Questions with 吗 and Question Words
Form yes/no questions by adding 吗 (ma) to a statement: 你是学生吗? Learn question words: 什么 (shénme, what), 哪 (nǎ, which), 哪儿/哪里 (nǎr/nǎlǐ, where), 谁 (shuí, who), 几/多少 (jǐ/duōshǎo, how many/much), 为什么 (wèishénme, why).
A lesson of Mandarin Chinese A1 — Beginner, in Sentence Structure, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will form yes/no questions and information questions in Mandarin.
Two Ways to Ask Questions
Mandarin forms questions in two fundamentally different ways:
- Yes/No questions: add 吗 (ma) to a statement
- Information questions: replace the unknown element with a question word
No verb inversion required (unlike English or French).
吗 Questions (Yes/No)
Add 吗 at the end of the statement. The word order stays identical to the positive statement.
Statement + 吗？
| Statement | Question | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你是学生。 | 你是学生吗？ | Are you a student? |
| 她喜欢音乐。 | 她喜欢音乐吗？ | Does she like music? |
| 你有手机。 | 你有手机吗？ | Do you have a phone? |
| 他今天来。 | 他今天来吗？ | Is he coming today? |
Answering 吗 Questions
| Response | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 是的 / 对 | Yes, correct | |
| 是 | Yes | Common in formal answers |
| 好 | OK / Yes | For suggestions/requests |
| 不是 / 不对 | No, not correct | Negating 是 |
| 不 | No | General negation |
| 没有 | No / don't have | Negating 有 |
你是学生吗？— 是的，我是学生。 你有钱吗？— 没有，我没有钱。
A-Not-A Questions (Alternative to 吗)
Another common question form repeats the verb in positive and negative form:
Subject + Verb + 不 + Verb?
| A-not-A | English |
|---|