LEARN + CHINESE / 116 of 300 HSK 3
A Question You Can Hear例 · 你也去看演唱会
Your friend says they’re heading to the concert, and you check, “You’re going too?” In conversation, Chinese can turn an ordinary statement into a yes-or-no question with a rising, questioning voice. The words stay in statement order; the situation and intonation tell your listener you’re asking.
你也去看演唱会？
nǐ yě qù kàn yǎnchànghuì?
You’re going to the concert too?
他已经到了？
tā yǐjīng dào le?
He’s already arrived?
这么便宜？
zhème piányi?
It’s that cheap?
你没告诉她？
nǐ méi gàosu tā?
You didn’t tell her?
Hint · 힌트
Use this in a conversation when you’re surprised or checking what you just heard. For a neutral, carefully formed question, use 吗 or a question word. The same statement with a different voice can sound like a real question or an echo of surprise.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
yě | also; too |
qù | to go |
kàn | to watch; see |
yǎnchànghuì | concert |
yǐjīng | already |
dào | to arrive |
zhème | this; so (degree) |
piányi | cheap |
méi | not; didn’t |
gàosu | to tell |
tā | she; her |
zhēn de ma | really? |
shì ma | is that so? |
zěnme le | what happened? |
bú huì ba | no way; surely not |
shì bu shì | is it or not? |
ma | yes-or-no question particle |
wèn | to ask |
shēngyīn | sound; voice |
yǔqì | tone; manner of speaking |
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