# HSK 1 Interrogative Pronouns (疑问代词): Complete Grammar Guide | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1-pronouns-4cf8ed261a Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-1-pronouns-4cf8ed261a HSK levels: 1 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:24.958Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to use the HSK 1 interrogative pronouns 多, 多少, 几, 哪, 哪儿, 哪里, 哪些, 什么, 谁, 怎么, and 怎么样 with clear sentence patterns and contrasts. Grammar [HSK 1 · Word classes › Pronouns › Interrogative pronouns](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1#hsk-1-g008) # HSK 1 Interrogative Pronouns: Question Words and In-Situ Word Order Chinese interrogative pronouns stay in the exact grammatical slot of the answer rather than moving to the front of the sentence. This guide covers the eleven Level 1 question words for people, things, places, choices, quantities, degrees, and methods. Subject / Topic Verb 什么 / 谁 / 哪儿 / 哪里？ Example sentence 这是谁的书？你在看什么？ zhè shì shéi de shū ？ nǐ zài kàn shénme ？ Whose book is this? What are you reading? 谁的 modifies 书 in the possessor slot; 什么 follows the verb 看 in the object slot. A common mistake × 什么你吃？ shénme nǐ chī ？ Intended: What do you eat? Incorrect: In a neutral question asking what someone eats, 什么 is the object of 吃 and cannot be fronted before the subject 你. Replace with 你吃什么？ Corrected example: 你吃什么？ **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Core Principle: Leaving the Question Word in Place In the supplied HSK Level 1 grammar outline, the interrogative pronoun category (疑问代词) groups together eleven core items: 多, 多少, 几, 哪, 哪儿, 哪里, 哪些, 什么, 谁, 怎么, and 怎么样. In English, question words like what, who, or where usually move to the very beginning of a sentence. In Mandarin Chinese, content questions keep normal statement word order: the interrogative pronoun simply occupies the exact grammatical slot where the answer will appear. Subject / Topic Verb 什么 / 谁 / 哪儿 / 哪里？ If the missing information is the object of the verb, the question word stays after the verb. If the missing information is the subject or a modifier before a noun, the question word appears in that subject or modifier slot. Because the interrogative pronoun already makes the sentence a question, you do not add the yes-no question particle 吗 at the end. ## Asking About People, Things, Places, and Choices Six of the Level 1 interrogative pronouns identify people, things, locations, or selections from a group: - 谁 (shéi / shuí) asks about a person (who / whom) and can serve as subject, object, or possessor with 的. - 什么 (shénme) asks about a thing, action, or general category (what). It can stand alone as a pronoun or sit directly before a noun (什么书, what book). - 哪儿 (nǎr) and 哪里 (nǎlǐ) both ask about location (where). They share the same grammatical slot after verbs like 在 or 去; 哪儿 is especially common in northern spoken Mandarin, while 哪里 is universal across regions. - 哪 (nǎ) asks 'which' for a single item or specific subgroup and normally requires a measure word (or number + measure word) before the noun. - 哪些 (nǎxiē) asks 'which ones' for plural items and connects directly to a noun without an additional measure word. 这是谁的书？你在看什么？ zhè shì shéi de shū ？ nǐ zài kàn shénme ？ Whose book is this? What are you reading? 谁的 modifies 书 in the possessor slot; 什么 follows the verb 看 in the object slot. 洗手间在哪儿？你去哪里？ xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr ？ nǐ qù nǎlǐ ？ Where is the restroom? Where are you going? 哪儿 and 哪里 sit after 在 and 去, matching the exact position of a place noun in the answer. 哪 Measure Word Noun 哪些 Noun 你要哪个杯子？你喜欢哪些菜？ nǐ yào nǎ gè bēizi ？ nǐ xǐhuan nǎxiē cài ？ Which cup do you want? Which dishes do you like? 哪 takes the measure word 个 for a single item, whereas 哪些 attaches directly to the noun 菜 for plural items. ## Asking About Numbers and Degree: 几, 多少, and 多 Chinese separates questions about countable quantities and continuous degrees into three distinct patterns: 几 Measure Word Noun - 几 typically asks about a relatively small count, often a single-digit number, but this is an expectation rather than an answer limit. With an ordinary counted noun, use a classifier. In 几点, 几月, and 几天, the following word already supplies a time unit. - 多少 (duōshao) asks about any number—especially larger or open-ended quantities—and also asks about prices (多少钱). Before a noun, the measure word is optional. - In degree questions, 多 comes before an adjective such as 大, 高, or 远 to ask about age, height, or distance. These common beginner pairings are not a rule limiting every use of 多 to a one-syllable adjective. 你有几个苹果？ nǐ yǒu jǐ gè píngguǒ ？ How many apples do you have? 几 requires the measure word 个 and expects a relatively small number in the reply. 你们学校有多少老师？ nǐmen xuéxiào yǒu duōshao lǎoshī ？ How many teachers does your school have? 多少 asks about a larger or open-ended number and can precede the noun without a measure word. Subject / Topic 多 Adjective ？ 你的女儿今年多大？ nǐ de nǚ'ér jīnnián duō dà ？ How old is your daughter this year? 多 combines with the adjective 大 to ask about age (degree). ## Contrasting Method and Evaluation: 怎么 vs. 怎么样 Although both 怎么 and 怎么样 often translate into English as 'how', they fill different sentence positions and ask for different types of information. Subject / Topic 怎么 Verb Object ？ Subject / Topic 怎么样 ？ 怎么 (zěnme) precedes a verb to ask about the method or manner of an action ('how to do something'), or occasionally the reason ('how come'). In contrast, 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) usually acts as the main predicate at the end of a clause to ask about the condition, quality, or someone's evaluation of a person, thing, or suggestion ('how is it?' / 'how about...?'). 我们怎么去火车站？ wǒmen zěnme qù huǒchēzhàn ？ How do we go to the train station? 怎么 goes directly before the action verb 去 to ask about the method of transportation. 这家饭店的菜怎么样？ zhè jiā fàndiàn de cài zěnmeyàng ？ How is the food at this restaurant? 怎么样 functions as the predicate asking for an overall evaluation. ## Common Learner Mistake: Fronting the Object Question Word A common beginner error is copying English question order by moving an object question word like 什么, 谁, or 哪儿 to the front of the sentence before the subject. When asking a direct question about what someone eats, sees, or buys, the question word must remain after the verb. × 什么你吃？ shénme nǐ chī ？ Intended: What do you eat? Incorrect: In a neutral question asking what someone eats, 什么 is the object of 吃 and cannot be fronted before the subject 你. Replace with 你吃什么？ Corrected example: 你吃什么？ 你吃什么？ nǐ chī shénme ？ What do you eat? Correct replacement: 什么 stays in the post-verbal object slot. Quick check: Replace the question word with a sample answer (such as 米饭, rice). Because the natural statement is 你吃米饭, the natural question is 你吃什么？ ## Frequently asked questions **Can I add 吗 at the end of a sentence that already has an interrogative pronoun?** For a direct open-ended question such as 你吃什么, do not add 吗. A longer yes-no question can still contain an embedded question-word clause: 你知道他是谁吗 asks whether you know who he is. The rule concerns the question being asked, not a ban on the two kinds of words ever appearing in one sentence. **Is there any grammatical difference between 哪儿 and 哪里 when asking 'where'?** In location questions, they follow the exact same word order rules. 哪儿 uses northern r-coloring (erhua) and is very frequent in everyday northern speech, while 哪里 is used across all Mandarin-speaking regions and in slightly more formal contexts. **When do I need a measure word with 几 and 多少?** With an ordinary countable noun, use 几 + Classifier + Noun. If the next word is already a unit, as in 几点 or 几天, do not add another classifier. With 多少 before an ordinary noun, a classifier is often optional. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 386](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=386) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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