The Prefix 老 in 老王, 老师 and 老二
Use 老 + surname to address an older person you know well, and recognize 老 as a prefix in words like 老师 and 老二.
Muster
老 + one-syllable surname (老王); 老 + number (老二); fixed words (老师, 老虎)
In 老王, 老 makes a warm name for an older acquaintance; in words like 老师 it does not mean “old” at all.
老李是我爸爸的同事。
When to use The Prefix 老 in 老王, 老师 and 老二
Put 老 before a one-syllable surname to make a warm, familiar name for an older person you know well, such as a colleague, neighbor or family friend: 老王, 老李. It sounds friendly, not rude, and middle-aged colleagues and friends often call each other this way. 老 is also a prefix in some everyday words where it does not mean “old” at all: 老师 is any teacher, young or old.
老王，早上好！
Morning, Wang!
老张住在我家楼上。
Mr. Zhang lives upstairs from us.
我们的老师很年轻。
Our teacher is very young.
我是老二，上面还有一个哥哥。
I’m the second child; I have an older brother.
Häufige Stolperfallen
- Call your teacher 王老师, not 老王: 老 + surname is for familiar people, not for teachers or bosses in a formal setting.
- Say 老王, not 老王明: 老 goes before the surname alone, never before a full name.
- Don’t read 老师 as “old teacher”: 我们的老师很年轻 is perfectly natural.
Gezielte Übung
Übe genau dieses Muster, bevor du weitermachst.
Behalte dieses Muster im Training.
Du hast gerade eine echte Grammatikkarte geübt. Erstelle ein Konto, um dieses Muster zu speichern, und wähle dann einen Tarif, um es weiter zu wiederholen. Jeder Tarif hat eine 30-tägige Geld-zurück-Garantie.
9,99 $
Monatlich
Pro Monat
Bester Wert
49,99 $
Jährlich unbegrenzt
Pro Jahr
119,99 $
Lebenslang
Einmalig