How to Ask Yes/No & Tag Questions with 吗 (ma)
Add 吗 (ma) to the end of any statement to make a yes/no question — no word-order change. A confirmation word + 吗 (对吗？好吗？) turns it into a tag question: “…, right? / OK?”.
Why this trips learners up
This is one of the easiest things in Chinese. Add the particle 吗 (ma) to the end of any statement and it becomes a yes/no question — no inversion, no word-order change. 你喜欢咖啡 (“You like coffee”) → 你喜欢咖啡吗？(“Do you like coffee?”). Think of 吗 as a spoken question mark. (To answer, by the way, Chinese has no all-purpose “yes”: you repeat the verb — 你饿吗？→ 饿。)
吗 has a second job: tag questions. Tack a little confirmation word — 对 (right), 好 (OK), 是 (so), or 可以 (allowed) — plus 吗 onto the end, and a statement becomes a gentle check or a soft request, exactly like English “…, right?” or “…, OK?”: 这样对吗？(“Like this, right?”), 早点睡好吗？(“Get to bed early, OK?”). One rule covers both uses: never add 吗 to a sentence that's already a question (one with 谁 / 什么, or a 还是 choice).
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
nǐ 你 Subject è 饿 Adjective ma 吗 Pattern
Are you hungry?
nǐ 你 Subject hē 喝 Verb chá 茶 Object ma 吗 Pattern
Would you like some tea?
nǐ 你 Subject huì 会 Function word yóuyǒng 游泳 Verb ma 吗 Pattern
Can you swim?
nǐ 你 Subject bù 不 Negation xǐhuan 喜欢 Verb tā 他 Object ma 吗 Pattern
Don't you like him?
zhèyàng 这样 Adverb duì 对 Pattern ma 吗 Pattern
Like this, right?
zǎo diǎn 早点 Adverb shuì 睡 Verb hǎo 好 Pattern ma 吗 Pattern
Get to bed early, OK?
wǒ 我 Subject kàn 看 Verb yíxià 一下 Measure word kěyǐ 可以 Pattern ma 吗 Pattern
Can I take a look?
Common mistakes
Why it happens: A sentence that already has a question word doesn't need 吗 — it's already a question. 你想吃什么 (“what do you want to eat?”) is complete; 你想吃什么吗？is like “do you want to eat what?”. One question marker per question.
Why it happens: 吗 is a sentence-final particle — it goes at the very end, after the whole statement: 你喜欢咖啡吗？. It can't sit in the middle (你吗喜欢…).
Why it happens: Don't combine 吗 with another question form. 是不是 already asks a yes/no question, so 这是不是书吗？double-marks it. Use one or the other: 这是不是书？or 这是书吗？.
Compare & contrast
| Yes/no question | Tag question — “…, right? / OK?” | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 你同意吗？nǐ tóngyì ma? | 你同意，对吗？nǐ tóngyì, duì ma? | Bare 吗 asks a genuine yes/no. Add 对吗 and you're checking something you already half-believe — “…, right?”. |
| 我们走吗？wǒmen zǒu ma? | 我们走吧，好吗？wǒmen zǒu ba, hǎo ma? | 我们走吗 asks whether you're leaving. 我们走吧，好吗 softens it into a suggestion — “let's go, OK?”. |
| 我可以进来吗？wǒ kěyǐ jìnlái ma? | 我进来，可以吗？wǒ jìnlái, kěyǐ ma? | 我可以进来吗 asks permission outright. 我进来，可以吗 states it, then tags on the check — gentler. |
Try it yourself
Ask “Is it written like this, right?” — tap the words into order.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Ask Yes/No & Tag Questions with 吗 (ma) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.