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<h1>Advanced yes-no questions with "ma"
</h1>

<p>The question particle 吗 (ma) is a very simple way to convert it into a "yes/no question," 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 it with question words in order to ask very specific types of confirming questions.</p>

<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Examples </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4.1 Books</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<p>You'll remember that this is the simple pattern for yes/no questions:</p>

<div class="deux">Statement + 吗 ？</div>

<p>If you embed a question that uses a question word instead of a statement, you can create a more complex kind of "confirming" 吗 (ma) question:</p>

<div class="deux">[Question Word] + 吗 ？</div>

<p>Examples of common question words include 什么 (shénme), 谁 (shéi), and 哪里 (nǎlǐ).</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>Note that the following examples typically contains some kind of "verb 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, turning it into a kind of confirmation. For example:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这 是 什么 ？
Zhè shì shénme?
What is this? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 知道 这 是 什么 吗？
Nǐ zhīdào zhè shì shénme ma?
Do you know what this is? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 是 谁 ？
Tā shì shéi?
Who is he? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 知道 他 是 谁 吗？
Nǐ zhīdào tā shì shéi ma?
Do you know who he is? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 叫 什么 名字 ？
Tā jiào shénme míngzi?
What is his name? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 知道 他 叫 什么 名字 吗？
Nǐ zhīdào tā jiào shénme míngzi ma?
Do you know what his name is? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 住 在 哪儿 ？
Tā zhù zài nǎr?
Where does she live? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 说 过 她 住 在 哪儿 吗 ？
Tā shuō guo tā zhù zài nǎr ma?
Did she say where she lives? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这个 标志 是 什么 意思 ？
Zhège biāozhì shì shénme yìsi?
What does this sign mean? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你们 明白 这个 标志 是 什么 意思 吗？
Nǐmen míngbai zhège biāozhì shì shénme yìsi ma?
Do you understand what this sign means? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 想 要 什么 ？
Wǒmen xiǎng yào shénme?
What do we want? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 问 过 我们 想 要 什么 吗？
Tā wèn guo wǒmen xiǎng yào shénme ma?
Did he care to ask what we want? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 的 问题 是 什么 ？
Nǐ de wèntí shì shénme?
What is your question? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 能 再 说 一 遍 你 的 问题 是 什么 吗 ？
Nǐ néng zài shuō yī biàn nǐ de wèntí shì shénme ma?
Can you repeat what your question is? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 是 什么 时候 开始 学 中文 的 ？
Tā shì shénme shíhou kāishǐ xué Zhōngwén de?
When did he started to learn Chinese? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 知道 他 是 什么 时候 开始 学 中文 的 吗 ？
Nǐ zhīdào tā shì shénme shíhou kāishǐ xué Zhōngwén de ma?
Do you know when he started to learn Chinese? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这 是 在 哪儿 买 的 ？
Zhè shì zài nǎr mǎi de?
Where did you buy this? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 能 告诉 我 这 是 在 哪儿 买 的 吗 ？
Nǐ néng gàosu wǒ zhè shì zài nǎr mǎi de ma?
Can I tell me where you bought this? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 老板 的 孩子 多大 ？
Wǒ lǎobǎn de háizi duō dà?
How old is my boss' child? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 知道 我 老板 的 孩子 多大 吗？
Nǐ zhīdào wǒ lǎobǎn de háizi duō dà ma?
Do you know how old my boss' child is?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>See also
</h3>
<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Tag questions with "ma"
Affirmative-negative questions
Questions with "ne"</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Sources and further reading
</h3>
<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 138-40) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 29-30) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 21) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 23, 250) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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