Tag questions with "ma"

As well as yes / no questions, you can also form tag questions with 吗 (ma). Tag questions are quick questions that are tagged on the end of a sentence to ask for confirmation. In English, this is often done with "right?", or by adding the negative form of the verb phrase - e.g., "isn't it?".

The easiest way to do this in Chinese is to add an adjective and 吗 (ma) on the end of the sentence.

Basic Pattern

A you can see below, the pattern typically involves words like 好 (hǎo), 对 (duì), 是 (shì), or 可以 (kěyǐ), followed by 吗 (ma).

• ……， 好 吗？ ..., all right?
• ……， 对 吗？ ..., right?
• ……， 是 吗？ ..., is that it?
• ……， 可以 吗？ ..., is that OK?

By placing these on the end of a sentence, you can soften a suggestion or request confirmation.

Examples

• 我们 喝 茶 ， 好 吗 ？ Wǒmen hē chá, hǎo ma? Let's drink some tea, OK?
• 我们 去 咖啡 店 ， 好 吗 ？ Wǒmen qù kāfēi diàn, hǎo ma? Let's go to the cafe, OK?
• 你 喜欢 他 ， 是 吗 ？ Nǐ xǐhuan tā, shì ma? You like him, don't you?
• 去 吃 中国 菜 ， 好 吗 ？ Qù chī Zhōnggúo cài, hǎo ma? We are going to go to eat Chinese food, OK?
• 他 是 你 哥哥 ， 对 吗 ？ Tā shì nǐ gēge, dùi ma? He is your older brother, right?
• 她 不 知道 ， 对 吗 ？ Tā bù zhīdao, dùi ma? She doesn't know, right?
• 这样 做 ， 对 吗 ？ Zhèyàng zùo, dùi ma? Like this, right?
• 你 没有 来 过 ， 是 吗 ？ Nǐ méiyǒu lái gùo, shì ma? You haven't been here, right?
• 给 我们 米饭 ， 可以 吗 ？ Gěi wǒmen mǐfàn, kěyǐ ma? Give us some rice, OK?
• 妈妈 ， 我 要 吃 巧克力 ， 可以 吗 ？ Māma, wǒ yào chī qiǎokèlì, kěyǐ ma? Mom, I want to eat chocolate, may I?

See also

• Yes-no questions with "ma"
• Tag questions with "bu"
• Questions with "ne"

Sources and Further Reading

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 144-145) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 218) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 106) →buy