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Making Interrogative Sentences in Mandarin Chinese

Making Interrogative Sentences in Mandarin Chinese
(疑问句/yíwèn jù)

In Mandarin Chinese, asking questions is simple and follows clear patterns. There are three main ways to make questions:

Using question particles (like 吗 ma)

Using the A-not-A structure (like 是不是 shì bù shì)

Using question words (like 谁 shéi, 什么 shénme)

Let’s look at each one step-by-step.

1. Yes/No Questions with 吗 (ma)

Add the particle 吗 at the end of a statement to make it a question.

✅ Structure:

[Statement] + 吗？

📝 Examples:

a. 你是老师。→ You are a teacher.
　你是老师吗？
　Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
　→ Are you a teacher?

b. 他喜欢咖啡。→ He likes coffee.
　他喜欢咖啡吗？
　Tā xǐhuan kāfēi ma?
　→ Does he like coffee?

c. 他们住在北京。→ They live in Beijing.
　他们住在北京吗？
　Tāmen zhù zài Běijīng ma?
　→ Do they live in Beijing?

2. Yes/No Questions with A-not-A Structure

This is another way to ask yes/no questions by repeating the verb with 不 (bù) in between.

✅ Structure:

[Verb/Adjective] + 不 + [Same Verb/Adjective]?

📝 Examples:

a. 你是不是学生？
　Nǐ shì bù shì xuéshēng?
　→ Are you a student?

b. 她喜不喜欢看书？
　Tā xǐ bù xǐhuan kàn shū?
　→ Does she like reading?

c. 他们去不去学校？
　Tāmen qù bù qù xuéxiào?
　→ Are they going to school?

3. Questions with Question Words

These are like “WH” questions in English (what, who, where, etc.).

No Question Word Character  Pinyin Usage Examples in Sentences
1 What 什么 shénme Ask about things 你在做什么？
Nǐ zài zuò shénme?
What are you doing?
2 Who 谁 shéi Ask about a person

a. 他是谁？
Tā shì shéi?
Who is he?

b. 谁在说话？
Shéi zài shuōhuà?
Who is speaking?
3 Where 哪儿 / 哪里 nǎr / nǎlǐ Ask about location 你去哪儿 / 哪里？
Nǐ qù nǎr/nǎlǐ?
Where are you going?
4 When 什么时候 shénme shíhou Ask about time 你什么时候吃饭？
Nǐ shénme shíhou chīfàn?
When do you eat?
5 Why 为什么 wèishénme Ask about reason 你为什么迟到？
Nǐ wèishénme chídào?
Why are you late?
6 How 怎么 zěnme Ask about method or way 你怎么来学校？
Nǐ zěnme lái xuéxiào?
How do you come to school?
7 How many (small) 几 jǐ For small quantities, usually <10 你有几个哥哥？
Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè gēge?
How many older brothers do you have?
8 How many/much 多少 duōshao Ask about larger quantities or uncountable things

a. 这本书多少钱？
Zhè běn shū duōshao qián?How much is this book?

b. 你们班有多少学生？
Nǐmen bān yǒu duōshao xuéshēng?
How many students are there in your class?

 

Tips for Asking Questions in Chinese

✅ Use 吗 for simple yes/no questions.
✅ Use A-not-A for a natural tone in yes/no questions.
✅ Use question words for specific information.
✅ Keep the word order same as a statement (except for the question word).

4. Practice Dialogue

Practice the following dialogue.

👩 小丽 (Xiǎo Lì)

👦 大卫 (Dàwèi)

小丽：你好！你叫什么名字？
Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
Hi! What’s your name?

大卫：我叫大卫。你呢？
Wǒ jiào Dàwèi. Nǐ ne?
I’m David. How about you?

小丽：我叫小丽。你是学生吗？
Wǒ jiào Xiǎo Lì. Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
I’m Xiao Li. Are you a student?

大卫：是，我是学生。你去不去图书馆？
Shì, wǒ shì xuéshēng. Nǐ qù bù qù túshūguǎn?
Yes, I am. Are you going to the library?

小丽：去。你怎么去？
Qù. Nǐ zěnme qù?
Yes. How are you going?

大卫：我坐公交车。你呢？
Wǒ zuò gōngjiāochē. Nǐ ne?
I take the bus. And you?

小丽：我走路去。
Wǒ zǒulù qù.
I go on foot.

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