# HSK 1 Specific-Information Questions (特指问句) Grammar Guide | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1-questions-g048 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-1-g048 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 and answer specific-information questions (特指问句) in Mandarin Chinese for HSK 1 using question words in situ without changing statement word order. Grammar [HSK 1 · Sentence types › Sentence functions › Questions](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1#hsk-1-g048) # HSK 1 Specific-Information Questions (特指问句): Word Order and Usage In Mandarin Chinese, specific-information questions (特指问句) ask for a particular piece of missing information—such as a person, thing, place, or number—by placing an interrogative pronoun directly in the grammatical slot where the answer belongs. Subject Verb Question word or phrase (with a classifier when needed) ？ Example sentence 他是王老师。 Tā shì Wáng lǎoshī. He is Teacher Wang. Declarative statement used as the word-order baseline: the identity 'Wáng lǎoshī' sits after the verb 'shì'. A common mistake × 什么你买？ Shénme nǐ mǎi? [Incorrect] What are you buying? Incorrect as an ordinary neutral question about what you are buying: keep the object question word in its basic postverbal position, 你买什么？. Other specially framed topic or contrast constructions are a separate matter. Corrected example: 你买什么？ **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What Is a Specific-Information Question (特指问句)? Within the HSK Level 1 grammar syllabus, specific-information questions (特指问句, tèzhǐ wènjù) form a primary subcategory of interrogative sentences (疑问句). Unlike yes-no questions that ask the listener to confirm or deny an entire statement, a specific-information question asks for one unknown detail—such as who, what, where, which, or how many. It relies on an interrogative word (疑问代词, yíwèn dàicí) to pinpoint the exact part of the sentence being questioned. For the basic questions in this lesson, keep the question expression where its answer would appear in a statement. Chinese normally does not require English-style wh-fronting or subject–verb inversion. Topic and contrast structures can use other orders; the in-situ pattern is the useful beginner starting point. 他是王老师。 Tā shì Wáng lǎoshī. He is Teacher Wang. Declarative statement used as the word-order baseline: the identity 'Wáng lǎoshī' sits after the verb 'shì'. 他是谁？ Tā shì shéi? Who is he? Specific-information question: 'shéi' (who) simply replaces 'Wáng lǎoshī' in the exact same position after 'shì'. Comparing the two examples above shows how the question works: because the name of the person is the object of the verb 是 (shì, to be), the question word 谁 (shéi, who) simply takes that object spot at the end of the sentence. ## Core Word Order and Sentence Positions Because the question word occupies the slot of the missing information, its position in the sentence depends entirely on its grammatical role. At HSK Level 1, you will most frequently place question words in three main positions. 1. Questioning the Object or Location: When you want to know what someone is acting upon, who someone is, or where someone or something is located, the question word follows the verb. Subject Verb Question word or phrase (with a classifier when needed) ？ 你买什么？ Nǐ mǎi shénme? What are you buying? Correct object question: 'shénme' (what) stays after the transitive verb 'mǎi' (to buy). 书店在哪儿？ Shūdiàn zài nǎr? Where is the bookstore? Location question: 'nǎr' (where) follows the verb 'zài' (to be located at), where the place name would go in a statement. When asking about the subject, replace that subject with 谁. In 谁去学校？ it comes first because this is a basic subject–verb sentence. Time or other framing material can come before it, as in 明天谁去学校？; 谁 was not moved to the front merely to mark a question. Question word or phrase (with a classifier when needed) Verb Object ？ 谁去学校？ Shéi qù xuéxiào? Who is going to school? Subject question: 'shéi' (who) appears at the start of the sentence because it is the subject performing 'qù' (to go). To question a noun modifier, place the interrogative modifier before the noun. 什么 can directly modify 茶 in 什么茶. 哪 and 几 commonly combine with a classifier before the noun, as in 哪本书 or 几本书; the whole interrogative phrase occupies the modifier position. Subject Verb Question word or phrase (with a classifier when needed) Noun ？ 你喝什么茶？ Nǐ hē shénme chá? What kind of tea do you drink? Modifier question: 'shénme' sits directly before the noun 'chá' (tea) to ask about the specific type. 你有几本书？ Nǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū? How many books do you have? Quantity question: 'jǐ' (how many) takes the number slot before the measure word 'běn' and the noun 'shū'. ## Common Question Words and the Optional Particle 呢 In a specific-information question, an interrogative expression requests the missing information. Seeing a word such as 谁 somewhere in a sentence is not sufficient by itself: its role may be embedded or non-interrogative. Here are common beginner question expressions. - 谁 (shéi): asks about people ("who" or "whom"). - 什么 (shénme): asks about things, actions, or categories ("what" or "what kind of"). - 哪 (nǎ) / 哪儿 (nǎr) / 哪里 (nǎlǐ): asks for selection ("which", used with a measure word or noun) or location ("where"). - 几 (jǐ) / 多少 (duōshao): asks about numbers and quantities ("how many" or "how much"). - 怎么 (zěnme) / 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng): asks about manner, method, or condition ("how" or "how is it"). Although a specific-information question is completely grammatical without any final modal particle, speakers often add 呢 (ne) at the very end of a 特指问句. Here, 呢 does not turn a statement into a question—the question word already does that job. Instead, 呢 softens the tone, signals curiosity, or links the question to an ongoing action or conversational context. Subject Verb Question word or phrase (with a classifier when needed) 呢 ？ 弟弟看什么呢？ Dìdi kàn shénme ne? What is little brother looking at? Specific-information question with 'ne': 'shénme' makes it a specific question, while 'ne' adds an ongoing, curious tone. ## Contrasts and Common Learner Errors Mastering 特指问句 requires avoiding two frequent habits carried over from English or from other Chinese question patterns. For the basic neutral object questions here, leave the question word where the answer belongs: 你买什么？. Do not copy English wh-fronting. This teaching rule does not rule out every topic or contrast construction in Chinese. × 什么你买？ Shénme nǐ mǎi? [Incorrect] What are you buying? Incorrect as an ordinary neutral question about what you are buying: keep the object question word in its basic postverbal position, 你买什么？. Other specially framed topic or contrast constructions are a separate matter. Corrected example: 你买什么？ Do not append 吗 to a direct specific-information question such as 他是谁？ to ask who he is. This is about the function of the whole question, not a ban on 谁 or 什么 anywhere in a 吗 sentence: 你知道他是谁吗？ is a valid yes-no question about whether you know his identity. × 他是谁吗？ Tā shì shéi ma? [Incorrect] Who is he? Incorrect: Do not add the yes-no particle 'ma' to a sentence that already asks a specific question with 'shéi'. Replace with 'Tā shì shéi?'. Corrected example: 他是谁？ Actionable Tip for Answering: Because a 特指问句 uses exact statement word order, the question itself gives you the template for your answer. Simply keep the sentence structure, swap the question word for the answer, and adjust pronouns (such as changing 你 "you" to 我 "I") as needed. ## Frequently asked questions **Why does 谁 (shéi) sometimes come at the start of a sentence and sometimes at the end?** Its position depends on whether the person is the subject or the object. In 谁去学校？ (Who is going to school?), 'who' is the subject doing the action, so it comes first. In 他是谁？ (Who is he?), 'who' is the object after the verb 是, so it comes at the end. **Can I use a modal particle at the end of a 特指问句?** You can optionally use 呢 (ne) at the end to make the tone softer or ask about an ongoing situation, as in 弟弟看什么呢？ However, you cannot use 吗 (ma) in a standard specific-information question because 吗 is reserved for yes-no questions. **Do I always have to answer a 特指问句 with a full sentence?** In grammar practice, answering with a full sentence by replacing the question word helps reinforce correct word order. In natural everyday conversation, however, native speakers frequently reply with just the missing piece of information (for example, answering 你买什么？ simply with 苹果, 'apples'). **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. 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