Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

aSkiNG qUeStioNS aNd rePlyiNG to qUeStioNS

28.6

Hasn’t he already graduated? (Isn’t it the case that he’s already graduated?)

你不是已经看过那部电影了吗？

你不是已經看過那部電影了嗎？

Nǐ bù shì yǐjing kànguo nà bù diànyǐng le ma?

Haven’t you already seen that movie?

28.5 Follow-up questions with 呢 ne

呢 ne is used to follow up a question with another question. It is used to ask the same question

as the first one, but about another subject or object. 呢 ne follows the new subject or object.

呢 ne questions to ask about a new subject

小白： 你(的)弟弟上大学了吗？

小白： 你(的)弟弟上大學了嗎？

Xiǎo Bái: Nǐ (de) dìdi shàng dàxué le ma?

Little Bai: Does your younger brother attend college?

小高： 上了。

Xiǎo Gāo: Shàng le.

Little Gao: Yes. [(He) attends.]

小白： 你(的)妹妹呢？

Xiǎo Bái: Nǐ (de) mèimei ne?

Little Bai: (What about) Your younger sister?

小高： 她也上了。

Xiǎo Gāo: Tā yě shàng le.

Little Gao: She also attends (college).

呢 ne questions to ask about a new object

小白： 你会说中文吗？

你會說中文嗎？

Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?

Little Bai: Can you speak Chinese?

小高： 会/會。

Huì.

Little Gao: Yes.

小白： 日文呢？

Rìwén ne?

Little Bai: Japanese?

小高： 不会/不會。

Bù huì.

Little Gao: No.

28.6 Content questions

Content questions are used to ask about the identity of a person, an object, a time, a location,

or a quantity, or to seek an explanation or process. Mandarin content question words include

the following: