Placement of question words
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How does one ask questions in Chinese? This article will tell you how questions are formed and where the questions words are supposed to go. After all, one of the best ways to learn is to ask questions!
Contents
Overview
Common question words list
Question words are one way to form questions in Chinese. In English, question words are also known as wh-words, as the majority of them begin with wh:
- 什么 what
- 哪里 、 哪儿 where
- 谁 In spoken Chinese, people normally say "shéi", not "shuí"who
- 什么时候 when
- 为什么 why
- 怎么 how
Rules
In English, question words have to be placed at the beginning of the sentence. This involves changing the word order to allow this rearrangement. In Chinese, using question words is a lot simpler. You simply place a question word in the place of the thing you want to ask about. Nothing needs to be rearranged.
So if the statement is
- 我 是 小李 。 I am Xiao Li.
the question form - "who are you?" - has the same word order:
- 你 是 谁？Who are you? (you are who?)
This works for whatever it is you want to ask about. The question form has the same word order as the statement form.
Expressing "what" with 什么 (shénme)
Structure
Subject + Verb + 什么 + (Noun) ?
Examples
- A: 这 是 什么？What is this?
- B:这 是 书。This is a book.
- A:那 是 什么？What is that?
- B:那 是 桌子。That is a desk.
- A:你 有 什么？What do you have?
- B:我 有 钱。I have money.
- A:你 看 什么？What are you looking at?
- B:我 看 美女。I am looking at pretty girls.
Expressing "where" with 哪里 (nǎli) / 哪儿 (nǎr)
Structure
Subject + Verb + 哪里/哪儿 ?
Examples
- A: 你 在 哪里？Where are you?
- B:我 在 北京。I'm in Beijing.
- A: 你 去 哪里？Where are you going?
- B:我 去 上海。I'm going to Shanghai.
- A: 我们 在 哪儿？Where are we?
- B:我们 在 南京西路。We are at West Nanjing road.
- A: 你 现在 去 哪儿？Where are you going now?
- B:我 去 洗手间。I'm going to the bathroom.
Expressing "who" with 谁 (shéi)
Structure
Subject + 是 + 谁 ?
谁 + Verb ?
Examples
- A: 你 是 谁？Who are you?
- B: 我 是 成龙。I'm Cheng Long (Jackie Chan).
- A: 她 是 谁？Who is she?
- B: 她 是 我 的 老师。She is my teacher.
- A: 谁去？Who is going?
- B: 我 去。I'm going.
- A: 谁 想 喝 茶？Who wants to drink tea?
- B: 我 想 喝 茶。I want to drink tea.
Expressing "when" with 什么时候 (shénme shíhou)
Structure
Subject + 什么时候 + Predicate ?
An example for asking and telling when (to keep things simple, we'll just include questions about the future; asking questions about the past can be slightly more complicated and may involve the "shi... de" construction).
Examples
- A: 你 什么时候 来 ？ When are you coming?
- B:我 明天 来 。I'm coming tomorrow.
- A: 我们 什么时候 吃 饭 ？When are we eating?
- B:我们 6 点 吃 饭。We're eating at 6:00.
- A: 你们 什么时候 结婚？When do you guys get married?
- B:我们 下 个 月 结婚。We get married next month.
- A: 你 什么时候 去 旅行？When are you going to travel?
- B:我 9月 去 旅行。I am going to travel in September.
Expressing "why" with 为什么 (wèishénme)
Structure
Subject + 为什么 + Predicate ?
An example for asking and telling why.
Examples
- A: 你 为什么 学 中文？Why do you study Chinese?
- B:因为 我 在 中国。 Because I'm in China.
- A: 你 为什么 不 高兴？Why are you not happy?
- B:因为 我 在 学 中文。Because I am studying Chinese.
- A: 他 为什么 哭 了？Why was he crying?
- B:因为 他 喝 醉 了。Because he was drunk.
- A: 你 为什么 没 去 上班？Why didn't you go to work?
- B:因为 我 生病 了。Because I'm sick.
Expressing "how" with 怎么 (zěnme)
Structure
Subject + 怎么 + Verb + Object ?
Examples
- A: 你 怎么 学习 中文？How do you study Chinese?
- B:我 用 Grammar Wiki 。I use the Grammar Wiki.
- A: 你 怎么 上网？How do you go online?
- B:我 用 手机 上网。I use my cell phone to go online.
- A: 你 怎么 去 纽约？How do you go to New York?
- B:我 坐 火车 去。I take the train.
- A: 你 怎么 联系 他？How do you contact him?
- B:我 发 邮件 联系 他。I e-mail him to contact him.
See also
Sources and further reading
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 23) →buy
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 132-5) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 57) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 66, 251) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)→buy
