HSK 1 Sentence Types: Yes-No Questions (是非问句)

What Is a Yes-No Question (是非问句)?

In the HSK 1 grammar outline, yes-no questions (是非问句) are the primary question type used when the speaker wants to confirm or deny an entire proposition.

A yes-no question asks whether a proposition is true, rather than requesting a missing name, time or place. “Polar question” is another term. For basic 吗 questions, Chinese keeps statement-like word order rather than inverting subject and verb.

Forming Standard Yes-No Questions with 吗

The most common and neutral way to build a yes-no question is to place the question particle 吗 at the end of a declarative sentence. You can attach 吗 to sentences with action verbs, the linking verb 是, or adjectival predicates.

Notice that in an adjectival question like the third example above, the degree adverb 很 is often omitted when you want to ask a neutral question. If you include 很 inside a 吗 question, you are specifically asking whether something reaches a high degree, whereas leaving it out simply asks whether the state applies.

You can also add 吗 to a negative statement. In conversation, a negative yes-no question usually signals mild surprise or checks an assumption that contradicts what the speaker expected.

Confirmation with 吧 and Rising Intonation

While 吗 asks an open yes-no question, a yes-no question can also be formed when the speaker already leans toward an answer. If you are fairly sure a statement is true and simply want the listener to confirm your guess, replace 吗 with the modal particle 吧 at the end of the sentence.

In casual speech, speakers also form yes-no questions without any final particle at all, using rising intonation at the end of the statement (written with a question mark). This form typically checks an immediate detail in context or expresses surprise at what was just seen or heard.

How to Answer Yes-No Questions Naturally

Chinese does not have a single all-purpose word that works exactly like English yes or no in every sentence. Instead, how you answer a yes-no question depends on the predicate inside the question:

• Echo the main verb: If the question uses an action verb like 去 (to go) or 喝 (to drink), affirm it by repeating the verb (去 / 喝) and negate it with 不 or 没 before the verb (不去 / 不喝).
• Echo the adjective: If the predicate is an adjective like 忙 (busy), affirm it with 很忙 or 忙, and negate it with 不忙.
• Use 是 or 对 for facts and identity: When the question uses 是, or when you are confirming the overall truth of a statement (especially with 吧 or intonation questions), reply with 是 / 是的 or 对, and negate with 不是 or 不对.
• Careful with negative questions: When answering a negative question like 你不喝茶吗？, your agreement or disagreement tracks the reality of the action. If you indeed do not drink tea, you can say 对，我不喝 (Right, I do not drink it).

Important Contrasts and Common Mistakes

Compare the basic statement 你去学校 with the question 你去学校吗？: the core word order stays the same. Particles, intonation and context help the listener identify whether the speaker is asserting something or asking for confirmation. 吧 also has non-question uses, so do not classify a sentence by a particle alone.

When 谁, 什么 or 哪儿 directly requests the missing information, do not append 吗: 你是谁？ already asks who someone is. This does not ban question words anywhere in a 吗 sentence. For example, 你知道谁来了吗？ asks whether you know who has arrived; the whole question still requests confirmation.

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