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 帅 ， 是 不 是 ？ Tā hěn shuài, shì bù shì? He is very handsome, isn't he?
• 他们 来 不 来 ？ Tāmen lái bù lái? Are they going to come or not?
• 你 想 不 想 我 ？ Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng wǒ? Do you or do you not miss me?
• 我们 要 去 酒吧， 你 去 不 去 ？ Wǒmen yào qù jiǔbā, nǐ qù bù qù ? We are going to the bar.Do you want to go?
• 我 去 买 咖啡 ，你 要 不 要 ？ Wǒ qù mǎi kāfēi, yào bù yào? I‘m going to buy coffee.Do you want some?

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:

Subj. + Verb + 不 + Verb + Obj.

Examples

• 你 回 不 回 家？ Nǐ huí bù huí jiā? Are you coming back home or not?
• 她 吃 不 吃 鱼？ Tāchī bù chī yú? Does she eat fish?
• 你们 要 不 要 米饭？ Nǐmen yào bù yào mǐfàn? Do you want rice?
• 你爸爸 喝 不 喝 酒？ Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng hē jiǔ? Do your dad drink alcohol or not?
• 今天 老板 来 不 来 办公室？Jīntiān lǎobǎn lái bù lái bàngōngshì? Is the boss coming to the office today?

Adjective-Not-Adjective

Structure

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

Adj. + 不 + Adj.

Examples

• 好 不 好 ？Hǎo bù hǎo? Is it good? (or "good or not good?")
• 热 不 热 ？Rè bù rè? Is it hot?
• 他 帅 不 帅 ？Tā shuài bù shuài ? Is he handsome?
• 这里 的 咖啡 贵 不 贵 ？ Zhèlǐ de kāfēi gùi bù gùi? Is the coffee expensive here?
• 中国 菜 辣 不 辣 ？ Zhōngguó cài là bù là? Is Chinese food spicy?

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 Adj. + 不 + Adj.

Examples

• 喜欢 不 喜欢 (the whole word is repeated)Xǐhuan 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?

• 他 女朋友 漂亮 不 漂亮？ (the whole word is repeated) Tā nǚpéngyǒu piàoliang bù piàoliang?Is his girlfriend pretty?
• 他 女朋友 漂 不 漂亮？ (only the first character is repeated)Tā nǚpéngyǒu piào bù piàoliang?Is his girlfriend 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?

• 那 个 地方 好玩 不 好玩？ (the whole word is repeated)Nà ge dìfāng hǎowán bù hǎowán ?Is that place fun?
• 那 个 地方 好 不 好玩？ (only the first character is repeated) Nà ge dìfāng hǎo bù hǎowán ?Is that place fun?

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:

Subj. + 有没有 + Obj.

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 女 朋友 ？ Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu nǚpéngyou? Do you have a girlfriend?
• 你们 有 没有 孩子 ？ Nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu háizi? Do you have children?
• 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