3.4.1: Affirmative-negative question

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 44168

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

Also known as: 正反问句 (zhèng-fǎn wènjù) and alternative questions.

A common way to form questions in Chinese is to first use a verb in the positive, then repeat the same verb in its negative form, similar to how in English we can say, "Do you have money or not?" or "Have you or have you not been to the park?" This sentence pattern feels a lot more natural in Chinese than those admittedly awkward English equivalents, however.

Verb-Not-Verb

Structure

Verb + 不 + Verb

Examples

是不是 ？Shì bu shì?Is it (or not)?
他们 来不来 ？Tāmen lái bu lái?Are they going to come or not?
你 想不想 我？Nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng wǒ?Do you or do you not miss me?
我们要去酒吧，你 去不 去？Wǒmen yào qù jiǔbā, nǐ qù bu qù?We are going to the bar. Do you want to go?
我去买咖啡，你 要不要 ？Wǒ qù mǎi kāfēi, nǐ yào bu yào?I'm going to buy coffee. Do you want some?

Note that the question provides the listener with both possible answers: it's either "Verb" or "不 (bù) Verb."

Verb-Not-Verb with an Object

Structure

If you want to add an object after the verb, the general sentence structure is:

Subj. + Verb + 不 + Verb + Obj.

Examples

你 回不回 家？Nǐ huí bu huíjiā?Are you coming back home or not?
她 吃不吃 鱼？Tā chī bu chī yú?Does she eat fish?
你们 要不要 米饭？Nǐmen yào bu yào mǐfàn?Do you want rice?
你爸爸 喝不喝 酒？Nǐ bàba hē bu hējiǔ?Does your dad drink alcohol or not?
今天老板 来不来 办公室？Jīntiān lǎobǎn lái bu lái bàngōngshì?Is the boss coming to the office today?

Adjective-Not-Adjective

Structure

It can also be done with adjectives (adjectives often behave like verbs in Chinese):

Adj. + 不 + Adj.

Examples

好不好 ？Literally, "good or not good?"Hǎo bu hǎo?Is it good?
热不热 ？Rè bu rè?Is it hot?
他 帅不帅 ？Tā shuài bu shuài?Is he handsome?
这里的咖啡 贵不贵 ？Zhèlǐ de kāfēi gùi bu gùi?Is the coffee expensive here?
中国菜 辣不辣 ？Zhōngguó cài là bu là?Is Chinese food spicy?

Again, the question provides the listener with both possible answers: it's either "Adjective" or "不 (bù) Adjective."

These are something like adding tag questions in English, in this case "Are you an adult or not?" If you wanted to translate it very literally, it would be, "Are you or are you not an adult?" In any case, the structure is a very common way to ask questions in Chinese.

Two-Character Verbs and Adjectives

All of the verbs used so far have been single-character verbs. Using two-characters verbs in affirmative-negative questions is slightly trickier. You usually put 不 (bù) after just the first character, then put the entire verb. For example 喜不喜欢 (xǐ bu xǐhuan) is the usual question form of 喜欢 (xǐhuan). You can repeat the whole two-character verb twice, but it's more common (and more elegant) to insert 不 (bù) after the first character (and the same is generally true of two-character adjectives).

Structure

It can be done with verbs:

[First Character of Verb] + 不 + Verb

It can also be done with adjectives:

[First Character of Adj.] + 不 + Adj.

Examples

喜欢不喜欢？whole word repeatedXǐhuan bu xǐhuan?Do you like it?
喜不喜欢？only the first character repeatedXǐ bu xǐhuan?Do you like it?

高兴不高兴？whole word repeatedGāoxìng bu gāoxìng?Are you happy?
高不高兴？only the first character repeatedGāo bu gāoxìng?Are you happy?

他女朋友 漂亮不漂亮？whole word repeatedTā nǚpéngyou piàoliang bu piàoliang?Is his girlfriend pretty?
他女朋友 漂不漂亮？only the first character repeatedTā nǚpéngyou piào bu piàoliang?Is his girlfriend pretty?

中国菜 好吃不好吃？whole word repeatedZhōngguó cài hǎochī bu hǎochī?Is Chinese food good?
中国菜 好不好吃？only the first character repeatedZhōngguó cài hǎo bu hǎochī?Is Chinese food good?

那个地方 好玩不好玩？whole word repeatedNàge dìfang hǎowán bu hǎowán?Is that place fun?
那个地方 好不好玩？only the first character repeatedNàge dìfang hǎo bu hǎowán?Is that place fun?

有 (yǒu) Is a Special Case

Structure

Because the verb 有 (yǒu) is negated with 没 (méi) and not 不 (bù), the structure for affirmative-negative questions with 有 (yǒu) is:

Subj. + 有没有 + Obj.

The possible answers are: "有 (yǒu)" or "没有 (méiyǒu)."

The questions could be be asking about current possession ("Do you have it or not?"), or to ask about verbs in the past ("Did you do it or not?").

Examples

你哥哥 有没有 女朋友？Nǐ gēge yǒu méiyǒu nǚpéngyou?Does your older brother have a girlfriend?
你们 有没有 孩子？Nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu háizi?Do you have children?
奶奶 有没有 坐过飞机？Nǎinai yǒu méiyǒu zuò guo fēijī?Has grandma been on a plane?
他 有没有 上过大学？Tā yǒu méiyǒu shàng guo dàxué?Has he been to college?

Search

Verb-Not-Verb

Structure

Examples

Verb-Not-Verb with an Object

Structure

Examples

Adjective-Not-Adjective

Structure

Examples

Two-Character Verbs and Adjectives

Structure

Examples

有 (yǒu) Is a Special Case

Structure

Examples

See also