Level 1 · Beginner
Connecting nouns with 是
A + 是 + B
是 (shì) links two nouns: A is B. Use it to say who or what something is — 我是学生 "I am a student."
The key restriction: 是 only connects nouns to nouns. To say something IS an adjective ("the weather is nice"), Chinese drops 是 entirely and uses 很 instead — see "Adjectives with 很".
Examples
我是学生。
我是學生。
wǒ shì xué sheng
I am a student.
他是我的老师。
他是我的老師。
tā shì wǒ de lǎo shī
He is my teacher.
这是我的书。
這是我的書。
zhè shì wǒ de shū
This is my book.
我妈妈是医生。
我媽媽是醫生。
wǒ mā ma shì yī shēng
My mom is a doctor.
Common mistakes
✗ 天气是很好。
✓ 天气很好。
Never use 是 with adjectives — connect them with 很 instead.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: The Kitten and the Puppy — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
