Affirmative-negative questions

Also known as: Verb-not-verb question and Adjective-not-adjective question.

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 ？He is very good, isn't he?
• 他们 来 不 来 ？Are they going to come?
• KFC，吃 不 吃？Do you want to eat KFC?
• 咖啡，要 不 要？Do you want coffee?
• 很 晚 了，走 不 走？It's late. Shall we leave?
• 她 去 了，你 去 不 去？She went. Are you going or not?
• 我们 去 打 球，你 打 不 打？We are going to play ball, do you want to play?

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

• 你 吃 不 吃 饭？Do you want to eat?
• 你 要 不 要 咖啡？Do you want coffee?
• 你 想 不 想 喝酒？Do you want to drink alcohol?
• 你 明 天 去 不 去 公园？Are you going to the park tomorrow?
• 你 想 不 想 她？Do you miss her?
• 你 打 不 打 球？Do you play ball?
• 他们 吃 不 吃 KFC？Do they eat KFC?
• 她 买 不 买 衣服？Does she buy clothes?
• 今天 你 做 不 做 晚饭？Are you going to cook dinner tonight?
• 喝 不 喝 可乐？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？Is it good? (or "good or not good?")
• 热 不 热？Is it hot?
• 冷 不 冷？Is it cold?
• 贵 不 贵？Is it expensive?
• 高 不 高？Tall or not?
• 甜 不 甜？Is it sweet?
• 辣 不 辣？Is it spicy?
• 这个 女孩儿 美 不 美 ？Is this girl beautiful?
• 中国菜 辣 不 辣 ？Is Chinese food spicy?
• 这里 的 咖啡 好 不 好 ？Is the coffee good here?

Again, the question provides the listener with both possible answers: it's either "Adjective" or "不 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 after the first character, then put the entire verb. For example 喜不喜欢 is the usual question form of 喜欢. You can repeat the whole two-character verb twice, but it's more common (and more elegant) to insert 不 after the first character. (The same is true of two-character adjectives.)

Structure

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

the first character of Adjective + 不 + Adjective

Examples

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

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

• 这 个 女孩儿 漂亮 不 漂亮？ (the whole word is repeated)Is this girl pretty?
• 这 个 女孩儿 漂 不 漂亮？ (only the first character is repeated)Is this girl pretty?

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

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

有 in positive-negative questions

Structure

Because the verb 有 is negated with 没 and not 不, the structure for positive-negative questions with 有 is:

Subject + 有没有 + Object

The possible answers are: "有" or "没有."

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？Do you have a cell phone?
• 你 有 没有 酒？Do you have alcohol?
• 你 有 没有 女 朋友？Do you have a girlfriend?
• 你 有 没有 孩子？Do you have kids?
• 你 有 没有 去 过 上海？Have you been to Shanghai?
• 你 有 没有 见 过 他？Have you met him?
• 你 有 没有 学 过 中文？have you studied Chinese?
• 你 有 没有 坐 过 飞机？Have you been on a plane?
• 你 有 没有 吃 过 中国 菜？Have you eaten Chinese food?

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) (pp. 87) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 102, 250-1) →buy

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