Toll Free - U.S.& Canada:  1-800-791-9386   Hong Kong:  800-930-623   Australia:  1-800-779-835
Free online Chinese learning support
  • Follow us on Facebook!
  • Watch Our YouTube Videos!
  • Follow us on Twitter!
  • Follow us on WeChat!
    Follow Us in WeChat by Scanning!
    Follow Us in "WeChat"
    by Scanning
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Explore Our Instagram Videos & Photos!
United Kingdom:  0-800-086-8969   Germany:  0-800-180-0341   Singapore:  800-130-1652
France:  0-805-080-689   Spain:  900-838-906    

Ask Questions in Chinese

Mar. 6, 2014

Answer: B

In the Chinese language, there are several ways to ask questions. We will introduce three ways to ask questions in Chinese today.

First, we can ask questions in Chinese using the interrogative particle “吗(ma).” To form a question, simply add “吗(ma)” to the end of a declarative sentence without changing the word order.

Examples:

xǐhuan hànyǔ ma?
他  喜欢    汉语   

Does he like the Chinese language?

Zhāng Wěi, nǐ xiǎng qù gōngyuán ma?
张        伟,你  想     去  公园        

Zhang Wei, would you like to go to the park?

Second, we can add the positive-negative structure before the main action to form a question. This positive-negative question structure is created by using both the positive and negative form of a verb. The negative form is usually formed by adding “不() no” before the verb, such as “不能(bù néng) not able to,” “不想(bù xiǎng) do not want to,” “不可以(bù kěyǐ) can’t.”

And the positive-negative structure is “能不能(néng bù néng) can or not,” “想不想(xiǎng bùxiǎng) want or not.” For some two-syllable verbs like “可以(kěyǐ) can,” we usually omit the second syllable of the positive verb, such as “可不可以(kě bù kěyǐ) can or not.”

Examples:

kě bù kěyǐ kàn diànyǐng?
我   可 不 可以 看   电影?

May I see the film?

Lucy, nǐ xiǎng bùxiǎng chī jiǎozi?
Lucy,你 想     不想 吃  饺子?

Lucy, do you want to eat dumplings?

Besides, we can also ask simple questions in Chinese by using question words, such as “什么(shénme) what,” “谁(shuí/shéi) who,” “哪里(nǎlǐ) where,” “为什么(wèi shénme) why,” “怎么(zěnme) how,” “多少(duōshǎo) how many,” etc. It’s important to remember that it’s the job of the question word to replace the element that you want to know about in the sentence. As a result, the position of a question word in a sentence depends on what element it is replacing.

Examples:

James:Nà shì shénme?
James:那  是   什么

James: What is that?

Zhāng Lì: Nà shì máobǐ.
张       丽:那 是  毛笔。

Zhang Li: That is a writing brush.

Lǎobǎn: Jīntiān shéi zhíbān?
老   板: 今天    值班?

Boss: Who is on duty today?

Lucy: Jīntiān wǒ zhíbān.
Lucy:今天   我  值班。

Lucy: I am on duty today.

In our test, there are two ways to express “Can you help me?” in the Chinese language. First, you can add the interrogative particle “吗(ma)” at the end of a declarative sentence “你可以帮我(Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ)” to make it into a question sentence “你可以帮我吗?(Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?).” Second, you can use the positive-negative structure to ask a question “你可不可以帮我?(Nǐ kě bù kěyǐ bāng wǒ?).” So the answer is B.

<<Back to “How do you ask for help in Chinese?”

Got questions? Take a free 1-to-1 lesson with one of our professional teachers by signing up below:
Name: 
E-mail: 
Country/Region: 
-select-

search no result

Tel: 
By clicking Submit, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Your email address and phone number
will be kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.
Submit

Write a comment

Your Name: 
Your Email:  Your email address will not be published.
Comments: 
Verification Code:  Verification Code Unclear? Try another one
By clicking Submit, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Email This Article
Recipients' email addresses:
(separate recipients with comma)
Your name:
Your e-mail address (optional):
Your message (optional):
Verification Code:
By clicking Send, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.


Get 11 FREE Mandarin E-books
Sign up for a free trial now!
Get more information about our Chinese lessons through live chat
Get a FREE live 1-to-1 lesson and FREE e-books. Complete the form below:
Name:
E-mail:
Country/Region:
-select-

search no result

Tel:
By clicking Submit, you agree to our
Terms of Service
and Privacy Policy.
Your email address and phone number
will be kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.