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B1 · Grammar reference · ASGI9WXT

Advanced yes-no questions with "ma"

The question particle 吗 (ma) is a very simple way to convert simple statements into "yes/no" questions, and beginners will learn not to use 吗 with other question words, because it's redundant. More advanced students, however, will note that 吗 has some more complicated structures that do involve combining 吗 with question words in order to ask very specific types of confirming questions.

Structure

Statement + 吗 ?

Confirmation + Question + 吗 ?

Keywords
吗 · 什么 · 谁 · 哪里
Used for
Asking questions · Requesting
Classification
Particles

Examples (20)

这是什么?

你知道这是什么吗?

他是谁?

你知道他是谁吗?

他叫什么名字?

你知道他叫什么名字吗?

她住在哪儿?

她说过她住在哪儿吗?

这个标志是什么意思?

你们明白这个标志是什么意思吗?

我们想要什么?

他问过我们想要什么吗?

你的问题是什么?

你能再说一遍你的问题是什么吗?

他是什么时候开始学中文的?

你知道他是什么时候开始学中文的吗?

这是在哪儿买的?

你能告诉我这是在哪儿买的吗?

老板的孩子多大了?

你知道老板的孩子多大了吗?

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Full explanation at AllSet Learning

Summary, structure, classification, and adapted sentence examples draw from the AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; changes were made. This noncommercial reference is based on an October 2023 snapshot.

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