Difference between revisions of "Yes-no questions with "ma""
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
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* 你 喜欢 咖啡 。 <span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xǐhuan kāfēi.</span><span class="trans">You like coffee.</span>
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*你 喜欢 咖啡 。 <span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xǐhuan kāfēi.</span><span class="trans">You like coffee.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
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*他 是 老板 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Tā shì lǎobǎn <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is he the boss?</span>
 
*他 是 老板 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Tā shì lǎobǎn <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is he the boss?</span>
  
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*你 喜欢 她。 <span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin"> Nǐ xǐhuan tā.</span><span class="trans">You like her.</span>
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*你 喜欢 她 。<span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xǐhuan tā.</span><span class="trans">You like her.</span>
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*你 喜欢 她 <em>吗</em> ？ <span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xǐhuan tā <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you like her?</span>
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*你 喜欢 她 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xǐhuan tā <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you like her?</span>
  
 
*你 想 家 。<span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xiǎng jiā.</span><span class="trans">You miss home.</span>
 
*你 想 家 。<span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xiǎng jiā.</span><span class="trans">You miss home.</span>
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*你 昨天 没 去 上班 。<span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān.</span><span class="trans">You didn't go to work yesterday.</span>
 
*你 昨天 没 去 上班 。<span class="expl">statement</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān.</span><span class="trans">You didn't go to work yesterday.</span>
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*你 昨天 没 去 上班 <em>吗</em> ？ <span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Did you not go to work yesterday?</span>
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*你 昨天 没 去 上班 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Did you not go to work yesterday?</span>
  
 
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</div>
 
</div>
  
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These would be something like "Are you who are you?" and "Is this is a book?" in English, both obviously ungrammatical. Still, if you're not careful, you may find yourself throwing a 吗 (ma) onto the end of a question that doesn't need it.  Many learners make this mistake, so don't worry if it happens every once in a while, just catch it and remember it the next time.
+
These would be something like "Are you who are you?" and "Is this is a book?" in English, both obviously ungrammatical. Still, if you're not careful, you may find yourself throwing a 吗 (ma) onto the end of a question that doesn't need it.  Many learners make this mistake, so don't worry if it happens every once in a while, just catch it and remember it the next time.
 +
 
 +
== How to answer a yes-no questions ==
 +
 
 +
肯定回答可以分两种，最简单的回答是“嗯(ǹg)”或者“对”，不能像英语一样回答“是”。第二种回答是重复[Statement]里的动词。否定回答也可以用“嗯(ǹg)”或者“对”表示“no.”更完整的回答是“不/没+动词.”
 +
 
 +
<div class="liju">
 +
 
 +
<ul class="dialog">
 +
<li><span class="speaker">A:</span> 你 是 大 学生 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ shì dàxuéshēng <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Are you a college student?</span></li>
 +
<li><span class="speaker">B:</span> 对 。<span class="pinyin">Duì.</span><span class="trans">Yes, I am.</span></li>
 +
</ul>
 +
 
 +
<ul class="dialog">
 +
<li><span class="speaker">A:</span> 你 没 有 工作 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ méiyǒu gōngzuò <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you not have a job?</span></li>
 +
<li><span class="speaker">B:</span> 对 。<span class="pinyin">Duì.</span><span class="trans">No, I don't.</span></li>
 +
</ul>
 +
 
 +
<ul class="dialog">
 +
<li><span class="speaker">A:</span> 你 昨天 没 来 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ méi <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">You didn't come yesterday, did you?</span></li>
 +
<li><span class="speaker">B:</span> 我 来 了 。<span class="pinyin">Duì.</span><span class="trans">No, I .</span></li>
 +
 
 +
<ul class="dialog">
 +
<li><span class="speaker">A:</span> 他 昨天 来 了 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">You didn't come yesterday, did you?</span></li>
 +
<li><span class="speaker">B:</span> 对 。<span class="pinyin">Duì.</span><span class="trans">No, I don't.</span></li>
 +
</ul>
 +
 
 +
<ul class="dialog">
 +
<li><span class="speaker">A:</span>你 喜欢 中国菜 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you like Chinese food?</span></li>
 +
<li><span class="speaker">B:</span> 喜欢 。<span class="pinyin">Duì.</span><span class="trans">Yes, I do.</span></li>
 +
<li><span class="speaker">A:</span> 你 不 喜欢 中国菜 <em>吗</em> ？<span class="expl">question</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ bù xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài <em>ma</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you like Chinese food?</span></li>
 +
<li><span class="speaker">C:</span> 对 。<span class="pinyin">Duì.</span><span class="trans">No, I don't.</span></li>
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</ul>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
</div>
  
 
== More Advanced Usage ==
 
== More Advanced Usage ==

Revision as of 02:08, 10 May 2018

The question particle 吗 (ma) is a simple way to form questions in Chinese. By placing 吗 (ma) on the end of a statement, you convert it into a yes/no question (questions that could be answered with "yes" or "no" in English).

Basic Usage

Structure

Any statement can be converted into a yes/no question with 吗 (ma). You could think of 吗 (ma) as being like a question mark you say out loud. So the basic structure is:

[Statement] + 吗 ？

Examples

  • 你 喜欢 咖啡 。 statementNǐ xǐhuan kāfēi.You like coffee.

The sentence "You like coffee" can easily be converted into the question "Do you like coffee?" by adding 吗 (ma):

  • 你 喜欢 咖啡 吗？ questionNǐ xǐhuan kāfēi ma?Do you like coffee?

More examples of statements and their yes/no question forms:

  • 你 是 大 学生 。statementNǐ shì dàxuéshēng.You are a college student.
  • 你 是 大 学生 吗 ？questionNǐ shì dàxuéshēng ma?Are you a college student?
  • 他 是 老板。 statementTā shì lǎobǎn.He is the boss.
  • 他 是 老板 吗 ？questionTā shì lǎobǎn ma?Is he the boss?
  • 你 喜欢 她 。statementNǐ xǐhuan tā.You like her.
  • 你 喜欢 她 吗 ？questionNǐ xǐhuan tā ma?Do you like her?
  • 你 想 家 。statementNǐ xiǎng jiā.You miss home.
  • 你 想 家 吗 ？questionNǐ xiǎng jiā ma?Do you miss home?
  • 爸爸 喜欢 喝 茶 。statementBàba xǐhuan hē chá.Dad likes drinking tea.
  • 爸爸 喜欢 喝 茶 吗 ？questionBàba xǐhuan hē chá ma?Does dad like drinking tea?
  • 你们 也 去。 statementNǐmen yě qù.You also go.
  • 你们 也 去 吗？ questionNǐmen yě qù ma?Are you also going?
  • 他 在 你们 学校 学 中文。 statementTā zài nǐmen xuéxiào xué Zhōngwén.He studies Chinese in your school.
  • 他 在 你们 学校 学 中文 吗 ？ questionTā zài nǐmen xuéxiào xué Zhōngwén ma?Does he study Chinese in your school?
  • 我 见 过 你 。statement Wǒ jiàn guo nǐ.I've met you.
  • 我 见 过 你 吗？questionWǒ jiàn guo nǐ ma?Have I met you?
  • 妈妈 会 做饭 。statementMāma huì zuòfàn.Mom knows how to cook.
  • 妈妈 会 做饭 吗 ？questionMāma huì zuòfàn ma?Does mom know how to cook?
  • 你 昨天 没 去 上班 。statementNǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān.You didn't go to work yesterday.
  • 你 昨天 没 去 上班 吗 ？questionNǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān ma?Did you not go to work yesterday?

It's important to remember that you do not normally add 吗 (ma) to a sentence that's already a question. For example:

  • 你 是 谁 吗？谁 is a question wordNǐ shì shéi ma?
  • 这 是 不 是 书 吗？是不是 is a question patternZhè shì bu shì shū ma?

These would be something like "Are you who are you?" and "Is this is a book?" in English, both obviously ungrammatical. Still, if you're not careful, you may find yourself throwing a 吗 (ma) onto the end of a question that doesn't need it. Many learners make this mistake, so don't worry if it happens every once in a while, just catch it and remember it the next time.

How to answer a yes-no questions

肯定回答可以分两种，最简单的回答是“嗯(ǹg)”或者“对”，不能像英语一样回答“是”。第二种回答是重复[Statement]里的动词。否定回答也可以用“嗯(ǹg)”或者“对”表示“no.”更完整的回答是“不/没+动词.”

  • A: 你 是 大 学生 吗 ？questionNǐ shì dàxuéshēng ma?Are you a college student?
  • B: 对 。Duì.Yes, I am.
  • A: 你 没 有 工作 吗 ？questionNǐ méiyǒu gōngzuò ma?Do you not have a job?
  • B: 对 。Duì.No, I don't.
  • A: 你 昨天 没 来 吗 ？questionNǐ méi ma?You didn't come yesterday, did you?
  • B: 我 来 了 。Duì.No, I .
    • A: 他 昨天 来 了 吗 ？questionNǐ ma?You didn't come yesterday, did you?
    • B: 对 。Duì.No, I don't.
    • A:你 喜欢 中国菜 吗 ？questionNǐ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài ma?Do you like Chinese food?
    • B: 喜欢 。Duì.Yes, I do.
    • A: 你 不 喜欢 中国菜 吗 ？questionNǐ bù xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài ma?Do you like Chinese food?
    • C: 对 。Duì.No, I don't.


More Advanced Usage

However, this doesn't mean that a sentence can't ever have a question word and 吗 (ma). If a sentence contains verbs of understanding such as 知道 (zhīdào),了解 (liǎojiě), 明白 (míngbai), 认识 (rènshi), etc., then 吗 (ma) can still be added at the end of the question. You will later learn more about these advanced yes-no questions with "ma".

See also

Sources and further reading

Videos

Books

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