beginner

Questions

Learn how to ask 'What is this/that?' and simple yes/no questions using 嗎 (ma) with positive answers.

To ask "What is this?" or "What is that?" in Chinese, we use the question word 什麼 (shénme - what) in place of the object in our basic SVO structure:

這是什麼？

What is this?

Similarly, to ask "What is that?", replace "this" (這) with "that" (那):

那是什麼？

What is that?

Another way to ask a question is by adding the question particle 嗎 (ma) directly to the end of a statement:

這是書嗎？

Is this a book?

This same pattern applies to questions about people and identity. Add 嗎 at the end of the identity statement:

你是學生嗎？

Are you a student?

Practice

Follow along with these examples to strengthen your understanding.

這是什麼？

What is this?

這是書。

This is a book.

那是什麼？

What is that?

那是筆。

That is a pen.

這是書嗎？

Is this a book?

是的，這是書。

Yes, this is a book.

你是學生嗎？

Are you a student?

是的，我是學生。

Yes, I am a student.

Trace your learning progress and get real-time feedback with interactive exercises.