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Lesson 51

Answering Yes/No and "What" Questions

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Hello! Welcome to our next lesson.

In the past few lessons, you've learned how to ask two fundamental types of questions in Mandarin: yes/no questions using the particle 吗 (ma), and 'what' questions using the pronoun 什么 (shénme). We also explored how to make 'what' questions more specific, like asking "what kind of book?" (什么书?).

Today, we will focus on the other side of the conversation: how to answer these questions. This is a critical skill, especially because Mandarin does not have single, universal words for "yes" and "no" like in English. Mastering this will make your first conversations much more natural. Our goal is to confidently answer simple yes/no and 'what' questions using the vocabulary you've accumulated.

1. Answering Yes/No Questions

The most common way to form a yes/no question is by adding 吗 (ma) to the end of a statement.

  • Statement: 你是中国人。 (Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén.) - You are Chinese.
  • Question: 你是中国人吗？ (Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?) - Are you Chinese?

In English, you'd answer "Yes" or "No." In Chinese, the logic is different. You affirm or negate the main verb (or adjective) of the question.

To answer "yes," you repeat the verb: 是 (shì).
To answer "no," you use the negated form of the verb: 不是 (bú shì).

This "quote the verb" method is the key to answering all yes/no questions.

Ask & Answer Yes/No Questions in Mandarin Chinese for beginners Chinese Sentence Structure

Let's watch a video from the 'Andy and Sarah Mandarin' channel. The speaker clearly explains this 'quote the verb' trick and provides several easy-to-follow examples.

Please watch from 13:08 to 24:18. The first part (until 21:00) introduces the core concept of answering by quoting the verb or adjective. The second part provides practice questions that will help solidify your understanding.

As you saw in the video, this pattern is very consistent. Let's practice with vocabulary you know:

Question 1:

你是中国人吗？ (Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?) - Are you Chinese?

  • Positive Answer ("Yes"): 是。 (Shì.)
  • Negative Answer ("No"): 不是。 (Bú shì.)

Question 2:

你喜欢书吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuān shū ma?) - Do you like books?

  • Positive Answer ("Yes"): 喜欢。 (Xǐhuān.)
  • Negative Answer ("No"): 不喜欢。 (Bù xǐhuān.)

Question 3:

你有书吗？ (Nǐ yǒu shū ma?) - Do you have a book?

  • Positive Answer ("Yes"): 有。 (Yǒu.)
  • Negative Answer ("No"): 没有。 (Méiyǒu.)
    • Remember from a previous lesson, the verb 有 (yǒu, to have) is negated with 没 (méi), not 不 (bù).

For a more detailed written explanation, the following resource is very helpful.

Lesson 2 Grammar - Yes-no questions with 吗 (ma)

This article from LibreTexts provides a clear, structured explanation of how to answer questions formed with 吗 (ma).

Please read the section titled 'How to Answer Questions with 吗 (ma)'. It reinforces the verb-repetition method we just discussed and provides further examples. You can skim the part about 对 (duì) for now and focus on the verb reuse examples, which is the most fundamental method.

The key insight, as the text mentions, is that in Chinese, every verb can effectively function as a "yes" when used in response to a question.

2. Answering 'What' (什么) Questions

Answering 'what' questions is more straightforward and should feel like a review from our last lesson. You simply use the "quote and replace" method. The answer will have the exact same sentence structure as the question, but you replace 什么 (shénme) with the information—the answer.

Learn Chinese:What, Who, Where,Which, When, Why, Whose, What time in Mandarin WH Questions

Let's watch another segment from 'Andy and Sarah Mandarin' that explains this 'quote and replace' trick for answering WH-questions, including those with 什么 (shénme).

Please watch from 11:23 to 17:12. Pay close attention to how the answer's word order mirrors the question's word order, with the question word simply being replaced by the new information.

Let's apply this method with our vocabulary.

Question 1:

这是什么？ (Zhè shì shénme?) - What is this?

  • Imagine you are pointing to a book.
  • Answer: 这是书。 (Zhè shì shū.) - This is a book.
    • You simply replaced 什么 with 书.

Question 2: From our previous lesson, you learned to ask about categories.

他是什么人？ (Tā shì shénme rén?) - What kind of person is he?

  • Answer: 他是中国人。 (Tā shì Zhōngguó rén.) - He is a Chinese person.
    • Here, 什么 is replaced by 中国.

This structure is beautifully logical and consistent.

3. Practice Dialogue

Let's bring these two skills together in a short, practical conversation. Read through the following dialogue.

Person A: 你好！
(Nǐ hǎo!)
Hello!

Person B: 你好！
(Nǐ hǎo!)
Hello!

Person A: 你是学生吗？
(Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?)
Are you a student?

Person B: 是。我是一个学生。你呢？
(Shì. Wǒ shì yí ge xuéshēng. Nǐ ne?)
Yes. I am a student. And you?
(Note: 呢 (ne) is a particle used to return a question. It's very efficient!)

Person A: 我不是学生。
(Wǒ bú shì xuéshēng.)
I am not a student.

Person B: 这是什么？
(Zhè shì shénme?)
What is this?

Person A: 这是我的书。
(Zhè shì wǒ de shū.)
This is my book.

Person B: 你喜欢看书吗？
(Nǐ xǐhuān kàn shū ma?)
Do you like to read books?
(Note: 看 (kàn) means 'to look' or 'to read'.)

Person A: 喜欢。
(Xǐhuān.)
Yes (I like to).

This dialogue demonstrates how answering yes/no questions with the verb (是, 喜欢) and answering 'what' questions by replacing 什么 works in a natural flow.

Conclusion

You have now learned the essential mechanics of a basic Chinese conversation: asking and answering both yes/no and 'what' questions. This is a significant milestone.

Key Takeaways:

  • Answering Yes/No Questions: There is no single word for "yes" or "no." You answer by repeating the main verb or adjective from the question. Use the affirmative form for "yes" (e.g., 是, 喜欢) and the negative form for "no" (e.g., 不是, 不喜欢).
  • Answering 'What' Questions: The sentence structure of the answer mirrors the question. Simply replace 什么 with the specific information (the "answer").

Preview of the Next Lesson:

In the next lesson, we will pivot back to expanding your character knowledge, which is the foundation of your learning goals. We will start Module 9 by learning the character for "to eat," 吃 (chī). In line with your analytical preference, we will break it down by analyzing its radical, 口 (kǒu, mouth), a character you already know. This will start our journey into learning common action verbs.