The question particle
Say 'you are a student' in Mandarin, tack 吗 (ma) on the end, and it becomes 'are you a student?' — no reordering needed. That one little particle is a switch that flips a statement into a yes/no question.
Add 吗 (ma) to ask
One of the easiest ways to ask a yes/no question in Mandarin is to take a statement and add 吗 (ma) at the end. The word order doesn't change. 你好 (nǐ hǎo, you are well) → 你好吗？(nǐ hǎo ma?, are you well?).
Answer by repeating the verb
Mandarin often answers yes/no questions with the verb: 你是学生吗？(Are you a student?) → 是 (shì, yes/am) or 不是 (bù shì, no/am not).
Simulation · Vocabulary flashcards
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Practice turning statements into 吗 questions.