Language/Mandarin-chinese/Grammar/Questions
Hi Mandarin Chinese learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will talk about questions in Mandarin Chinese. Asking questions is a fundamental part of communication, and mastering grammar rules related to questions is essential to form sentences correctly. We will cover several question types, such as yes or no questions, wh-questions, and tag questions.
Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: 是...的, How to ask a question in Chinese, 都 (dōu) & Express possession with 有 (yǒu).
Yes or No Questions[edit | edit source]
In Mandarin Chinese, yes or no questions are formed by adding the particle “吗 (ma)” at the end of a statement. The tone of “吗 (ma)” is neutral, so it does not affect the tone of the statement. Let's see some examples:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你喜欢中文吗？ | Nǐ xǐhuān zhōngwén ma? | Do you like Chinese? |
| 他是老师吗？ | Tā shì lǎoshī ma? | Is he a teacher? |
| 这是你家吗？ | Zhè shì nǐ jiā ma? | Is this your house? |
Note that yes or no questions could also be formed with only tone, depending on context. But adding “吗 (ma)” makes the sentence more clear and straightforward.
WH-Questions[edit | edit source]
WH-questions are questions that start with WH-words such as “什么 (shénme)”, “哪里 (nǎlǐ)”, “谁 (shuí)”, “什么时候 (shénme shíhou)”, “多少 (duōshǎo)”, and “怎么 (zěnme)”. The WH-word usually appears at the beginning of the sentence, and the sentence follows the SVO (subject-verb-object) structure. Here are some examples:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你在做什么？ | Nǐ zài zuò shénme? | What are you doing? |
| 你想去哪里旅游？ | Nǐ xiǎng qù nǎlǐ lǚyóu? | Where do you want to travel? |
| 谁是你的朋友？ | Shuí shì nǐ de péngyǒu? | Who is your friend? |
| 你什么时候回家？ | Nǐ shénme shíhou huí jiā? | When are you going home? |
Note that the question words “什么时候 (shénme shíhou)”, and “多少 (duōshǎo)” have the same SVO structure as the other WH-question types.
Tag Questions[edit | edit source]
Tag questions are questions added at the end of a declarative or imperative sentence to ask for confirmation or agreement. In Mandarin Chinese, tag questions are constructed by adding the particle “吧 (ba)” or “呢 (ne)” at the end of a statement. Let's see some examples:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你是学生, 对吧？ | Nǐ shì xuéshēng, duì ba? | You are a student, right? |
| 他很聪明, 是吧？ | Tā hěn cōngmíng, shì ba? | He is very smart, isn’t he? |
| 我们去吃饭, 好不好呢？ | Wǒmen qù chīfàn, hǎo bù hǎo ne? | Let's go eat, okay? |
Note that the particle “吧 (ba)” is used for suggesting or proposing something, while “呢 (ne)” is used to ask the other person’s opinion or thoughts.
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Let’s create a dialogue between two people, asking and talking about food preferences.
- Person 1: 你喜欢吃中餐还是西餐？ (Nǐ xǐhuān chī zhōngcān háishì xīcān?) (Do you like Chinese food or Western food?)
- Person 2: 我比较喜欢吃中餐，你呢？(Wǒ bǐjiào xǐhuān chī zhōngcān, nǐ ne?) (I prefer Chinese food, and you?)
- Person 1: 我也喜欢中餐，你觉得什么中餐最好吃？ (Wǒ yě xǐhuān zhōngcān, nǐ juédé shénme zhōngcān zuì hǎochī?) (I like Chinese food too, what do you think is the best Chinese dish?)
- Person 2: 我觉得麻婆豆腐最好吃。(Wǒ juédé mápó dòufu zuì hǎochī.) (I think Mapo Tofu is the best.)
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
Asking questions in Mandarin Chinese is not complicated since the grammar follows simple rules. However, it would take practice to become fluent in asking questions in Mandarin Chinese. Our recommendation is to use what you've learned in real-life situations. To improve your Mandarin Chinese grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Sources[edit | edit source]
Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Mandarin Chinese Grammar → Pinyin and Tones → Tone Pairs, 不 (bù), Give your Opinion & Adjectives.
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- How to Use be
- How to ask a question in Chinese
- 是...的
- 叫 (jiào)
- Nouns
- 不 (bù)
- Time
- Ask how to do something with 怎么 (zěnme)
- Questions with 不 (bù)
- Negation Use 不 (bù) or 没 (mei)