Interrogative Sentence in Chinese

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Asking questions is necessary for any language study, and Chinese is no exception. This article will introduce some particles and structures that are commonly used to help you correctly learn how to ask questions in Chinese.

There are several forms of interrogative sentences in Chinese, let us learn them one by one.

General interrogative sentence

For a basic yes/no question, add 吗 (ma) to a statement: 他是老师 → 他是老师吗？ 呢 (ne) has different functions, including “and you?” in 你呢？ and adding a conversational tone to some questions. It is not a general substitute for 吗. The example 你在做什么呢？ is a question-word question, because 什么 asks “what”.

Here are some examples：

Form	statement sentence	interrogative sentence
Chinese Characters	他是老师。	他是老师吗？
Chinese Pinyin	Tā shì lǎo shī	Tā shì lǎo shī ma？
Meanings	He is a teacher	Is he a teacher?
Chinese Characters	今天是星期一。	今天是星期一吗？
Chinese Pinyin	Jīn tiān shì xīng qī yī	Jīn tiān shì xīng qī yī ma?
Meanings	Today is Monday	Is it Monday today?
Chinese Characters	我在做…	你在做什么呢？
Chinese Pinyin	Wǒ zài zuò …	Nǐ zài zuò shén me ne?
Meanings	I am doing…	What are you doing?

Interrogative sentences that use specific interrogative words

Use question words such as 谁 (shéi or shuí, who), 什么 (shénme, what), 哪儿 (nǎr, where) and 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng, how). The question word usually stays in the position where the answer would go: 他是老师 → 他是谁？ Do not normally add 吗 to a direct question that already asks who, what, where or why. 呢 or 啊 may be added in appropriate conversational contexts, but are not required.

who -谁（shuí）what-什么（shén me）where-哪儿（ nǎr）how -怎么样（zěnmeyàng）The commonly used modal particles in the end of the sentence is 呢 or 啊. The reply should be the exact answer of the question.

Interrogative object	Interrogative pronoun	Meanings	Examples	Chinese Pinyin	Meaning of the sentences
person	谁	Who	他是谁？	tā shì shuí?	Who is he?
time	什么时候	When	你什么时候来中国的？	nǐ shén me shí hou lái Zhōngguó de?	When did you come to China?
	何时		你何时考虑过我？	nǐ hé shí kǎo lǜ guò wǒ?	When did you consider me?
object	什么	What	你想吃什么？	nǐ xiǎng chī shén me?	What do you want to eat?
	哪	Which	你想吃哪一个？	nǐ xiǎng chī nǎ yī gè？	Which one do you want to eat?
place	哪里	Where	哪里能买到汉语词典？	nǎ lǐ néng mǎi dào hàn yǔ cí diǎn?	Where can I buy a Chinese dictionary?
	哪儿		你家乡在哪儿？	nǐ jiā xiāng zài nǎr?	Where is your hometown?
	什么地方		这是什么地方？	zhè shì shén me dì fang？	Where is this?
quantity/ number	多少	How much/How many	这件衣服多少钱？	zhè jiàn yī fu duō shǎo qián?	How much is this shirt？
	几		现在几点了？	Xiàn zài jǐ diǎn le?	What time is it now?
			你要几个苹果？	Nǐ yào jǐ gè píng guǒ？	How many apples do you want?
method	怎么	How	这道题怎么做？	Zhè dào tí zěn me zuò?	How do I solve this problem?
	怎么样	How about	中国菜怎么样？	Zhōng guó cài zěn me yàng？	What is Chinese food like?
reason	为什么	Why	他为什么没来？	Tā wèi shén me méi lái?	Why didn’t he come?
	怎么		你怎么不告诉我？	Nǐ zěn me bù gào sù wǒ	Why don’t you tell me?

“A-不-A” construction

An A-not-A question repeats a verb or adjective around its negative: 是不是、忙不忙. It asks a yes/no question without adding 吗. For completed events or experience, a verb + 没(有) + verb pattern may be appropriate instead. Answers normally repeat or negate the relevant verb/adjective rather than mechanically using 是 for every question.

Chinese Characters	Chinese Pinyin	Meanings
你是不是医生？	Nǐ shì bú shì yī shēng?	Are you a doctor or not?
小明吃不吃香蕉？	Xiǎo míng chī bù chī xiāng jiāo?	Does Xiao Ming eat bananas or not?
妈妈看不看电视？	Mā ma kàn bú kàn diàn shì?	Does mom watch TV or not?
你忙不忙？	Nǐ máng bù máng?	Are you busy or not?

“（是）…..还是…..” construction

“（是）… 还是… ”is used to form a question while giving people two or more choices, and the respondent needs to choose one. Sometimes the first “是” can be omitted.

Chinese Characters	Chinese Pinyin	Meanings
你（是）喝茶还是喝咖啡？	Nǐ (shì) hē chá hái shì hē kā fēi?	Would you like tea or coffee?
你假期（是）去实习还是旅行？	Nǐ jià qī (shì) qù shí xí hái shì lǚ xíng？	Will you do an internship or travel during the holiday?
他是美国人还是英国人？	Tā shì Měiguó rén hái shì Yīngguó rén?	Is he American or British?

A Few Extras

• Besides “吗” and “呢”, we can add “好” or “可以” ,to make “好吗” or “可以吗” at the end of sentence.
• “好吗” and “可以吗” both can be used to ask suggestions from others , similar like“ What do you think…” or “shall (we/you) ” in English.
• And “可以吗” is also used to ask for permission, similar like “Can I do…” in English.
• Both “好” and “可以” can also be applied to “A -不- A” patterns, written as “好不好” or “可不可以”, used to request permission.

好不好 can follow a suggestion to ask for agreement, and can also occur within a larger sentence. 可不可以 can ask permission before an action, as in 我可不可以尝一尝？ Avoid treating either expression as having only one possible position.

Here are the examples.

Chinese Characters	Chinese Pinyin	Meanings
我们下个月一起去北京，好吗？	wǒ men xià gè yuè yī qǐ qù běi jīng, hǎo ma?	Shall we go to Beijing together next month?
我想借一下你的字典，可以吗？	Wǒ xiǎng jiè yī xià nǐ de zì diǎn, kě yǐ ma?	Can I borrow your dictionary?
我可不可以尝一尝？	Wǒ kě bù kě yǐ cháng yī cháng？	Can I taste it?
来我家玩吧，好不好？	lái wǒ jiā wán ba, hǎo bù hǎo?	Would you like to come over to my house?

Mini – test

Try to turn the following sentences into a general interrogative sentence.

他在看书。

Reveal the answer

他在看书吗？

今天很冷。

Reveal the answer

今天很冷吗？

大卫去年去了中国。

Reveal the answer

大卫去年去了中国吗？

Try to translate these sentences into Chinese, and pay special attention to the interrogative pronoun.

Who are you?

Reveal the answer

你是谁？

When did he start to learn Chinese?

Reveal the answer

他是什么时候开始学习中文的？

Which movie do you want to watch?

Reveal the answer

你想看什么电影？/你想看哪一部电影？

Where did you grow up?

Reveal the answer

你是在哪里长大的？/你是在哪儿长大的？

How do you make a cake?

Reveal the answer

怎么做蛋糕？

How about taking a break?

Reveal the answer

休息一下怎么样？

Why do you want to learn Chinese?

Reveal the answer

你为什么想学中文？

Try to write the following sentences in Chinese.

Are you hungry or not?

Reveal the answer

你饿不饿？

Are you a student or not?

Reveal the answer

你是不是学生？

Does she want to go abroad or not?

Reveal the answer

她想不想出国？

Do you want to eat Chinese food or western food?

Reveal the answer

你想吃中餐还是西餐？

Is his mom a nurse or a teacher?

Reveal the answer

他的妈妈是护士还是老师？

Do you prefer cats or dogs?

Reveal the answer

你喜欢猫还是狗？

Keep Practicing…

When you ask some questions, why not try to express them in Chinese? Whether you’ve struggled with Chinese interrogative sentences or found it pretty easy, practicing it in Chinese daily will help you get to grips with these expressions.So, the more you speak, the more perfect your Chinese will be! If you know any native Chinese-speakers, try and practice what you’ve learned with them.

Good luck and have fun!