Here are some examples of how a student asking a simple question in Chinese:-
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Student: 老师,你[S, (n.)]看不看 [V, (v.)]电影[O, (n.)]吗?{“Teacher, do you watch movies?”:}
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Student: 老师,今天[S, (n.)]有没有 [V, (v.)]口试[O, (n.)]吗?{“Teacher, is there oral exam today?”}
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Student: 老师,今天[S, (n.)]吃不吃[V, (v.)]榴梿[O, (n.)]吗?{“Teacher, do you eat Durian?”}
If I were to say that the simplest form of a question for all languages is a “Yes-No” question, no one will disagree.
In Chinese, there are 2 ways of asking this type of question, either (a) ending with 吗 (må / ma) [a particle used at the end of questions], or (b) putting the positive and negative form of a verb/adjective together to form a question.
Before we go further, let’s learn about the basic form of sentence structure in Chinese.
The basic Chinese sentence structure is formed by 3 elements, S (Subject element), V (Verb element) and O (Object element). Each element does not only contain 1 term, but it can also include a modifier of the element, e.g. an adjective or an adverb, or even a clause.
However, the order of these 3 elements will always be S -> V -> O. There might be other secondary terms or elements that come in between, before or after the 3 of them, but their order should always be S -> V -> O.
So, let’s have a better look at the basic questioning form of the Chinese language.
(a) Type 1: [V(v.)] + 吗?{ending with a 吗 and a question mark}
For this basic question form, we add a “吗?” at the end of a sentence:
Examples
Type 1: verbs
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“Do you watch movies?”:你[S, (n.)]看 [V, (v.)]电影[O, (n.)]吗?where “看” is a verb
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“Is there a Chinese test today?”:今天[S, (n.)]有 [V, (v.)]华文测验[O, (n.)]吗?where “有” is a verb. (note: “Is” is verb-to-be).
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“Can I drink Coke?”:我[S, (n.)]可以 喝 [V, (v.)]可乐吗?where “可以” is a verb,
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“Do you want to eat breakfast?”:
- 你[S, (n.)]吃 [V, (v.)]榴梿[O, (n.)]吗?(literally, it means “Do you eat durian?”)
- 你[S, (n.)]要 吃 [V, (v.)]榴梿吗?(literally, it means “Do you want to eat durian?”)
where “要” & “吃” are verbs.
Type 2: adjectives
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Are you happy today?:你[S, (n.)]今天开心 [adj.]吗?
- Is this dress pretty? 这件裙子[S, (n.)]漂亮[adj.]吗?I
(b) putting the positive and negative form of a verb/adjective together to form a question. (and remember to remove “吗”)
e.g. 有没有 (have or not), 来不来 (come or not), 可不可以/可以不可以 (can or not)
Hence, examples in (a) become
Type 1: verbs
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“Do you watch movies?”:你[S, (n.)]看不看 [V, (v.)]电影[O, (n.)]?
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“Is there an oral exam today?”:今天[S, (n.)]考不考 [V, (v.)]口试[O, (n.)]?,
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“Is there a Chinese test today?”:今天[S, (n.)]有没有 [V, (v.)]华文测验[O, (n.)]?,
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“Can you drink coffee?”:你[S, (n.)]可(以)不可以 [V, (v.)] 喝 [V, (v.)]咖啡?
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“Do you want to eat breakfast?”:
- 你[S, (n.)]吃不吃 [V, (v.)]早餐[O, (n.)]?(literally, it means “Do you eat breakfast?”)
- 你[S, (n.)]要不要[V, (v.)] 吃 [V, (v.)]早餐?(literally, it means “Do you want to eat breakfast?”)
where “要” & “吃” are verbs.
In Singapore, we normally don’t ask 你吃早餐吗?as it seems to ask “Do you eat breakfast (at all)?”
Type 2: adjectives
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Are you happy today?:你[S, (n.)]今天开(心)不开心 [adj.]?
- Is this dress pretty? 这件裙子[S, (n.)]漂(亮)不漂亮[adj.]?
So, the correct way to ask a (simple) question should be either one type of the followings:
OR