In the tenth lesson we will learn a new interrogative form, called the
affirmative-negative form. This form has the following pattern:
verb not
verb - 是不是
attributive not attributive -
累不累，忙不忙
If this sounds complex, it isn't, we swear. We'll take a
look at some concrete examples here in a second.
First, we want to
explain both the nuances and use of this form. For starters, it is a bit more
conversational than the ...吗？form; secondly, it is a
bit more rhetorical, meaning that the person giving the question in the
affirmative-negative form usually expects one answer or the other (or is even
upset, see below).
10.01 Question forms with complement
你是老师吗？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma? Are you a teacher?
你是不是老师？
Nǐ shì bú shì lǎoshī? Are you a teacher?
她是日本人吗
Tā shì Rìběnrén ma? Is she Japanese?
她是不是日本人？ Tā shì bú shì Rìběnrén?
Is she Japanese?
张老师是青岛人吗？
Zhāng lǎoshī shì Qīngdǎorén ma? Is Teacher Zhang from Qingdao?
张老师是不是青岛人？ Zhāng lǎoshī shì bú shì Qīngdǎorén?
Is Teacher Zhang from Qingdao?
The form for this question is verb (不) verb, or to put it another way, the verb followed by the negation of the verb.
It is important to remember that some verbs use 没 méi and not 不bù in the negative form, in which case the pattern should be verb (没)
verb.
This question is a yes-no
question, meaning that the answer to the question should typically be either an
affirmative or negative, as opposed to open-ended questions which use specific
question words.
了le is a past particle that serves a purely grammatical function.
It implies a state that someone is already hungry or thirsty. In this particular situation the 了le
is optional, although the 了le form question is more
popular.
10.04 Is China good or not good?
A:
你是哪国人？
Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?
李智慧:
我是韩国人。
Wǒ shì Hánguórén.
A:
你是留学生吗？
Nǐ shì liúxuéshēng ma?
李智慧:
是，我是留学生。
Shì, wǒ shì liúxuéshēng.
A:
中国好不好？
Zhōngguó hǎo bù hǎo?
李智慧:
很好！
Hěn hǎo!
10.05 Are you or aren't you a man?
你是不是男人？ Nǐ shì bú shì nánrén？
Are you or aren't you a man?
你是不是女人？ Nǐ shì bú shì nǚrén？
Are you or aren't you a woman?
你是不是老师？ Nǐ shì bú shì lǎoshī？
Are you or aren't you a teacher?
你是不是大人？ Nǐ shì bú shì dàrén？
Are you or aren't you an adult?
Notes:
In certain situations the affirmative / negative form of the question in Chinese takes on the sardonic note found in similar constructions in English - "Are you or aren't you man?!?"
etc. etc. However, English speakers should note that in most situations the
affirmative-negative form does not have the same sarcastic and / or
confrontational feel that it has in English.
10.06 Are you hungry? - Concept review dialogue
王军:
你渴不渴？
Nǐ kě bù kě ?
李雪:
我不渴。我饿死了。
Wǒ bù kě. Wǒ è sǐ le.
王军:
我也很饿。
Wǒ yě hěn è.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.)
渴
___________________
2.)
日本人
__________________
3.)
韩国人
_________________
4.)
饿
____________________
5.)
男人 ___________________
6.)
死
____________________
B Convert these questions into the
affirmative-negative form
