The question particle 吗 (ma) is a simple way to form questions in Chinese. By placing 吗 (ma) on the end of a statement, you convert it into a *yes/no question* (questions that could be answered with "yes" or "no" in English). Basic Usage ----------- ### Structure Any statement can be converted into a yes/no question with 吗 (ma). You could think of 吗 (ma) as being like a question mark you say out loud. So the basic structure is:

\[Statement\] + 吗？

### Examples

- 你喜欢咖啡。 statementNǐ xǐhuan kāfēi.You like coffee.

The sentence "You like coffee" can easily be converted into the question "Do you like coffee?" by adding 吗 (ma):

- 你喜欢咖啡吗？ questionNǐ xǐhuan kāfēi ma?Do you like coffee?

More examples of statements and their yes/no question forms:

- 你是大学生。 statementNǐ shì dàxuéshēng.You are a college student. - 你是大学生吗？ questionNǐ shì dàxuéshēng ma?Are you a college student? - 他是老板。 statementTā shì lǎobǎn.He is the boss. - 他是老板吗？questionTā shì lǎobǎn ma?Is he the boss? - 你喜欢她。 statement Nǐ xǐhuan tā.You like her. - 你喜欢她吗？ questionNǐ xǐhuan tā ma?Do you like her? - 你想家。 statementNǐ xiǎng jiā.You miss home. - 你想家吗？ questionNǐ xiǎng jiā ma?Do you miss home? - 爸爸喜欢喝茶。 statementBàba xǐhuan hē chá.Dad likes drinking tea. - 爸爸喜欢喝茶吗？ questionBàba xǐhuan hē chá ma?Does dad like drinking tea? - 你们也去。 statementNǐmen yě qù.You also go. - 你们也去吗？ questionNǐmen yě qù ma?Are you also going? - 他在你们学校学中文。 statementTā zài nǐmen xuéxiào xué Zhōngwén.He studies Chinese in your school. - 他在你们学校学中文吗？ questionTā zài nǐmen xuéxiào xué Zhōngwén ma?Does he study Chinese in your school? - 我见过他。 statement Wǒ jiàn guo tā.I've met him. - 我见过他吗？ questionWǒ jiàn guo tā ma?Have I met him? - 妈妈会做饭。 statementMāma huì zuòfàn.Mom knows how to cook. - 妈妈会做饭吗？ questionMāma huì zuòfàn ma?Does mom know how to cook? - 你昨天没去上班。 statementNǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān.You didn't go to work yesterday. - 你昨天没去上班吗？ questionNǐ zuótiān méi qù shàngbān ma?Did you not go to work yesterday?

It's important to remember that you do not normally add 吗 (ma) to a sentence that's *already a question*. For example:

- 你是谁吗？谁 is a question wordNǐ shì shéi ma? - 这是不是书吗？是不是 is a question patternZhè shì bu shì shū ma?

These would be something like "Are you who are you?" and "Is this is a book?" in English, both obviously ungrammatical. Still, if you're not careful, you may find yourself throwing a 吗 (ma) onto the end of a question that doesn't need it. Many learners make this mistake, so don't worry if it happens every once in a while, just catch it and remember it the next time. More Advanced Usage ------------------- However, this doesn't mean that a sentence *can't ever* have a question word and 吗 (ma). If a sentence contains verbs of understanding such as 知道 (zhīdào),了解 (liǎojiě), 明白 (míngbai), 认识 (rènshi), etc., then 吗 (ma) can still be added at the end of the question. You will later learn more about these [advanced yes-no questions with "ma"](advanced_yes-no_questions_with_"ma" "wikilink"). See also -------- - [Tag questions with "ma"](Tag_questions_with_"ma" "wikilink") - [Affirmative-negative questions](Affirmative-negative_questions "wikilink") - [Questions with "ne"](Questions_with_"ne" "wikilink") Sources and further reading --------------------------- ### Videos - Yoyo Chinese: [Yes-no Questions with 吗](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NT6in-ufGQ&list=PL94A5E422FB99CDDD) ### Books - [Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition](Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition "wikilink") (pp. 138-40) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp. 29-30)　[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1) "wikilink") (p. 21) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1)(2nd_ed) "wikilink") (pp. 23, 250) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235) [Category:A1 grammar points](Category:A1_grammar_points "wikilink")