Question-word, A-not-A and alternative questions
A1 特指问句、正反问句与选择问句 12 / 56
In short
Besides 吗, Chinese has three ways to ask a question, and none of them uses 吗. Drop a question word (谁 shéi “who”, 什么 shénme “what”, 哪儿 nǎr “where”, 几 jǐ “how many”, 怎么 zěnme “how”) into the exact slot where the answer will go and leave the word order alone: 你吃什么？ (Nǐ chī shénme?) = You eat what?. Or repeat the verb around 不: 你去不去？ (Nǐ qù bu qù?) = Are you going?. Or offer a choice with 还是: 茶还是咖啡？ (chá háishi kāfēi?).
The rule
English moves a question word to the front (“What are you eating?”). Chinese does not. The single most important habit for all wh-questions: the question word stays in place (in situ), sitting exactly where the answer noun or adverb would sit. Take a statement, swap the unknown part for the matching question word, and change nothing else.
- Statement: 我吃米饭。 (Wǒ chī mǐfàn.) = I eat rice.
- Question: 你吃什么？ (Nǐ chī shénme?) = What do you eat? — 什么 lands in the object slot, not at the front.
Type 1 - Question-word question (特指问句 tèzhǐ wènjù). Replace the unknown with a question word and keep declarative word order.
- 谁 (shéi, also shuí) = who / whom, used as subject or object: 谁来？ (Shéi lái? Who’s coming?), 你找谁？ (Nǐ zhǎo shéi? Whom are you looking for?).
- 什么 (shénme) = what; put it before a noun for “what / what kind of”: 什么书 (shénme shū) = what book.
- 哪 (nǎ) = which — it needs a measure word: 哪本书 (nǎ běn shū) = which book, 哪个 (nǎ ge) = which one.
- 几 (jǐ) = how many (a small count, under ten) and normally takes a measure word: 几个人 (jǐ ge rén), 几点 (jǐ diǎn, what time). Where the answer is itself a number sitting after the noun, 几 lands in that slot instead and takes no measure word: the weekdays are 星期一 … 星期六, so “which weekday” is 今天星期几？ (Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ? What day is it today?), or 周几 (zhōu jǐ) with the shorter 周.
- 多少 (duōshao) = how many / how much (any amount); the measure word is optional: 多少钱 (duōshao qián, how much money).
- 怎么 (zěnme) = how, placed before the verb: 怎么去 (zěnme qù, how to go).
Type 2 - A-not-A question (正反问句 zhèngfǎn wènjù). Say the verb (or adjective), then 不, then the same verb again: Verb + 不 + Verb. It means the same as a 吗-question.
- 你是不是学生？ (Nǐ shì bu shì xuésheng? Are you a student?), 好不好？ (Hǎo bu hǎo? OK?).
- 有 is negated by 没, so its A-not-A is 有没有 (yǒu méiyǒu), never 有不有.
- Two-syllable verbs give a choice: 喜不喜欢 (xǐ bu xǐhuan) or 喜欢不喜欢 (xǐhuan bu xǐhuan).
Type 3 - Alternative question (选择问句 xuǎnzé wènjù). Offer two options joined by 还是 (háishi): A 还是 B？ The listener picks one.
- 你喝茶还是喝咖啡？ (Nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi? Do you drink tea or coffee?) — the second verb can drop: 你喝茶还是咖啡？
The one rule that ties them together: never add 吗. Each of these three is already a complete question. 你去哪儿吗？, 你去不去吗？ and 茶还是咖啡吗？ are all wrong.
Forms & patterns
The in-situ question words:
| Question word | Pinyin | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 谁 | shéi (shuí) | who / whom | fills the subject or object slot |
| 什么 | shénme | what / what kind | attaches straight to a noun: 什么书 |
| 哪 | nǎ | which | needs a measure word: 哪个, 哪本书 |
| 哪儿 / 哪里 | nǎr / nǎlǐ | where | fills the place slot |
| 几 | jǐ | how many (small) | + measure word: 几个, 几点 |
| 多少 | duōshao | how many / how much | measure word optional: 多少钱 |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how (manner) | goes before the verb: 怎么走 |
The three non-吗 question types side by side:
| Type | Pattern | Example | How you answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question-word | keep word order, swap in the Q-word | 你叫什么？ (Nǐ jiào shénme?) | fill the slot: 我叫小明 |
| A-not-A | Verb + 不 + Verb (有 -> 有没有) | 你去不去？ (Nǐ qù bu qù?) | pick a side: 去 / 不去 |
| Alternative | A 还是 B | 你去还是不去？ (Nǐ qù háishi bú qù?) | pick A or B: 去 |
Examples
- 你叫什么名字？ (Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?) - What’s your name?
- 他是谁？ (Tā shì shéi?) - Who is he?
- 你的家在哪儿？ (Nǐ de jiā zài nǎr?) - Where is your home?
- 你喜欢哪本书？ (Nǐ xǐhuan nǎ běn shū?) - Which book do you like?
- 你家有几口人？ (Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?) - How many people are in your family?
- 这个多少钱？ (Zhège duōshao qián?) - How much is this?
- 你怎么去学校？ (Nǐ zěnme qù xuéxiào?) - How do you get to school?
- 你去不去？ (Nǐ qù bu qù?) - Are you going or not?
- 你有没有中文书？ (Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu Zhōngwén shū?) - Do you have a Chinese book?
- 你喝茶还是喝咖啡？ (Nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi?) - Do you drink tea or coffee?
Common mistakes
- 什么你吃？ -> 你吃什么？ (Nǐ chī shénme?) - do not front the question word English-style; it stays in the answer’s slot and the word order does not change.
- 你去哪儿吗？ -> 你去哪儿？ (Nǐ qù nǎr?) - a sentence that already has a question word cannot also take 吗; the two never combine.
- 你是不是学生吗？ -> 你是不是学生？ (Nǐ shì bu shì xuésheng?) - A-not-A is itself the yes/no question, so 吗 is redundant and wrong.
- 你有不有时间？ -> 你有没有时间？ (Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shíjiān?) - 有 is negated by 没, so its A-not-A form is 有没有, never 有不有.
- 你喝茶或者咖啡？ -> 你喝茶还是咖啡？ (Nǐ hē chá háishi kāfēi?) - 还是 asks a choice question; 或者 (huòzhě) means “or” only in statements.
Tips
- Four ways to ask, one shared rule: the 吗-question (Lesson 11), the question-word question, the A-not-A question and the 还是 question are each complete on their own - adding 吗 to any of the last three is an error.
- The “in situ” trick: whatever answers the question lands in the question word’s exact spot. 你去哪儿？ -> 我去学校 - 学校 (xuéxiào) sits where 哪儿 (nǎr) sat. Translate straight, never reorder.
- 几 vs 多少: 几 (jǐ) expects a small number and normally takes a measure word (几个, 几点 - but 星期几); 多少 (duōshao) covers any amount and can skip it (多少钱). Use 几 for family members and hours, 多少 for prices and big counts.
- Sound notes: the 不 inside A-not-A is toneless (qù bu qù, hǎo bu hǎo); the negating 不 is normally bù but shifts to bú before a fourth tone (bù -> bú qù); 什么 and 多少 end in a neutral tone (shénme, duōshao); and 谁 is read shéi in everyday speech but shuí in careful or formal reading.