谁 vs 谁的 (shéi vs shéi de): “who” or “whose”?
谁 (shéi) means “who” and is used to ask about a person’s identity as a subject or object. 谁的 (shéi de) means “whose” and asks about possession, always requiring the possessive particle 的. Confusion arises because learners often drop the 的 when asking “whose?”.
Both 谁 (shéi) and 谁的 (shéi de) are interrogative pronouns referring to people, but they occupy different grammatical roles. 谁 functions as a pronoun meaning “who” or “whom” – it can be the subject or object of a verb. 谁的 is the possessive form, created by attaching the particle 的 to 谁, and translates to “whose”. The key rule is that when the question is about ownership or belonging, the 的 must be present; omitting it changes the meaning to a simple “who” question.
When to use each
Use 谁 to ask about the identity of a person. It can serve as the subject (e.g., 谁来了？) or the object (e.g., 你找谁？) of a verb. 谁 is never used alone to indicate possession.
Use 谁的 to ask about possession or ownership. It must always include the particle 的. 谁的 can stand alone (e.g., 谁的？) or modify a noun (e.g., 谁的手机？).
At a glance
| 谁 | 谁的 | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | asks about a person (who/whom) | asks about possession (whose) |
| Grammatical function | subject or object of a verb | possessive pronoun or determiner |
| Structure | interrogative pronoun alone | interrogative pronoun + possessive particle 的 |
| Can it modify a noun? | No | Yes – e.g., 谁的铅笔 |
Examples
- 谁他是谁？Tā shì shéi?Who is he?Using 谁 as subject complement.
- 谁谁来了？Shéi lái le?Who came?Using 谁 as subject.
- 谁你找谁？Nǐ zhǎo shéi?Whom are you looking for?Using 谁 as object.
- 谁的这是谁的包？Zhè shì shéi de bāo?Whose bag is this?Correct possessive form with 的.
- 谁的谁的手机？Shéi de shǒujī?Whose phone?Elliptical question – 谁的 modifies 手机.
- 谁✗这是谁书？Zhè shì shéi shū?Whose book is this?✗ Incorrect – missing 的. Should be 这是谁的书？
Common mistakes
- Using 谁 instead of 谁的 to ask about possession: '这是谁书？' should be '这是谁的书？'
- Omitting 的 when 谁的 stands alone: asking '谁的书？' is correct; '谁书？' is wrong.
- Confusing 谁 as a possessive determiner: '谁家' is a special exception meaning 'whose home/family' (colloquial), but generally 谁 alone cannot show possession.
FAQ
- When do I use 谁 vs 谁的?
- Use 谁 to ask 'who' or 'whom' about a person. Use 谁的 to ask 'whose' about possession. The particle 的 is the key difference: if your question involves ownership, you must add 的 after 谁.
- Can 谁的 be used without a noun after it?
- Yes. For example, '这是谁的？' (Whose is this?) or simply '谁的？' (Whose?) are perfectly natural in context. The 的 is still required.
- Is 谁 only used for people?
- Yes, 谁 always refers to people (or personified animals/objects). For things, use 什么 or 哪. For possession of things by people, use 谁的.
- Can I use 谁 + noun to mean 'whose' without 的?
- No. Without 的, the phrase 谁书 would be ungrammatical for 'whose book'. The only exception is a few fixed phrases like 谁家 (shéi jiā, 'whose home'), but even there 的 is more standard: 谁的家.