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- Softening the tone of questions with "ne"
- (Redirected from ASGW7YXP)
- Level B2
- Similar to
- Questions with "ne" (A1)
- Suggestions with "ba" (A1)
- Softening speech with "ba" (A2)
- Used for
- Expressing attitude
- Keywords
- 呢
- We have seen before that 吧 can be used to soften the tone of statements, or make commands feel more like suggestions. 呢 works in same way, but it is used to make questions more indirect and uncertain in tone.
- Contents
-
- 1 呢 used successively with 还是
- 1.1 Structure
- 1.2 Examples
- 2 呢 with questions involving interrogative pronouns (哪儿，谁，怎么，什么 etc.)
- 2.1 Structure
- 2.2 Examples
- 3 呢 with "verb 不 verb" questions
- 3.1 Structure
- 3.2 Examples
- 4 See also
- 5 Sources and further reading
- 呢 used successively with 还是
- 呢 can be used successively in questions using 还是.
- Structure
- Option 1 + 呢 + 还是 + Option 2 + 呢？
- Examples
- 我 去 缅甸 呢，还是 泰国呢？我 得 想 一 想！
- Should I go to Myanmar or Thailand? I have to think a bit!
- 咱们 打 游戏 呢 ，还是 泡吧 呢 ，我 都 可以！
- Should we play computer games or go to the bar? I can do either!
- The example sentences above almost have a tone that the speaker is talking to him/herself, as the question is not directly asked at the listener. A second verb is only necessary if different to the first verb.
- 呢 with questions involving interrogative pronouns (哪儿，谁，怎么，什么 etc.)
- Structure
- ⋯⋯Interrogative Pronoun⋯⋯ + 呢？
- Examples
- 这 是 谁 的 笔呢?
- I wonder whose pen this is.
- 他 去 哪儿 了 呢？
- I wonder where he's going?
- 怎么 会呢？
- How could that be?
- In the previous example, the speaker has a tone of conjecture, a bit like saying "I wonder" in English. Again, as in the first example, the question is not directly asked at the listener. Adding 呢 to 怎么会 as in the last example sentence can sound a bit feminine; overusing 呢 can have this result.
- 呢 with "verb 不 verb" questions
- If a "verb 不 verb" question is posed without 呢, it can appear as though the speaker is a bit impatient, or is ordering the listener to do something. This of course depends on the tone of voice used. Adding 呢 can give a tone of uncertainty, and is more polite.
- Structure
- Subj. + Verb 1 + 不 + Verb 1 + (Verb 2) + 呢？
- Examples
- 你 去 不 去 逛街？Said as though demanding an answer, potentially in a hurry.
- Well are you going to go shopping or what?
- 你 去 不 去 逛街呢？Less intense, just asking a question.
- Are you going to go shopping?
- 牛奶 你 喝 不 喝？Said to a child, with the implication that if the milk isn't drunk, there will be consequences, with emphasis placed on 喝
- Did you drink the milk or not?
- 牛奶你喝不喝呢？Perhaps said to a friend, with no implication of coercion. Perhaps you want to clear away their cup.
- Did you drink the milk?
- 你周末能不能加班？Perhaps a manager asking a subordinate. This is not too direct, as 能 has been added. Saying 你加不加班 would seem more like an order
- Can you come into work on the weekend?
- 你周末能不能加班呢？Much more indirect than the above example.
- Would you mind coming in on the weekend?")
- Again, the meaning of the above sentences depends on context, and the interpretations given are just examples.
- See also
- Interrogative pronouns
- Questions with "ne"
- Sentence-final interjection "a"
- Sources and further reading
- A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 139-41) →buy
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