Questions: Question Words in Mandarin Chinese
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The following question words (interrogative pronouns) are available in Chinese:
- 谁 (shéi/shuí) - who?
- 什么 (shénme) - what?
- 为什么 (wèi shénme) - why?
- 什么时候 (shénme) shíhou - when?
- 哪 (nǎ) - which? (singular)
- 哪些 (nǎxiē) - which? (plural)
- 哪儿/哪里 (nǎr/nǎli) - where?
- 干吗 (gànma) - why?
- 怎么/怎么样 (zěnme/zěnmeyang) - how?
- 多少 (duōshao) - how many?
- 几 (jī) - how many? (under ten, requires measure particle)
These interrogative pronouns are inserted at the place where normally the answer would appear, so Chinese does not put the interrogative pronouns at the start of the sentence as English does.
Also note that the presence of interrogative pronouns like these, makes the question particle not necessary anymore.
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Asking about persons
- 你的朋友是谁 (nǐ de péngyǒu shì shéi?) - Literal: you [DP] friend is who? - who is your friend?
Asking about objects
- 这是什么? (zhè shì shénme?) - Literal: this is what? - What is this?
- 你看见什么? (nǐ kànjiàn shénme?) - Literal: you see what? - What do you see?
- 你看见什么书? (nǐ kànjiàn shénme shū?) - Literal: you see what book? - What book do you see?
- 你看见哪书? (nǐ kànjiàn nǎ shū?) - Literal: you see which book? - Which book do you see?
- 你是哪国人? (nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) - Literal: you are which country person? - From what country are you?
Asking why
- 你为什么看我? (nǐ wèi shénme kàn wǒ?) - Literal: you why watch me? - Why do you look at me?
- 你干吗看我? (nǐ gànma kàn wǒ?) - Literal: you what-for watch me? - Why do you look at me?
The latter is more direct and more like "what for".
Asking whereabouts
- 你在哪里? (nǐ shì nǎli?) - Literal: you are where? - Where are you?
- 你在哪儿? (nǐ shì nǎr?) - Literal: you are where? - Where are you?
- 你去哪里? (nǐ qù nǎli?) - Literal: you go where? - Where do you go to?
- 你去哪儿? (nǐ qù nǎr?) - Literal: you go where? - Where do you go to?
Asking time
- 你什么时候去? (nǐ shénme shíhou qù?) - Literal: you what time go? - When do you go?
Asking quantity
Usually without Measure Word:
- 去多少人? (qù duōshao rén) - Literal: go how-many person - How many people go?
Always with Measure Word and only valid between a quantity of one and ten:
- 去几个人? (qù jī ge rén) - Literal: go howmany [MW] person - How many people go?
The above construction can be transformed to be valid within other ranges:
- 去几个人? (qù jī ge rén) - Literal: go howmany [MW] person - How many people go? (1-10)
- 去几十个人? (qù jī shí ge rén) - Literal: go howmany ten [MW] person - How many people go? (a factor 10 between 10 and 100)
- 去几百个人? (qù jī bǎi ge rén) - Literal: go howmany hundred [MW] person - How many people go? (a factor hundred between 100 and 1000)
Asking way/means
你怎么(样)去北京? (nǐ zěnme(yang) qù běijīng?) - Literal: you go Beijing how - How do you go to Beijing?
怎么 and 怎么样 mean the same in this context. It's also possible to use 怎么(样) as a predicate, in which case their meaning differs. But we will not get into that yet.
Returning questions & suggestive and doubtful questioning
There is another particle relevant to questions. This is the particle 呢 (ne). This particle is usually used in context to return a question.
- 我是中国人, 你呢? (wǒ shì zhōnggúo rén, nǐ ne?) - Literal: I am china person, you [QP]? - I am chinese, what about you?
呢 (ne) can be an interrogative particle that is not as direct as 吗 (ma), and it has a somewhat suggestive air to it, or a hint of doubt.
Choices in questions
We already saw constructs in the form 你是不是中国人?, here a choice is implied 是 versus 不是.
We can also introduce a more restrictive and explicit choice with 还是 (háishì), a chinese equivalent of the word "or".
- 你去中国还是去日本? (nǐ qù zhōnggúo háishì qù rìběn?) - Literal: you go China or go Japan? - Do you go to China or to Japan?
Note that 还是 binds verbs together, not nouns, so the verb 去 has to be repeated here. The only exception is the following:
你是中国人还是日本人? (nǐ shì zhōnggúorén háishì rìběnrén?) - Literal: you are chinese or japanese? - Are you Chinese or Japanese?
You see that you don't need to repeat the verb 是 because it's already part of 还是.
