Turn a statement into a question

吗 ma is one of the simplest ways to form a yes-or-no question in Mandarin. Begin with a complete statement and add 吗 at the end. The word order does not need to change.

你是医生 nǐ shì yīshēng means you are a doctor. Add 吗 to make 你是医生吗 nǐ shì yīshēng ma, are you a doctor? The question particle is normally light and unstressed.

  • 你是老师。→ 你是老师吗？
  • 这是书。→ 这是书吗？
  • 他是你的朋友。→ 他是你的朋友吗？
  • 那是他的家。→ 那是他的家吗？

Keep the original sentence order

English often moves a helping verb to the front of a question. Mandarin does not do this with 吗. The statement remains intact and the particle marks the question at the end.

This means learners can reuse a sentence they already know. First practise the statement until it feels comfortable. Then add 吗 and raise your attention at the end without forcing an exaggerated English-style question melody.

Answer with the main verb

Mandarin often answers a yes-or-no question by repeating or negating the main verb. For 你是老师吗, a short positive answer is 是, and a negative answer is 不是. For 你有车吗, answer 有 or 没有.

You can also give a full answer when more clarity is useful: 是，我是老师 means yes, I am a teacher. 不是，我是学生 means no, I am a student.

  • 他是医生吗？— 是，他是医生。
  • 她是老师吗？— 不是，她是学生。
  • 你有中文书吗？— 有。
  • 你有车吗？— 没有。

Do not combine 吗 with a question word

吗 is for questions that can be answered yes or no. Questions containing 谁 shéi, who; 什么 shénme, what; 哪儿 nǎr, where; or 多少 duōshao, how many or how much, already contain a question word and normally do not take 吗.

Compare 他是老师吗, is he a teacher, with 他是谁, who is he. The first asks for confirmation; the second asks for missing information.

  • Correct: 这是什么？— What is this?
  • Correct: 他是谁？— Who is he?
  • Correct: 你住在哪里？— Where do you live?
  • Use 吗 only when confirmation is the goal.

Practice with familiar information

Use people and objects around you so the answers are meaningful. Ask whether someone is a teacher, whether an object is a book, or whether a place is a home. Alternate positive and negative answers.

This lesson is adapted from Lecture 6 of Abdul Azeem’s original course book, which teaches the statement first and then shows the learner how one final particle changes its function.

  • Is he your friend?
  • Is this Ali’s book?
  • Is that your house?
  • Are they students?
  • Is she Pakistani?