# HSK 1 Grammar: Yes-No Questions (是非问句) in Chinese | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1-questions-g047 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-1-g047 HSK levels: 1 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:13.589Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to form, use, and answer Chinese yes-no questions (是非问句) for HSK 1, including 吗 questions, 吧 confirmation questions, and intonation. Grammar [HSK 1 · Sentence types › Sentence functions › Questions](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1#hsk-1-g047) # HSK 1 Sentence Types: Yes-No Questions (是非问句) A clear guide to forming and answering Chinese yes-no questions (是非问句) at the HSK 1 level, covering word order, particles, intonation, and how to reply naturally without relying on fixed English equivalents. Subject Predicate (Verb / Adjective Phrase) 吗？ Example sentence 你明天去学校吗？ Nǐ míngtiān qù xuéxiào ma? Are you going to school tomorrow? Neutral yes-no question formed by adding 吗 to a verbal statement. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## 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. Subject Predicate (Verb / Adjective Phrase) 吗？ 你明天去学校吗？ Nǐ míngtiān qù xuéxiào ma? Are you going to school tomorrow? Neutral yes-no question formed by adding 吗 to a verbal statement. 他是你们的汉语老师吗？ Tā shì nǐmen de Hànyǔ lǎoshī ma? Is he your Chinese teacher? Standard yes-no question using the linking verb 是 and 吗. 今天工作忙吗？ Jīntiān gōngzuò máng ma? Is work busy today? Yes-no question with an adjectival predicate; omitting 很 keeps the question neutral. 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. 你不喝茶吗？ Nǐ bù hē chá ma? Do you not drink tea? Negative yes-no question, often used when the speaker is mildly surprised. ## 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. Subject Predicate (Verb / Adjective Phrase) 吧？ 这本汉语书是你的吧？ Zhè běn Hànyǔ shū shì nǐ de ba? This Chinese book is yours, right? Yes-no question using 吧 to seek confirmation of an existing guess. 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. 你现在回家？ Nǐ xiànzài huí jiā? You are going home now? Spoken yes-no question relying on rising intonation without a final particle. ## 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. 你是谁？ Nǐ shì shéi? Who are you? Contrast: 谁 asks for identity, so use 你是谁？ without 吗. The form 你是谁吗？ is not the ordinary way to ask “Who are you?”. Compare the separate yes-no question 他是你们的汉语老师吗？, which asks for confirmation instead. Quick check: Are you asking for a missing identity or place, or asking whether a complete statement holds? Do not add 吗 mechanically to a direct question such as 你是谁？ or the ordinary A-not-A form 你去不去？. Inspect the whole sentence, not just the presence of 谁 or 什么. ## Frequently asked questions **What is the difference between a 吗 question and a 吧 question?** 吗 is the basic yes-no question particle and is often neutral. 吧 in a confirmation question normally presents a guess for the listener to confirm. Context matters: a 吗 question can also express surprise or challenge, as in the negative question in this lesson. **Can I answer every 吗 question with 是 (yes) and 不是 (no)?** No. While 是 and 不是 work well when the question contains 是 or asks whether a fact is true overall, action-verb questions like 你喝茶吗？ are most naturally answered by repeating the verb (喝 / 不喝). **Can I replace 吗 with 呢 in a yes-no question?** No. The particle 呢 does not turn a statement into a yes-no question. Adding 吗 asks whether the statement is true, whereas 呢 is used for follow-up questions (like 'And you?') or ongoing states. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 387](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=387) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)