Yes and No Questions: The Particle 吗 and the A-not-A Pattern

Asking a yes/no question in Chinese is refreshingly easy. You don't flip the word order the way English does ("You are" becomes "Are you?"). You keep the sentence exactly as it is and just signal that it's a question. There are two main ways to do it: add 吗 at the end, or use the A-not-A pattern. Both are everywhere, so you'll want both.

Method 1: add 吗 at the end

Take any statement and stick 吗 (ma) on the end. That's it. The word order doesn't change at all.

• 你是学生。 (You're a student.) → 你是学生吗? (Are you a student?)
• 他喜欢咖啡。 (He likes coffee.) → 他喜欢咖啡吗? (Does he like coffee?)
• 今天很冷。 (It's cold today.) → 今天很冷吗? (Is it cold today?)
• 你有时间。 (You have time.) → 你有时间吗? (Do you have time?)

Statement plus 吗 equals question. This is the most common, most flexible way to ask, and it works with any statement.

吗 is a neutral-tone particle, so say it light and quick. It carries no meaning of its own beyond "this is a yes/no question."

Method 2: the A-not-A pattern

The other way is to say the verb (or adjective) in both its positive and negative form, back to back: A 不 A. It's like asking "is it, or isn't it?" all in one go.

• 你是不是学生? (Are you a student or not?)
• 他喜不喜欢咖啡? (Does he like coffee or not?)
• 今天冷不冷? (Is it cold today or not?)
• 你忙不忙? (Are you busy?)

The structure is the positive verb, then 不, then the verb again. With two-character verbs you can shorten the first part: 喜欢 becomes 喜不喜欢, just splitting the word around 不.

A-not-A with 有

Remember that 有 negates with 没, not 不. So its A-not-A form is 有没有:

• 你有没有时间? (Do you have time?)
• 附近有没有超市? (Is there a supermarket nearby?)

Same idea, just with 没 instead of 不 because that's how 有 works.

Are the two methods the same?

Mostly, yes, they ask the same thing. But there's a subtle flavor difference:

• 吗 questions can carry an assumption or expectation. 你是学生吗? might be checking something you half-expect to be true.
• A-not-A questions feel a bit more neutral and open, genuinely laying out both options without leaning either way.

It's a soft difference, and you don't need to agonize over it. Both are correct and common. Early on, just use whichever comes to mind.

One rule: don't combine them

You can use 吗 or A-not-A, but not both at once. Since A-not-A already makes it a question, adding 吗 is redundant and wrong.

• 你是不是学生吗? ✗ (Don't do this.)
• 你是不是学生? ✓
• 你是学生吗? ✓

Pick one method per question.

How to answer

To answer a yes/no question, you usually echo the verb rather than saying a word for "yes" or "no" (Chinese doesn't really have a plain all-purpose "yes").

• 你是学生吗? → 是。 (Yes.) or 不是。 (No.)
• 你有时间吗? → 有。 (Yes.) or 没有。 (No.)
• 今天冷吗? → 冷。 (Yes, it's cold.) or 不冷。 (No.)

So you answer with the verb itself, positive or negative. Echoing the verb is the natural, native way to say yes or no.

Quick recap

• Add 吗 to the end of any statement to make a yes/no question. Word order doesn't change.
• Or use A 不 A (是不是, 冷不冷, 喜不喜欢), which means "is it or isn't it?"
• 有 uses 有没有 because it negates with 没.
• Don't combine 吗 and A-not-A in one question.
• Answer by echoing the verb: 是/不是, 有/没有, 冷/不冷.

Two simple tools, both extremely common. Get comfortable with each and you can ask about anything.