Yes-no questions with "ma"

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。 statement Nǐ 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 他 。 statement Wǒ jiàn guo tā.I've met him.
• 我 见 过 他 吗？ questionWǒ jiàn guo tā ma?Have I met him?

• 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.

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.

This is not a necessary pattern for a beginner to know, but you may also wish to read about advanced yes-no questions with "ma".

See also

• Tag questions with "ma"
• Affirmative-negative questions
• Questions with "ne"

Sources and further reading

Videos

• Yoyo Chinese: Yes-no Questions with 吗

Books

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 138-40) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 29-30)　→buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 21) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 23, 250) →buy