This grammar section is divided into a few sub-sections, and will be described through a few week activities:
SP1. Basic Pattern
SP2. Direct and Indirect Objects
SP3. Prepositional Phrases
SP4. Location and Time Phrases
SP5. Adverbs
SP6. Negation
SP7. Duration
SP8. Noun
SP9. Question
SP10. Particle
SP9 : Question – Yes-No Questions
- In Chinese, the words order in questions is identical to the order of phrases in statements.
ExampleWhat are you doing? nǐ zài zuò shén me ? 你 在 做 什 么 ? Subject Verb Question Word you doing what The Anwser:
I am eating. wǒ zài chī fàn 。 我 在 吃 饭 。 Subject Verb Object I eating rice - Here are a few types Yes-No Questions that we have learnt so far:
- Today we will study in details the sentence structure for these Yes-No Questions.
- For Questions with 吗 and 呢:
– Statement (subject + verb ) + (particle : 吗 / 呢) ？
1. Are you Chinese? nǐ shì zhōng guó rén ma ？ 你 是 中 国 人 吗 ? Declarative Sentence 吗 you are Chinese Question
Word2. I am Chinese, what about you? wǒ shì zhōng guó rén ， nǐ ne ？ 我 是 中 国 人 ， 你 呢 ? Declarative Sentence Phrase 呢 I am Chinese you Question
Word - For Questions Verb-Not-Verb, 是否 and either-or (还是):
– subject + [是否] + predicate ?
– subject + [ verb + not (不/没） + verb ] + predicate / object ?
– subject + [ noun phrase/verb phrase/sentence + 还是 + noun phrase/verb phrase/sentence] ?1. Are you Chinese? nǐ shì fǒu shì zhōng guó rén ？ 你 是 否 是 中 国 人 ? Subject Question
WordPredicate you whether are Chinese 2. Are you Chinese? nǐ shì bú shì zhōng guó rén ？ 你 是 不 是 中 国 人 ? Subject Question
WordPredicate you yes or not Chinese 3. Are you Chinese or Japanese nǐ shì zhōng guó rén hái shì rì běn rén ？ 你 是 中 国 人 还 是 日 本 人 ? Subject Phrase Question
WordPhrase you are Chinese or Japanese - Here are just a few Yes-No questions. Try the above links to see more examples of questions.
- Have a nice weekend.
Why u said 什 as shi2, not as shen2?
Thanks ^^
Hi Henrique,
Yes. You are right. It should be shén.
I have made a typing mistake.
Thanks.
Hi Min Min
What is the difference between 做 and 作？
Under what circumstances are each used?
谢谢你
Hi Βωων Κυαν,
做 and 作 have the same pronunciation zuò. Many people make mistake while using these 2 words.
‘做’ means do and can be used as a standalone verb, example : 做工，做功课，做事。
‘作’ seldom used as a single word. Usually it will combine with other characters to produce a new meaningful word, example : 工作，作品，作者。
I hope this will help. Thanks.
你好敏敏，
你可以不可以说作是一句名字但是做是一个动词？
万事如意
陆蓝克
Hi 陆蓝克,
‘作’ 也可以是动词，但很多时候 ‘作’ 是名词。
What is meant by 动词 and 名词?
Can you say 做 such as 做工，做功课，做事 is a verb
and 作 is a noun such as 工作，作品，作者?
What is the difference between 候 and 后？
Thanks
动词 = verb
名词 = noun
后 means behind, while 候 is like used when expressing time.
Hi Βωων Κυαν,
Yes. Most the time, 做 is a verb and 作 is a noun. But in some occasions, 作 can be a verb too.
For 候 and 后, I think klw has given a good explanation.
你好敏敏
情问你可以不可以告诉我“中国通”时什么意思？
是否是“China Expert”?
谢谢你的帮助
万事如意
陆蓝克
Hi 陆蓝克,
根据百度，“中国通”是指熟悉中国情况的外国人。
Hi Min²
How many days old should posts be under the
“Recent Comments” before you delete them?
Are there any archives where one can look up
old posts?
Thanks
Hi Βωων Κυαν,
The Recent Comments is a WordPress plugin that I installed.
I think it will display the latest 6 comments.
I don’t know if you’re still here, but I want to say that this is the best Chinese-teaching website I have ever found.
Many thanks.
Hi Elena,
Yes, I am still here. 🙂
I am still posting Chinese character everyday.
excellent materials..
Thank you for sharing.
Is there anyway to print all of the material at one time ? If so how
Hi Davoud Derogar,
I do not have PDF version of the grammar notes.
I will try to create one if I have time.
Thanks.