Affirmative-negative question

Also known as: 正反问句 (zhèng-fǎn wènjù).

A common way to form questions in Chinese is to first use a verb in the positive, then repeat the same verb in its negative form, similar to how in English we can say, "Do you have money or not?" or "Have you or have you not been to the park?" These are called affirmative-negative questions or alternative questions.

Verb-Not-Verb

Structure

Verb + 不 + Verb

Examples

• 他 很 好 ， 是 不 是 ？ Tā hěn hǎo, shì bù shì? He is very good, isn't he?
• 他们 来 不 来 ？ Tāmen lái bù lái? Are they going to come or not?
• 很 晚 了 ， 走 不 走 ？ Hěn wǎn le, zǒu bù zǒu? It's late. Shall we leave?
• 你 想 不 想 我 ？ Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng wǒ? Do you or do you not miss me?
• 她 去 了 ， 你 去 不 去 ？ Tā qù le, nǐ qù bù qù? She went. Are you going or not?
• 我们 去 打 球 ， 你 打 不 打 ？ Wǒmen qù dǎ qíu, nǐ dǎ bù dǎ? We are going to play ball, do you want to play?
• 这 件 衣服 ， 你 买 不 买 ？ Zhè jiàn yīfu, nǐ mǎi bù mǎi? This dress, are you going to buy it or not?
• KFC ， 吃 不 吃 ？ KFC, chī bù chī? Do you want to eat KFC?
• 咖啡 ， 要 不 要 ？ Kāfēi, yào bù yào? Do you want coffee?
• 热 啤酒 ， 你 喝 不 喝 ？ Rè píjǐu, nǐ hē bù hē? Hot beer, will you drink it or not?

Note that the question provides the listener with both possible answers: it's either "Verb" or "不 (bù) Verb."

Verb-Not-Verb with an Object

Structure

If you want to add an object after the verb, the general sentence structure is:

Subject + Verb + 不 + Verb + Object

Examples

• 她 买 不 买 衣服 ？ Tā mǎi bù mǎi yīfu? Will she buy the clothes or not?
• 你 吃 不 吃 饭 ？ Nǐ chī bù chī fàn? Will you eat?
• 你 要 不 要 咖啡 ？ Nǐ yào bù yào kāfēi? Do you want coffee?
• 你 想 不 想 喝 酒 ？ Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng hē jǐu? Do you want to drink alcohol or not?
• 你 明 天 去 不 去 公园 ？ Nǐ míngtiān qù bù qù gōngyuán? Are you going to the park tomorrow?
• 你 想 不 想 她 ？ Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng tā? Do you miss her?
• 你 打 不 打 球 ？ Nǐ dǎ bù dǎ qíu? Do you play ball?
• 他们 吃 不 吃 KFC ？ Tāmen chī bù chī KFC? Do they eat KFC?
• 今天 你 做 不 做 晚饭 ？ Jīntiān nǐ zùo bù zùo wǎnfàn? Are you going to cook dinner tonight?
• 喝 不 喝 可乐 ？ Hē bù hē kělè? Will you have some cola?

Adjective-Not-Adjective

Structure

It can also be done with adjectives (adjectives often behave like verbs in Chinese):

Adjective + 不 + Adjective

Examples

• 好 不 好 ？ Hǎo bù hǎo? Is it good? (or "good or not good?")
• 热 不 热 ？ Rè bù rè? Is it hot?
• 冷 不 冷 ？ Lěng bù lěng? Is it cold?
• 贵 不 贵 ？ Gùi bù gùi? Is it expensive?
• 高 不 高 ？ Gāo bù gāo? Tall or not?
• 甜 不 甜 ？ Tián bù tián? Is it sweet?
• 辣 不 辣 ？ Là bù là? Is it spicy?
• 这 个 女孩儿 美 不 美 ？ Zhè gè nǚháir měi bù měi? Is this girl beautiful?
• 中国 菜 辣 不 辣 ？ Zhōngguó cài là bù là? Is Chinese food spicy?
• 这里 的 咖啡 好 不 好 ？ Zhèlǐ de kāfēi hǎo bù hǎo? Is the coffee good here?

Again, the question provides the listener with both possible answers: it's either "Adjective" or "不 (bù) Adjective."

These are something like adding tag questions in English, in this case "Are you an adult or not?" If you wanted to translate it very literally, it would be, "Are you or are you not an adult?" In any case, the structure is a very common way to ask questions in Chinese.

Two-character verbs or adjectives in positive-negative questions

All of the verbs used so far have been single-character verbs. Using two-characters verbs in positive-negative questions is slightly trickier. You usually put 不 (bù) after the first character, then put the entire verb. For example 喜不喜欢 (xǐbùxǐhuan) is the usual question form of 喜欢 (xǐhuan). You can repeat the whole two-character verb twice, but it's more common (and more elegant) to insert 不 (bù) after the first character (same is true of two-character adjectives).

Structure

It can also be done with adjectives:

the first character of Adjective + 不 + Adjective

Examples

• 喜欢 不 喜欢 (the whole word is repeated)Xǐhuān bù xǐhuan?Do you like it?
• 喜 不 喜欢 (only the first character is repeated)Xǐ bù xǐhuan?Do you like it?

• 高兴 不 高兴 (the whole word is repeated)Gāoxìng bù gāoxìng?Are you happy?
• 高 不 高兴 (only the first character is repeated)Gāo bù gāoxìng?Are you happy?

• 这 个 女孩儿 漂亮 不 漂亮？ (the whole word is repeated)Zhè ge nǚháir piàoliang bù piàoliang?Is this girl pretty?
• 这 个 女孩儿 漂 不 漂亮？ (only the first character is repeated)Zhè ge nǚháir piào bù piàoliang?Is this girl pretty?

• 中国 菜 好吃 不 好吃？ (the whole word is repeated)Zhōngguó cài hǎochī bù hǎochī?Is Chinese food good?
• 中国 菜 好 不 好吃？ (only the first character is repeated)Zhōngguó cài hǎo bù hǎochī?Is Chinese food good?

• 这里 的 咖啡 便宜 不 便宜？ (the whole word is repeated)Zhèlǐ de kāfēi piányi bù piányi?Is the coffee cheap at this place?
• 这里 的 咖啡 便 不 便宜？ (only the first character is repeated)Zhèlǐ de kāfēi pián bù piányi?Is the coffee cheap at this place?

有 in positive-negative questions

Structure

Because the verb 有 (yǒu) is negated with 没 (méi) and not 不 (bù), the structure for positive-negative questions with 有 (yǒu) is:

Subject + 有没有 + Object

The possible answers are: "有 (yǒu)" or "没有 (méiyǒu)."

The questions could be be asking about current possession ("do you have it or not?"), or to ask about verbs in the past ("did you do it or not?").

Examples

• 你 有 没有 手机 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shǒujī? Do you have a cell phone?
• 你 有 没有 酒 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu jǐu? Do you have alcohol?
• 你 有 没有 女 朋友 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu nǚpéngyou? Do you have a girlfriend?
• 你 有 没有 孩子 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu háizi? Do you have children?
• 你 有 没有 去 过 上海 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu qù guo Shànghǎi? Have you been to Shanghai?
• 你 有 没有 见 过 他 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu jiàn guo tā? Have you met him?
• 你 有 没有 学 过 中文 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu xué guo Zhōngwén? have you studied Chinese?
• 你 有 没有 坐 过 飞机 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu zùo guo fēijī? Have you been on a plane?
• 你 有 没有 吃 过 中国 菜 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu chī guo Zhōngguó cài? Have you eaten Chinese food?
• 你 有 没有 去 过 西藏 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu qù guo Xīzàng? Have you been to Tibet?

See also

• Tag questions with "bu"
• Yes-no questions with "ma"
• Offering choices with "haishi"

Sources and further reading

Videos

• Yoyo Chinese: Verb-not-verb Questions

Books

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 141-4) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 86, 102-4) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 87) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 102, 250-1) →buy