姨 for a woman around your mother’s age, even when they’re not family.

Why is there no 她 (she) in the second part? How do we know we’re still talking about the neighbor?

Chinese often omits the subject when it’s already clear from context.

Full, explicit version would be:

我们的邻居住在我家对面，她是一位很热情的阿姨。
Our neighbor lives across from my house; she is a very warm(-hearted) lady.

But since “our neighbor” has already been introduced, and we logically continue talking about the same person, she is dropped:

我们的邻居住在我家对面，是一位很热情的阿姨。

The shared subject is understood:

(我们的邻居) 住在我家对面，(我们的邻居) 是一位很热情的阿姨。

Omitting repeated subjects like this is very common and natural in Chinese.

What does the comma (，) mean here? Is it like “and,” or does it separate two sentences?

The Chinese comma (，) can link closely related clauses, similar to:

a comma in English,
or sometimes “and / who / which.”

Here the structure is:

我们的邻居住在我家对面，
(Our neighbor lives across from my house,)
是一位很热情的阿姨。
(and she is a very warm(-hearted) lady.)

You could think of it in English as:

“Our neighbor, who lives across from my house, is a very warm-hearted lady.”
or
“Our neighbor lives across from my house, and she is a very warm-hearted lady.”

So the comma connects two related facts about the same person in one flowing sentence.

Can we combine everything into one long noun phrase, like 我家对面住的一位很热情的阿姨? Is that correct, and what’s the difference?

Yes, that structure is correct and very natural:

我家对面住的一位很热情的阿姨
literally: “a very warm-hearted auntie who lives across from my house.”

This is a relative clause structure:

我家对面住的 = the one who lives across from my house
一位很热情的阿姨 = a very warm(-hearted) auntie

Your original sentence: > 我们的邻居住在我家对面，是一位很热情的阿姨。

splits the information into:

where the neighbor lives,
what kind of person she is.

The relative-clause version packs this into one long noun phrase: > 她是我家对面住的一位很热情的阿姨。
> She is a very warm-hearted lady who lives across from my house.

Both are correct; the original is a bit clearer and simpler for learners.