Word
那 个 女孩子 在 图书馆 里 安静 地 看 小说。nà gè nǚháizi zài túshūguǎn lǐ ānjìng de kàn xiǎoshuō.
Meaning
That girl is quietly reading a novel in the library.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of nà gè nǚháizi zài túshūguǎn lǐ ānjìng de kàn xiǎoshuō.
个gè
noun classifier
Used when counting nouns or when specifying a specific instance of a noun.
There are also classifiers for people, for bound items such as books and magazines, for cups/glasses, etc.
The classifier 个 is a general one that can be used for any of these.
在zài
at
看kàn
to read
Questions & Answers about nà gè nǚháizi zài túshūguǎn lǐ ānjìng de kàn xiǎoshuō.
Why is there a 个 after 那?
个 is a measure word (also called a classifier). In Mandarin, when you point out a noun with words like 这 (this) or 那 (that), you usually need a measure word before the noun.
So:
- 那个女孩子 = that girl
- literally: that + classifier + girl
个 is the most common general classifier, and it works naturally with 女孩子 here.
Why does the sentence use 女孩子 instead of just 女孩?
Both 女孩子 and 女孩 mean girl, but 女孩子 can sound a little softer, more natural, or slightly more colloquial in many contexts.
Roughly:
- 女孩 = girl
- 女孩子 = girl / young girl / girl person
In everyday speech, both are common. Here, 女孩子 just sounds natural and friendly.
Why does the sentence have both 在 and 里 in 在图书馆里?