Yes-or-no questions
吗, asking "A not A", and 呢 and 吧.
吗 ma at the end turns a statement into a yes-or-no question. Nothing else changes.
- Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?Are you Chinese?
- Nǐ máng ma?Are you busy?
A not A
A question can also give both answers: the verb or adjective, 不, then the same again. It takes no 吗. 有 gives 有没有; a two-syllable verb can drop its second syllable the first time: 喜不喜欢.
- Nǐ qù bu qù?Are you going or not?
- Zhège hǎo bu hǎo?Is this one any good?
- Nǐ xǐ bu xǐhuan zhège?Do you like this one?
呢
After a noun, 呢 ne asks "and what about …?". On its own after a thing, it asks where it is. At the end of a question with a question word, it softens it.
- Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?I'm fine, and you?
- Wǒ de yàoshi ne?Where are my keys?
吧
吧 ba makes a suggestion, or asks someone to confirm what you think.
- Wǒmen zǒu ba.Let's go.
- Nǐ shì lǎoshī ba?You're a teacher, aren't you?
Or: 还是
In a question, "or" is 还是 háishi. In a statement it is 或者 huòzhě.
- Nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi?Do you drink tea or coffee?
Cards from this guide
8 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Questions and negation cards.
How do you turn 你是学生 (You're a student) into a question?
Add 吗: 你是学生吗？
How do you ask "Are you going or not?" without 吗?
你去不去？
Can a question like 你去不去 end in 吗?
No.
How do you say "I'm fine, and you?"
我很好，你呢？
How do you ask "Where are my keys?" in three words?
我的钥匙呢？
How do you say "Let's go"?
我们走吧 (wǒmen zǒu ba).
Which "or" goes in a question like "tea or coffee?"
还是 (háishi).
How do you ask "You're a teacher, aren't you?"
你是老师吧？