Ch 2 · Lesson 37Mandarin · Chapter 2 · Lesson 37 · Grammar primer
Yes-no questions with 吗 (ma)
Add (ma) and any statement becomes a question, then answer by echoing the verb - Mandarin has no word for yes.
The short version
There is no word for yes, so hand the verb back
？Nǐ qù ma?
Why?Hide
Asked (nǐ qù ma), you answer (qù) for yes and (bú qù) for no. Asked with (shì), echo (shì) or (bú shì); asked with (yǒu), echo (yǒu) or (méi yǒu). Answering (nǐ qù ma) with (shì) marks you as a learner instantly, roughly like replying 'it is true' to 'are you going?'.
Yes-No Questions in Mandarin
A Mandarin yes-no question is the statement, unchanged, plus (ma) at the end. No inversion, no "do". To answer, hand the question's verb back: bare for yes, negated for no. And (ne) bounces a question back: "and you?".
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | What it does |
|---|---|---|
？ | Nǐ qù ma? | asks: are you going? |
。 | Qù. | yes: going |
。 | Bú qù. | no: not going |
，？ | Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne? | bounces back: and you? |
？ | Nǐ qù bu qù? | asks directly: going or not? |
吗 (ma): statement + one syllable = question
Take any statement and add (ma). The word order does not change, and nothing is added in front:
nǐ qù ma? nǐ yǒu shì ma? nǐ xǐhuan zhège ma?
| Question | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
？ | Nǐ qù ma? | Are you going? |
？ | Nǐ yǒu shì ma? | Are you busy? |
？ | Tā shì nǐ xiānsheng ma? | Is he your husband? |
？ | Nǐ xǐhuan zhège ma? | Do you like this one? |
(ma) is a neutral-tone particle, said light and quick. It carries no meaning of its own; it only marks the question.
Negative statements question the same way:
？(Nǐ bú qù ma?) - Aren't you going?
Answering: echo the verb, because there is no word for "yes"
Mandarin has no single word for "yes" and none for "no". Find the verb in the question and hand it back, bare for yes, negated for no:
| Question | Yes / No | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
？ | 。 / 。 | qù / bú qù |
明？ | 。 / 。 | shì / bú shì |
？ | 。 / 。 | yǒu / méi yǒu |
？ | 。 / 。 | zhīdào / bù zhīdào |
The negative follows the negation rules: (bù) for most verbs, (méi) for (yǒu). A fuller answer just adds the subject:
，。(Qù, wǒ qù.) - Yes, I'm going.
Two extras:
(duì), "right", confirms a statement:，明。(Duì, wǒ shì Xiǎo Míng.) - That's right, I'm Xiaoming.(shì) as "yes" only fits where(shì) was the verb. Answering(nǐ qù ma) with(shì) marks you as a learner at once.
Going further: 呢 (ne): the bounce-back and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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Lesson 37 of 44 in this chapter