Chinese Grammar Core Course — Unit 05
Unit 05
Questions without inversion
Question words stay in the slot where the answer would go. Yes–no questions use 吗, an A-not-A pattern, or an interrogative word; the word order does not flip.
Ask what is being described before choosing 的, 地, or 得. A question is built by leaving the answer slot open, not by turning the sentence around.
Do not translate word by word. First identify the main verb, then attach time, place, negation, or aspect in the order shown by the pattern.
Pattern to hear
你想吃什么？
Meaning in context: What do you want to eat?
How to use it
Question words stay in the slot where the answer would go. Yes–no questions use 吗, an A-not-A pattern, or an interrogative word; the word order does not flip.
你住在哪儿？你去不去？
Ask what is being described before choosing 的, 地, or 得. A question is built by leaving the answer slot open, not by turning the sentence around.
Do not translate word by word. First identify the main verb, then attach time, place, negation, or aspect in the order shown by the pattern.
Self-check
- How to use it
- Name the target of every modifier: a noun, an action, or the result after an action. Leave the question word in the answer slot.
- Build it yourself
- Make a mini catalog of four objects with number–measure-word chunks and ask a real question about each.
- Self-check
- Can you explain why 的, 地, or 得 appears where it does?
Contrast and decision
For English speakers, the main adjustment is not basic SVO order but keeping time, place, aspect markers, and complements in their Chinese positions.
What to notice: Questions without inversion
More examples to read aloud
- 你住在哪儿？
- 谁来了？
- 你为什么迟到？
Read the pattern, cover the translation, and rebuild the sentence from its meaning. Return to the detailed articles for exceptions and nuance.
Build it yourself
Ask for a person, place, reason, and choice.
用一个疑问词和一个 A 不 A 问题提问。
Check the answer only after you have said or written your version.
Self-check
Model and reason
Question words stay in the slot where the answer would go. Yes–no questions use 吗, an A-not-A pattern, or an interrogative word; the word order does not flip.
你为什么学习中文？你想不想去？
Read the pattern, cover the translation, and rebuild the sentence from its meaning. Return to the detailed articles for exceptions and nuance.