Dachuan, Wang Jun and Li Mei are having a picnic by the lake. Seeing many happy families, Wang Jun asks about Dachuan's familiy members.

Dialogue One

dà chuān nǐ jiā yǒu shén me rén
大 川, 你 家 有  什  么  人?
How many people are there in your family, Dachuan?
bà bɑ mā mɑ mèi mei hé wǒ
爸 爸、 妈  妈、 妹 妹  和  我,
hái yǒu yì zhī xiǎo ɡǒu tā jiào ɡāo xìnɡ
还  有  一 只  小 狗, 它 叫 “ 高  兴”。
My father, mother, younger sister and me. There is also a dog named "Gaoxing".

Dialogue Two

lǐ méi nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén
李 梅,你 家 有 几 口  人?
How many people are there in your family, Li Mei?
wǒ jiā wǔ kǒu rén bà bɑ mā mɑ jiě jie ɡē ɡe hé wǒ
我 家  五  口  人, 爸 爸、 妈  妈、 姐 姐、 哥 哥 和 我。
nǐ jiā ne
你 家 呢?
Five. My father, mother, elder sister, elder brother and me. How about you?
bà bɑ mā mɑ dì di hé wǒ
爸 爸、 妈 妈、 弟 弟 和 我。
My father, mother, younger brother and me.

Explanation of difficult points

1. Listing in Chinese (and the use of "和")
1)"、"("顿号" dùn hào, meaning "pause symbol"—so you should pause in speech) is used to list more than two things. "、" needs not to be used between the last two things. For instance, you can say "爸爸、妈妈、姐姐、哥哥和我" (bà ba, mā ma, jiě jie, gē ge hé wǒ; father, mother, sister, brother and me). In oral Chinese sometimes "和"(hé) is also omitted.

2) "和" is used when listing two things. "、" is not used in such case.

2. Order matters in Chinese
Note that order matters in Chinese. Pay special attention to listing people from oldest to youngest because it implies importance; the position of "我"(wǒ) can be either at the end or according to age. If you want to list you and some other people (and the age or importance issue does not apply), you would say "我和……"(wǒ hé, me and ...).

3. Family order matters
In Chinese, out of habit, you say "爸爸妈妈"(bà ba mā ma) as opposed to "mom and dad". Similar examples are "爷爷奶奶"(yé ye nǎi nai) and "哥哥姐姐"(gē ge jiě jie).