Deep End
← Grammar guides

Level Foundations · HSK 1

Yes-No Questions: 吗, 呢, A-not-A and 是不是

English turns a statement into a question by moving words around: "you are" becomes "are you?". Chinese never does. The words stay exactly where they are, and a small particle or a repeated verb does the job.

Chinese also has no all-purpose word for yes or no. You answer by repeating the verb, positive or negative. Once that habit clicks, Chinese questions are among the easiest parts of the language.

Statement + 吗

Take any statement and put 吗 (ma, neutral tone) on the end. That's it. To answer, repeat the verb or adjective: 是 / 不是, 去 / 不去, 忙 / 不忙. 对 (duì, right) works when you are confirming a fact.

  • 你是老师吗？

    Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?

    Are you a teacher?

  • 你喝咖啡吗？

    Nǐ hē kāfēi ma?

    Do you drink coffee?

  • 你去吗？——去。

    Nǐ qù ma? — Qù.

    Are you going? — Yes. (Going.)

  • 他忙吗？——不忙。

    Tā máng ma? — Bù máng.

    Is he busy? — No. (Not busy.)

呢: and you?

After a noun or pronoun, 呢 (ne) bounces the last question back: "and you?", "what about him?". On its own after a thing, it asks where that thing is.

  • 我很好，你呢？

    Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?

    I'm fine, and you?

  • 我是英国人，他呢？

    Wǒ shì Yīngguó rén, tā ne?

    I'm British. What about him?

  • 我的手机呢？

    Wǒ de shǒujī ne?

    Where's my phone?

A-not-A: 忙不忙？

Say the verb or adjective, then 不, then the verb again: 忙不忙 (busy not busy?). In this pattern 不 is said lightly, with a neutral tone. With a two-syllable verb you can repeat just the first syllable: 喜不喜欢. The verb 有 uses 没: 有没有.

An A-not-A question is already a question, so it never takes 吗. It also can't take adverbs like 也, 都 or 很 in front of it: for "are you also going?" go back to 吗.

  • 你去不去？

    Nǐ qù bu qù?

    Are you going or not?

  • 他是不是中国人？

    Tā shì bu shì Zhōngguó rén?

    Is he Chinese?

  • 你有没有时间？

    Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shíjiān?

    Do you have time?

  • 你喜不喜欢喝茶？

    Nǐ xǐ bu xǐhuan hē chá?

    Do you like tea?

是不是: checking a guess

是不是 in front of the predicate, or tacked on at the end after a comma, means you think something is true and want it confirmed, like English "aren't you?" or "right?".

  • 你是不是很累？

    Nǐ shì bu shì hěn lèi?

    You're tired, aren't you?

  • 你是老师，是不是？

    Nǐ shì lǎoshī, shì bu shì?

    You're a teacher, right?

Common mistakes

  • ✗你忙不忙吗？

    ✓你忙不忙？

    Nǐ máng bu máng?

    A-not-A is already a question. Adding 吗 asks the question twice.

  • ✗你也去不去？

    ✓你也去吗？

    Nǐ yě qù ma?

    Adverbs like 也, 都 and 很 can't sit in front of an A-not-A verb. Use 吗 instead.

  • ✗你喜欢咖啡吗？——是。

    ✓你喜欢咖啡吗？——喜欢。

    Nǐ xǐhuan kāfēi ma? — Xǐhuan.

    是 means "to be", not "yes". Answer by repeating the verb of the question.

  • ✗你是哪国人吗？

    ✓你是哪国人？

    Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?

    A question word (什么, 哪, 谁 ...) already makes a question. 吗 is only for yes-no questions.

Questions learners ask

Is there any difference between 吗 and A-not-A?

Both ask a yes-no question. 吗 is the more neutral, all-purpose choice and works with any sentence. A-not-A sounds a little more direct, as if you want a clear answer either way, and is common in speech.

How do I say a plain "yes" or "no"?

Repeat the verb: 是, 有, 去, 喜欢, or their negatives 不是, 没有, 不去, 不喜欢. For "that's right" say 对 (duì); for "no, that's wrong" say 不对 (bú duì). 嗯 (ng) is a casual "mm-hm".

Practice this in lessons

The Foundations lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

Practice this in lessons →

Related grammar guides