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吗: the yes/no particle

吗问句 · 嗎問句

Level 1 · Questions · 疑问

Statement + 吗 = yes/no question

The pattern

Statement + 吗？
  • Attach 吗 to the end of a normal sentence to turn it into a yes/no question. The word order does not change at all.
  • Answer by repeating the verb: 去 / 不去. 吗 can't combine with a question word, that would be asking twice.

Examples

你是学生吗？ 你是學生嗎
nǐ shì xué sheng ma
Are you a student?
他喜欢咖啡吗？ 他喜歡咖啡嗎
tā xǐ huan kā fēi ma
Does he like coffee?
你明天有空吗？ 你明天有空嗎
nǐ míng tiān yǒu kòng ma
Are you free tomorrow?

Quick check

1. Turn '他来了' into a yes/no question.
  1. 他来了吗？
  2. 吗他来了？
  3. 他来吗了？
Show answer 他来了吗？ — 吗 tags onto the end; order unchanged.
2. Which is a bad question?
  1. 你累吗？
  2. 你是老师吗？
  3. 你什么时候来吗？
Show answer 你什么时候来吗？ — 吗 can't stack with a question word like 什么时候.
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