Introduction
吗 (ma) turns any statement into a yes-or-no question, and it changes nothing else. English rearranges the sentence — you are becomes are you. Chinese leaves the sentence exactly as it was and adds one light syllable at the end.
Overview
Structure: [Statement] + 吗 (ma) ？
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Statement + 吗 | 你是学生吗？(Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?) | Are you a student? |
| Adj sentence + 吗 | 你累吗？(Nǐ lèi ma?) | Are you tired? |
| 有 + Obj + 吗 | 你有时间吗？(Nǐ yǒu shíjiān ma?) | Do you have time? |
| Negative + 吗 | 你不去吗？(Nǐ bú qù ma?) | Aren't you going? |
| Suggestion + 好吗 | 我们明天去，好吗？(Wǒmen míngtiān qù, hǎo ma?) | Shall we go tomorrow? |
吗 (ma) and a question word never share a sentence:
- ✓ 你去哪儿？(Nǐ qù nǎr?) — Where are you going? The question word is already asking.
- ❌ 你去哪儿吗？(Nǐ qù nǎr ma?)
- 吗 (ma) asks for yes or no; 哪儿 (nǎr)、什么 (shénme)、谁 (shéi) ask for information. One question per sentence.
- Compare 吧 (ba): 你是老师吗？(Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?) — you have no idea. 你是老师吧？(Nǐ shì lǎoshī ba?) — you already think so.
Examples
你是中国人吗？
Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
Are you Chinese?
你累吗？
Nǐ lèi ma?
Are you tired?
你有时间吗？
Nǐ yǒu shíjiān ma?
Do you have time?
他会说中文吗？
Tā huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?
Can he speak Chinese?
你不喜欢咖啡吗？
Nǐ bù xǐhuan kāfēi ma?
Don't you like coffee?
我们一起去，好吗？
Wǒmen yìqǐ qù, hǎo ma?
Let's go together, shall we?
Usage Notes
- The word order does not move at all: 你是学生。(Nǐ shì xuéshēng.) → 你是学生吗？(Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?)
- 吗 (ma) is neutral tone — short and light, never stressed.
- There is no all-purpose "yes" in Chinese. You answer by repeating the verb: 你是学生吗？(Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?) → 是。(Shì.) or 不是。(Bú shì.)
- The A-not-A question does the same job without 吗 (ma): 你是不是学生？(Nǐ shì bu shì xuéshēng?) — and you must not add 吗 to it. ❌ 你是不是学生吗？(Nǐ shì bu shì xuéshēng ma?)
- 好吗？(hǎo ma?) on the end of a suggestion is the polite "…all right?" — 我们六点见，好吗？(Wǒmen liù diǎn jiàn, hǎo ma?)