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HSK 2.0 Level 3+ HSK 3.0 Level 3+ 6 min read

Pronouns 别人 and 咱们

Use 别人 to talk about “other people” and 咱们 to say “we” in a way that always includes the person you’re talking to.

Pattern

别人 = other people (subject or object); 咱们 = we / us, speaker + listener

咱们 always pulls the listener in; 我们 may leave them out.

咱们走吧。

When to use Pronouns 别人 and 咱们

别人 means “other people, someone else”: everyone except the person or people you are talking about. It works like any noun, as subject or object, and takes 的 for “other people’s”: 别人的东西. 咱们 means “we, us”, and it always includes the person you are talking to; 我们 can include them or not, so 咱们 sounds warmer and more inviting.

别人都走了，只有他还在。

Everyone else has left; only he is still here.

我不想麻烦别人。

I don’t want to bother other people.

咱们晚上吃什么？

What shall we have for dinner?

他总是很愿意帮助别人。

He’s always happy to help others.

Common traps

  • Don’t use 咱们 when the listener isn’t part of the group: to a guest, say 欢迎来我们学校, not 欢迎来咱们学校.
  • For “other books”, say 别的书, not 别人书: 别人 is only for people, and 别人的书 means “other people’s books”.
  • Don’t add 们 to 别人: say 别人都知道, not 别人们都知道. 别人 already covers one person or many.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

不要打扰 。

Do not disturb other people
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