吗
Pattern
Statement + 吗？
Key words
Core idea
吗 turns a complete thought into a yes/no question. Mandarin does not need auxiliary verbs like “do” or “does,” and the subject and verb stay in their normal order.
This makes 吗 easy to recognize: listen for the question particle at the very end, then read the rest as the statement being checked.
When to use it
Use 吗 for neutral questions where either yes or no would answer naturally. The sentence before it can be affirmative or negative.
If the sentence already uses another question shape, such as A-not-A or 是不是, 吗 is usually left out.
For answers, Mandarin often repeats the main verb or gives a short negative form. You do not need to translate English “yes” and “no” mechanically.
Compare with other question shapes
Use 吗 when the whole sentence is simply being checked. Use A-not-A when the predicate itself presents the yes/no choice. Use 是不是 when the question has the flavor of confirming an assumption.
Examples
你是学生吗？
Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
Are you a student?
The word order stays like a statement. 吗 is added at the end.
你今天有空吗？
Nǐ jīntiān yǒu kòng ma?
Are you free today?
Time words can stay in their normal position before the verb phrase.
这杯茶热吗？
Zhè bēi chá rè ma?
Is this cup of tea hot?
Common mistakes
Avoid
你吗是学生？
Use
你是学生吗？
吗 goes at the end of the whole question, not after the subject.
Avoid
你是不是学生吗？
Use
你是学生吗？
Do not combine 吗 with 是不是 for the same yes/no question.
Seen in stories
The Menu With No Price
林奶奶来到，说：“我的茶也是三十元吗？”
Grandma Lin arrives and says, "Is my tea also thirty yuan?"
The Two Bowls of Noodles
小美看着小碗，说：“这是我的大碗吗？”
Xiaomei looks at the small bowl and says, "Is this my big bowl?"
The Morning Ferry
船长问：“你们要坐九点的船吗？”
The captain asks, “Are you taking the nine o’clock boat?”
The Bento With No Price
阿哲问：“筷子也要钱吗？”
Azhe asks, “Do chopsticks cost money too?”
The LINE Call at the Gate
小晴看看橘猫，问：“那它在听吗？”
Xiaoqing looks at the orange cat and asks, “Then is it listening?”
Show 12 more story examples
The Metro Exit
小安看着牌子说：“前面也会换名字吗？”
Xiao An looks at the sign and says, “Can ‘ahead’ also change names?”
The Name on the Cup
阿哲拿起杯子，问：“这是我的吗？”
Azhe picks up the cup and asks, “Is this mine?”
The New Classmate
阿哲问：“你喜欢学校吗？”
Azhe asks, “Do you like the school?”
The New Classmate
小语看橘猫，说：“喜欢，它也是同学吗？”
Xiaoyu looks at the orange cat and says, “I do. Is it a classmate too?”
The Taxi at Eight
小美问：“车到了吗？”
Xiaomei asks, “Has the car arrived?”
The Weather on the Phone
小美问：“真的是晴天吗？”
Xiaomei asks, “Is it really sunny?”
The Wrong Bus Stop
小美看牌子，问：“这辆车到学校吗？”
Xiaomei looks at the sign and asks, “Does this bus go to school?”
The Wrong Bus Stop
小安说：“学校也有动物吗？”
Xiao An says, “Does school also have animals?”
Two Cups of Soy Milk
阿哲问：“冰的是我的吗？”
Azhe asks, “Is the iced one mine?”
The Late Bus
他问旁边的人：“这辆车到台北车站吗？”
He asked the person next to him, “Does this bus go to Taipei Main Station?”
The New Neighbor
我问：“你喜欢茶吗？”
I asked, “Do you like tea?”
Typhoon Holiday
小明问妈妈：“明天不用上课吗？”
Xiao Ming asks his mom: "Do we not need to go to school tomorrow?"