Tag questions with "ma"

As well as yes / no questions, you can also form tag questions with 吗. 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 on the end of the sentence. Some common options are:

• 好吗？
• 对吗？
• 是吗？
• 可以吗？

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

• 咱们去咖啡店，好吗？
• 他是你哥哥，对吗？
• 这里是北京，是吗？
• 给我们十二瓶葡萄酒，可以吗？