Lessons 2, 3, 5, 11: How to ask questions (1): "……吗？" questions

Add 吗 to the end of a statement to form a yes-no question.

Hanyu textbook · Hanyu 1 · Lesson 2 · Hanyu 1 · Lesson 3 · Hanyu 1 · Lesson 5 · Hanyu 1 · Lesson 11

你是中国人吗？

Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?

Are you Chinese?

Explanation

Adding the question particle "吗" to the end of a statement forms a yes-no question in Chinese.

The answer is usually 是 / 不是 (followed by a full sentence), or the verb or adjective repeated in its affirmative or negative form, as in the exercise dialogues: Nǐ máng ma? — Wǒ hěn máng; Nǐ qù yóujú ma? — Bú qù.

Structure

1
Câu trần thuật吗？
Yes-no questions.
- 你是中国人吗？
  Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
  Are you Chinese?
- 你是老师吗？
  Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
  Are you a teacher?
- 他们都是留学生吗？
  Tāmen dōu shì liúxuéshēng ma?
  Are they all international students?
- 你忙吗？
  Nǐ máng ma?
  Are you busy?
- 汉语难吗？
  Hànyǔ nán ma?
  Is Chinese difficult?
2
Trả lời: 是 / 不是 + câu đầy đủ; hoặc khẳng định / phủ định động từ, hình dung từ
Textbook examples (Lesson 11) and the exercise dialogues in Lessons 2, 3, and 5.
- 是。我是中国人。
  Shì. Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.
  Yes. I'm Chinese.
- 不是。我是学生。
  Bú shì. Wǒ shì xuésheng.
  No. I'm a student.
- 他们都是留学生。
  Tāmen dōu shì liúxuéshēng.
  They are all international students.
- 不去，去银行。
  Bú qù, qù yínháng.
  No, I'm going to the bank.
3
Câu hỏi với 吗 trong đối thoại (Bài 2, 3, 5)
吗 goes at the end of a yes-no question, including with adjectives and verbs.
- 工作忙吗？
  Gōngzuò máng ma?
  Is work busy?
- 身体好吗？
  Shēntǐ hǎo ma?
  Is your health good?
- 他忙吗？
  Tā máng ma?
  Is he busy?

Practice

25 questions in 3 sets. One at a time, checked instantly, with explanations.

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