吗 and A-not-A Questions in Chinese
吗
Chinese has two everyday yes/no questions. Add 吗 to the end of a statement (你是学生吗?), or use the A-not-A form, repeating the verb around 不 (你是不是学生?). Both ask the same thing — the mistake is combining them: A-not-A already asks, so it never takes 吗.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed August 15, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Statement + 吗? or Verb + 不 + Verb?
Read the structure
Chinese has two everyday yes/no questions. Add 吗 to the end of a statement (你是学生吗?), or use the A-not-A form, repeating the verb around 不 (你是不是学生?). Both ask the same thing — the mistake is combining them: A-not-A already asks, so it never takes 吗. Keep the model Statement + 吗? or Verb + 不 + Verb? visible while you compare each sentence.
你是学生吗?
Are you a student?
Choose the right context
吗 on a plain statement: 你喜欢中国菜吗? A-not-A by repeating the verb around 不: 你去不去? / 这个贵不贵? 有没有 for the verb 有: 你有没有时间?
你喜欢中国菜吗?
Do you like Chinese food?
Respect the boundary
Combining A-not-A with 吗 — pick one: 你是不是学生?, not 你是不是学生吗? 吗 on a question that already has a question word (谁/什么/哪儿): 你去哪儿?, not 你去哪儿吗? 吗 after a suggestion with 吧 — 吧 already softens it: 我们走吧, not 我们走吧吗?
你是不是学生吗?
(Are you a student?)
Repair the pattern
A-not-A combined with 吗: The A-not-A form (是不是) already asks a yes/no question, so 吗 is redundant. Use one form or the other, never both. 吗 added to a question-word question: 哪儿 already makes this an open question (where), not yes/no. 吗 only closes a yes/no question, so it clashes with question words like 谁, 什么, 哪儿.
你是不是学生?
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
你是学生吗?
Are you a student?
你是
Statement
This part occupies the Statement position in the model pattern.
学生
吗? or Verb
This part occupies the 吗? or Verb position in the model pattern.
吗
不
This part occupies the 不 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
你是学生吗?
Are you a student?
你喜欢中国菜吗?
Do you like Chinese food?
你去不去?
Are you going or not?
这个贵不贵?
Is this expensive?
你有没有时间?
Do you have time?
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- 吗 on a plain statement: 你喜欢中国菜吗?
- A-not-A by repeating the verb around 不: 你去不去? / 这个贵不贵?
- 有没有 for the verb 有: 你有没有时间?
Do not use it when
- Combining A-not-A with 吗 — pick one: 你是不是学生?, not 你是不是学生吗?
- 吗 on a question that already has a question word (谁/什么/哪儿): 你去哪儿?, not 你去哪儿吗?
- 吗 after a suggestion with 吧 — 吧 already softens it: 我们走吧, not 我们走吧吗?
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
你是不是学生吗?
你是不是学生?
A-not-A combined with 吗
The A-not-A form (是不是) already asks a yes/no question, so 吗 is redundant. Use one form or the other, never both.
你去哪儿吗?
你去哪儿?
吗 added to a question-word question
哪儿 already makes this an open question (where), not yes/no. 吗 only closes a yes/no question, so it clashes with question words like 谁, 什么, 哪儿.
你是不是学生吗?
A-not-A already asks; drop 吗: 你是不是学生?
你去哪儿吗?
哪儿 already makes it a question; drop 吗: 你去哪儿?
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 吗.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 吗. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
吗 and A-not-A Questions Questions
What is the difference between 吗 and A-not-A questions?
吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question (你来吗?). A-not-A repeats the verb around 不 (你来不来?). They mean the same; A-not-A can sound a touch more direct.
Can I use 吗 with 是不是?
No. 是不是 is already a question, so adding 吗 is redundant: 你是不是学生? Pick one form.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 2 item 【二78】, PDF p. 197 (printed p. 191)
Places 是不是 as a Level 2 affirmative-negative method for asking a yes-no question.
Official source现代汉语语法课程讲义
包头师范学院 · 包头师范学院 · 2024
Locator: Question sentence types, course slides pp. 65-68
Classifies 吗 and affirmative-negative questions as alternative yes-no question strategies and warns against combining both markers.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Easy to confuse
不是……吗？/难道……吗？不是……吗／难道……吗 Rhetorical Emphasis
Compare information-seeking forms with rhetorical 不是难道吗 questions that prompt agreement.
Easy to confuse
X（也）不是，不X也不是X也不是，不X也不是 for a Dilemma
Distinguish an affirmative-negative question from a repeated formula rejecting both classifications.
Continue learning
疑问句四类Four Basic Chinese Question Types
Place 吗 and affirmative-negative questions inside the broader sentence-type inventory.
Compare
用好吗、可以吗、行吗、怎么样提问Confirmation Questions with 好吗、可以吗、行吗、怎么样
Compare truth-value questions with appended forms asking whether a proposal is acceptable.
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Place 吗 and affirmative-negative questions inside the broader sentence-type inventory.