Day 6: Asking Simple Questions in Chinese (Yes/No & Wh-Questions)

30-Day Spoken Chinese Beginner Plan)

🗓 This is Day 6 of the 30-Day Spoken Chinese Beginner Plan
🔙 Back to Full Course: Spoken Chinese for Beginners

Section 1: Today’s Goal

Today you will learn:

• How to ask Yes/No questions in Chinese

• How to ask basic Wh-questions (what, who, where, when)

• How to keep questions short, clear, and polite

• How to use these in class, office, and daily life

⏱ Study time: 15 minutes

Indian context:
Think of asking: “Is it okay?”, “What is your name?”, “Where is the class?”, “What time is it?”
By the end of today, you can ask simple questions confidently.

Section 2: Yes/No Questions (Very Simple Pattern)

In spoken Chinese, a very easy way to ask Yes/No is to use:

… ma? → turns a statement into a question

Examples:

• Nǐ hǎo ma? — Are you okay? / How are you?

• Kěyǐ ma? — Is it okay? / Can I?

• Xiànzài kěyǐ ma? — Is it okay now?

Simple tip:
Say the sentence, then add “ma?” at the end. Your voice goes up slightly, like in English.

Section 3: The 4 Most Useful Wh-Question Words

Learn just these four today:

• shénme — what

• shéi — who

• zài nǎr — where

• jǐ diǎn — what time

Now use them in simple questions:

1. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? — What is your name?

2. Shéi shì lǎoshī? — Who is the teacher?

3. Kè zài nǎr? — Where is the class?

4. Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? — What time is it now?

Don’t worry about perfect grammar.
Just remember the question word + simple sentence.

Section 4: Ready-to-Use Question Set (Pinyin + Meaning)

Practice these out loud:

• Nǐ hǎo ma? — How are you?

• Kěyǐ ma? — Is it okay? / Can I?

• Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? — What is your name?

• Shéi shì lǎoshī? — Who is the teacher?

• Kè zài nǎr? — Where is the class?

• Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? — What time is it now?

Indian context tip:
Use these like you use: “Sir, is it okay?”, “What is your name?”, “Where is the class?” in daily life.

Section 5: Mini Dialogues (Short and Practical)

Dialogue 1: In class

A: Nǐ hǎo ma?
(How are you?)
B: Wǒ hěn hǎo.
(I am fine.)

A: Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
(What time is it now?)
B: Wǎnshang qī diǎn.
(It’s 7 pm.)

Dialogue 2: Asking permission

A: Kěyǐ ma?
(Is it okay?)
B: Kěyǐ.
(Yes, it’s okay.)

Section 6: Common Beginner Tip

❌ Don’t make long English-style questions.
✅ Keep it short and simple:

• Statement + ma? for Yes/No

• Use shénme / shéi / zài nǎr / jǐ diǎn for Wh-questions

Indian learner tip:
Short questions sound more natural and confident in Chinese.

Section 7: Today’s Practice

✅ Your Day 6 Task:

1. Say these 3 times:

   • Nǐ hǎo ma?

   • Kěyǐ ma?

   • Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?

2. Ask and answer yourself:

   Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
   Wǒ jiào (your name).

3. Record your voice asking any 2 questions:

   • One Yes/No question

   • One Wh-question

4. Listen and check:

   • Are you clear?

   • Are you confident?

Section 8: Quick Self-Check

• Can you ask a Yes/No question using ma? ✅

• Can you ask what / who / where / what time? ✅

• Can you ask at least one question confidently? ✅

If yes → 🎉 Great! You can now ask basic questions in Chinese.

✅ You’ve completed Day 6
👉 Next Lesson: Day 7 – Talking About Yourself (Country, Job, Student, Family)
🔙 Back to Full Course: Spoken Chinese for Beginners