一些

yì xiē

Expressing "some" with "yixie"

一些 means "some" or "a few", and it replaces number-plus-measure-word entirely.

一些 + Noun

How it works

这里有一些咖啡 — there's some coffee here. Because 一些 already covers the counting, no measure word follows it.

In casual speech the 一 often drops: 我买了些水果. 一点(儿) is the small-quantity cousin, used mostly with uncountable things: 一点水.

Examples

  • zhè lǐ yǒu yì xiē kā fēi

    这里有一些咖啡。

    There's some coffee here.

  • wǒ xiǎng wèn nǐ yì xiē wèn tí

    我想问你一些问题。

    I'd like to ask you some questions.

  • tā mǎi le yì xiē shuǐ guǒ

    他买了一些水果。

    He bought some fruit.

Common mistakes

  • No measure word after 一些: 一些个人 is wrong.