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HSK 1 Affirmative-Negative Questions (正反问句): Formation and Usage
An affirmative-negative question (正反问句) asks a listener to choose between the positive and negative forms of a verb or adjective. In HSK 1, this provides a direct, neutral way to ask yes-no questions without using a sentence-final question particle.
你今天去不去学校？
Correct: The verb 去 (qù) is repeated around 不 (bu) before the object 学校 (xuéxiào).
× 你今天去不去学校吗？
Incorrect: Do not combine the A-not-A pattern 去不去 (qù bu qù) with the final particle 吗 (ma). See the correct form in “你今天去不去学校？”.
Corrected example: 你今天去不去学校？
Read the full explanation and examples
What Is an Affirmative-Negative Question?
In the HSK Level 1 grammar outline, affirmative-negative questions (正反问句, zhèngfǎnwènjù) are classified as one of the core interrogative sentence types.
Often called A-not-A questions in English teaching materials, these sentences work by placing the affirmative form and the negative form of the main predicate side by side. Instead of adding a question particle at the end of a statement, you present both possibilities directly to the listener, who answers by selecting the side that matches the truth.
An A-not-A question often presents both possibilities without a strong prior expectation. Its tone is not guaranteed to be neutral: 你到底去不去？ can express impatience. 是不是 is also common when checking a guess about an identity or a whole statement.
Forming Questions with Verbs and Adjectives
For most verbs and adjectives at the HSK 1 level, the negative word used in this pattern is 不 (bù). You take the main verb or adjective, follow it with 不, and immediately repeat the verb or adjective. In natural speech, the middle 不 is typically pronounced in a neutral tone.
When the verb takes an object, the A-not-A combination comes before the object in standard everyday Mandarin. Time words such as 今天 (jīntiān, today) stay in their normal position before the predicate.
你今天去不去学校？
Correct: The verb 去 (qù) is repeated around 不 (bu) before the object 学校 (xuéxiào).
她是不是你的中文老师？
Correct: 是不是 (shì bu shì) asks for confirmation or checks an assumption about identity.
Adjectives in Chinese can serve directly as predicates without needing the verb 是 (shì). When forming an affirmative-negative question with an adjective, simply repeat the adjective around 不.
你今天忙不忙？
Correct: The adjective 忙 (máng) forms the question directly as 忙不忙 (máng bu máng) without 很 (hěn).
The Special Pattern with 有 (yǒu)
Because the verb 有 (yǒu, to have / there is) is always negated with 没 (méi) rather than 不 (bù), its affirmative-negative form is 有没有 (yǒu méiyǒu). You never say 有不有 in standard Mandarin.
你下午有没有时间？
Correct: The verb 有 (yǒu) takes 没 (méi) for negation, forming 有没有 (yǒu méiyǒu) before the object.
- To answer any affirmative-negative question positively, repeat the verb or adjective alone (such as 去, 忙, or 有).
- To answer negatively, use the negative form (such as 不去, 不忙, or 没有).
- Avoid answering with 是 (shì) unless the question itself used 是不是 (shì bu shì).
Key Contrasts and Common Mistakes
For the ordinary direct question, use either 你去不去学校？ or 你去学校吗？ rather than combining them. This is not a rule based solely on seeing 去不去 somewhere in the sentence: 你知道他去不去吗？ is a valid yes-no question containing an embedded A-not-A question.
× 你今天去不去学校吗？
Incorrect: Do not combine the A-not-A pattern 去不去 (qù bu qù) with the final particle 吗 (ma). See the correct form in “你今天去不去学校？”.
Corrected example: 你今天去不去学校？
In the basic adjective question, use 忙不忙 rather than 很忙不忙. This does not ban degree adverbs or 也 anywhere in a sentence containing an A-not-A form: 你是不是很忙？ and 你是不是也去？ are natural confirmation questions with a different structure.
× 你今天很忙不忙？
Incorrect: Do not place the degree adverb 很 (hěn) before an A-not-A adjective predicate. See the correct form in “你今天忙不忙？”.
Corrected example: 你今天忙不忙？
Frequently asked questions
When should I use an affirmative-negative question instead of a 吗 (ma) question?
Both can ask a neutral yes-no question. For the basic adjective form, choose 忙不忙; for an explicit degree, 你很忙吗？ is useful. You can also ask 你是不是很忙？ or 你是不是也去？. Therefore the presence of 很 or 也 does not force a 吗 question; choose the complete structure that expresses your intended scope.
Can 是不是 (shì bu shì) appear in different places in a sentence?
At the HSK 1 level, you will primarily use 是不是 right after the subject as the main verb meaning 'to be'. In broader conversational Chinese, it can also appear before other verbs or at the start or end of a sentence to check whether an entire statement is true.
