Yes / No Questions in Mandarin




Why do people study Mandarin?
– it is easier than you think- no tenses, no genders, simple grammar!
– it is spoken by more than a billion people
– it will give you a huge advantage if you need to get into the Chinese job market
– it will enrich your understanding of China’s fascinating culture and history
– it will lower communication barriers between yourself and your Chinese coworkers
YES/NO Questions
Simply add 吗 to the end of the statement to turn a statement into a question that has the answer Yes or No.
他会开车吗? tā huì kāi chē ma ?
Can he drive?
Alternatively, you can repeat the verb (or the first verb in a phrase) in the negative form.
他会不会开车?tā huì bú huì kāi chē
Can he drive? (She can, can’t drive?)
When the verb is 有yǒu,the negative form is 没有méi yǒu。
你有钱吗?nǐ yǒu qián ma ?/你有没有钱?nǐ yǒu méi yǒu qián ?
Do you have any money?
Replying to Yes/No questions
To say yes, you can use the verb in the question or reply 是shì ,对duì ,没错 méi cuò .,
To say no, answer with 不bú+verb or 不是的bú shì de ,不对bú duì,错cuò.
Try to make your own yes/no question below (in the comments) and we’ll let you know how you did!
Remember to sign up for a free Mandarin lesson with me, Sophie, by going to our Shop page. I can’t wait to meet you!

Exclusive Offer for New Students
Get Your First Lesson FREE
Are you ready
to finally become
fluent?