Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 吗?
吗 (ma) is a very common question particle in Chinese, which is placed at the end of a declarative sentence to form yes-no questions, rhetorical or tag questions.
It can also change a declarative mood into an interrogative mood, and turn the declarative sentence into a question.
吗 IN YES NO QUESTIONS
吗 (ma) is used to turn statements into yes/no questions.
A yes/no question can be answered with affirmative or negative words：是(shì) // 不是(bú shì), 对(duì) // 不对(bú duì), 会(huì) // 不会(bú huì)，嗯(èn)，etc.
PATTERN
Statement + 吗 ?
In the yes/no questions with 吗 (ma), adverbs such as “的确 (díquè)” and “真的 (zhēn de)” can be added before the verb (phrase) to strengthen the interrogative mood.
NOTE || Do not add 吗 (ma) to a question word:
| ⛔️ 你是谁吗? | ✅ 你是谁? |
| nǐ shì shéi ma? | nǐ shì shéi? |
Except in the structure: 知道 + statement/question + 吗？This structure is used to ask someone for information, which is the same as “Do you know…”.
| 你知道明天我们去体检吗？ | nǐ zhīdào míngtiān wǒmen qù tǐjiǎn ma? | Do you know that we will go to the medical examination tomorrow? | A statement “明天我们去体检”is embedded in this structure |
| 你知道他叫什么名字吗？ | nǐ zhīdào tā jiào shénme míngzì ma? | Do you know his name? | A question “他叫什么名字” is embedded in this structure |
PATTERN
Verb + 得 + Complement + 吗？
The verb complement with the modal particle 吗 at the end of the declarative sentence can form a question.
| 这个桌子上放得下这些东西吗？ | zhège zhuōzi shàng fàng dé xià zhèxiē dōngxī ma? | Can these things fit on this table? |
| 你一个人吃得完这个西瓜吗？ | nǐ yīgè rén chī dé wán zhège xīguā ma? | Can you finish this watermelon by yourself? |
吗 IN RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
“吗” can be used with words such 不是 (bú shì), 能 (néng), 能不 (néng bù), 难道 (nándào) to form rhetorical questions.
PATTERN
不是……吗？
In this structure, the questioner does not expect a direct answer. This structure is used to express the speaker’s confusion, dissatisfaction, or sarcasm or remind someone of something.
|
他不是会说汉语吗？
tā bùshì huì shuō hànyǔ ma? Doesn’t he speak Chinese? 👉 Confusion |
你不是说你一个人可以的吗？
nǐ bùshì shuō nǐ yīgè rén kěyǐ de ma? Didn’t you say that you can do it alone? 👉 Sarcasm |
|
我不是说过不要打扰我吗？
wǒ bùshì shuōguò bu yào dǎrǎo wǒ ma Didn’t I say not to disturb me? 👉 Dissatisfaction |
你明天不是要去北京吗？
nǐ míngtiān bùshì yào qù běijīng ma? Aren’t you going to Beijing tomorrow? 👉 Reminder |
PATTERN
能 (不)……吗?
This structure is often used to express sarcasm in rhetorical questions. It’s positive form means the negative, while it’s negative form means the positive.
|
你菜里放那么多盐，这菜能好吃吗？
nǐ cài lǐ fàng nàme duō yán, zhè cài néng hào chī ma? |
昨晚那么冷，你又穿得那么少，能不生病吗？
zuó wǎn nàme lěng, nǐ yòu chuān dé nàme shǎo, néng bù shēngbìng ma? |
| With so much salt in your dish, can this dish be delicious? 👉 Positive form, negative meaning: not delicious. | Yesterday was so cold and you wore so little clothes, can you not get sick? 👉 Negative form, positive meaning: will be sick. |
PATTERN
……不……吗？
This structure is actually inviting a positive answer.
|
你不吃饭吗？
nǐ bù chīfàn ma You’re not eating? 👉 Expecting a positive answer “吃饭” |
你不回家吗？
nǐ bù huí jiā ma? You’re not going home? 👉 Expecting a positive answer “回家” |
PATTERN
……还(不/没有)……吗？
The negative rhetorical question with modal adverb “还” expresses something expected, like “should” in English.
|
都八点半了，你还不去上班吗？
dōu bā diǎn bànle, nǐ hái bù qù shàngbān ma? It’s half past eight, aren’t you going to work? 👉 You should go to work. |
这么晚了，你还没有写完作业吗？
zhème wǎnle, nǐ hái méiyǒu xiě wán zuòyè ma? It’s so late, haven’t you finished your homework yet? 👉 You should finish your homework. |
吗 IN TAG QUESTIONS
吗 (ma) is also used in tag questions to ask for advice or to ask for confirmation. Just add a confirmation word and 吗 (ma) to the end of a declarative sentence.
PATTERN
Statement + 好吗 / 行吗 / 对吗 / 是吗？
The tag questions, like 好吗, 行吗, 对吗, 是吗, are used after a statement to make a suggestion or request, or to ask for an idea, opinion or confirmation.
These questions can be used answered with 好, 行, 对, 是 etc.
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FAQs
What is 吗?
吗 is a very common question particle in Chinese, which is placed at the end of a declarative sentence to form questions, changing a declarative mood into an interrogative mood, and turning the declarative sentence into a question.
吗 is a typical interrogative particle which is used in yes-no questions, and sometimes it appears in rhetorical questions or tag questions.
How to pronounce 吗?
吗 is pronounced ma.
How to use 吗?
吗 (ma) is used to turn statements into yes-no questions.
“Statement + 吗“
吗 can be used with words such 不是 (bú shì), 能 (néng), 能不 (néng bù), 难道 (nándào) to form rhetorical questions.
“不是……吗？”
吗 is also used in tag questions to ask for advice or to ask for confirmation. Just add a confirmation word and 吗 (ma) to the end of a declarative sentence.
“Statement + 好吗 / 行吗 / 对吗 / 是吗？”
What are some examples with 吗?
– 你是老师吗？nǐ shì lǎoshī ma? // Are you a teacher?
– 你知道他叫什么名字吗？nǐ zhīdào tā jiào shénme míngzì ma? // Do you know his name?
– 你不吃饭吗？nǐ bù chīfàn ma // You’re not eating?
– 你没跟我说过这件事，对吗？nǐ méi gēn wǒ shuōguò zhè jiàn shì, duì ma? // You never told me about it, did you?
Is it necessary to learn how to read Chinese?
It is yes! It is part of the learning process.
You might not need to focus as much on the writing part but reading will be necessary to follow along your lessons in class, or even get familiar with your surroundings in China!
Learning characters are not as difficult to learn as you might think, since they follow a logical pattern composed of radicals.
Here are the most common Chinese characters to get you started.
Where can I learn more Chinese grammar?
We have a blog article summing up all common Chinese beginner structures, but we explain them in more detail in our Chinese Grammar Bank that we update regularly with new pages.
You can also book individual classes with a native professional teacher, so that you can ask all the questions you might have about the grammar and more!