newbie -- how / when to use 的

[fij]

Hello,

As a newbie I came accross the following sentence: 他太太的老家是香港. Why is there only one 的 in this sentence? As a newbie I would use two "of"s : he of wife of <home_town> be <Hong_Kong>. ("he of" = "his") How would you translate the following sentences? "Is his home town Hong Kong? No, his wife's home town is Hong Kong. He was born in 南京."

Thanks a lot

[fij]

... and a few sentences later I see 我的爸爸. I'm confused :-)) Which is more commonly used：我的爸爸 or 我爸爸 ? Or maybe they first is the more commonly used, but at the same time Chinese people don't like to use two 的s too close to each other, so instead of saying 他的太太的老家 they omit the first 的 and say simply 他太太的老家 ?

Well, thanks anyhow.

[GuoDongXing]

the way it was explained to me, they string all the possessives together, then stick one "的" after the last one. Also, possessives for close personal relations (mother, wife, daughter, son, etc...) are optional. It comes down to a "sound feel" too many too close doesn't sound right.

[Meng Lelan]

As a newbie I came accross the following sentence: 他太太的老家是香港. Why is there only one 的 in this sentence?

You don't have to use 的 to express a personal relationship. Anyone would know the wife belongs to the husband and you don't need a 的 to tell that....you are right the Chinese don't like a whole bunch of 的's to clutter up a sentence and make it all choppy. 我的爸爸 or 我爸爸 - the latter is more common because like I said, it's a personal relationship. Anyone would assusme the father is yours and doesn't really need a 的 to make that clear.

他的太太的老家 they omit the first 的 and say simply 他太太的老家 ?

The latter sounds smoother and better. You can say it that way.

[Hofmann]

我, 你, and 他 can all mean "my," "your," "its." Also, 的 isn't necessary most of the time; it only clarifies the subordinate relationship, eliminating ambiguity.