Yes-no questions with "ma"

Level

A1 / HSK1
Level

A1
Level

HSK1
Similar to
- Placement of question words (A1)
- Simple rhetorical questions (B1)
Similar to
- Placement of question words (HSK1)
- Simple rhetorical questions (HSK2)
Used for

Asking questions, Requesting
Keywords

吗

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:

你是大学生吗？questionNǐ shì dàxuéshēng ma?Are you a college student?
他是老板吗？questionTā shì lǎobǎn ma?Is he the boss?
你喜欢她吗？questionNǐ xǐhuan tā ma?Do you like her?
你想家吗？questionNǐ xiǎng jiā ma?Do you miss home?
爸爸喜欢喝茶吗？questionBàba xǐhuan hē chá ma?Does dad like drinking tea?
你们也去吗？ questionNǐmen yě qù ma?Are you also going?
他在你们学校学中文吗？questionTā zài nǐmen xuéxiào xué Zhōngwén ma?Does he study Chinese in your school?
我见过你吗？questionWǒ jiàn guo nǐ ma?Have I met you?
妈妈会做饭吗？questionMāma huì zuòfàn ma?Does mom know how to cook?
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

You can answer a Chinese yes-no question in one of two ways:

Answer with 对 (duì) or the more casual 嗯 (ǹg) to affirm what was asked.
Answer a clearer "yes" by simply repeating the positive form of the verb, or "no" by using the negative form of the verb.

Here's the slightly tricky part: if you answer with 对 (duì) and the question is in the positive, then you're saying "yes" (and affirming the positive verb in the question). If you answer with 对 (duì) and the question is in the negative, then you're saying "no" (and affirming the negative verb in the question). Let's take a look at some examples of this sort.

A: 你是大学生吗？Positive verb in the questionNǐ shì dàxuéshēng ma?Are you a college student?
B: 对。对 (duì) affirms the positive verb.Duì.Yes, I am.

A: 你 没有 工作吗？Negative verb in the questionNǐ méiyǒu gōngzuò ma?Do you not have a job?
B: 对。对 (duì) affirms the negative verb.Duì.No, I don't.

A: 你昨天 没来 吗？Negative verb in the questionNǐ zuótiān méi lái ma?You didn't come yesterday, did you?
B: 我来了。Repeat the verb for greater clarity.Wǒ lái le.I came.

A: 你昨天 没来 吗？Negative verb in the questionNǐ zuótiān méi lái ma?You didn't come yesterday, did you?
B: 对。对 (duì) affirms the negative verb.Duì.No. (I didn't come.)

A:你喜欢中国菜吗？Positive verb in the questionNǐ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài ma?Do you like Chinese food?
B: 喜欢。Repeat the verb for greater clarity.Xǐhuan.Yes, I do.
A: 你 不喜欢 中国菜吗？Negative verb in the questionNǐ bù xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài ma?Don't you like Chinese food?
C: 对。对 (duì) affirms the negative verb.Duì.No. (I don't.)

You sometimes hear that "yes" in Chinese is 是 (shì) and "no" is 不是 (bù shì). This can be true, but only when the main verb in the question is also 是 (shì). If the verb in the question is something else, like 喜欢 (xǐhuan), then that verb becomes the word for "yes." It's been said that Chinese has hundreds of ways to say "yes," and this is why: every verb can be used to mean "yes."

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".

Sources and further reading

Videos

Yoyo Chinese: Yes-no Questions with 吗

Books