Affirmative-Negative Questions
An affirmative-negative question, also called an A-not-A question, puts a verb or adjective and its negative side by side, as in 是不是, 有没有 and 去不去. It asks a yes/no question without 吗.
Pattern: Subject + Verb + 不 + Verb (+ Object)?
Examples with common verbs:
| Verb | A-not-A Question | Meaning |
|------|------------------|---------|
| 是 | 是不是 | Is it or isn't it? |
| 去 | 去不去 | Going or not? |
| 好 | 好不好 | Good or not? |
| 吃 | 吃不吃 | Eating or not? |
| 有 | 有没有 | Have or not? |
| 能 | 能不能 | Can or can't? |
Important: 有 uses 有没有 (not 有不有) because 没 is the negation for 有.
Answering: Repeat the verb alone.
- 你去不去？→ 去。/ 不去。
- 他是不是老师？→ 是。/ 不是。
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你是不是学生？ | Nǐ shì bu shì xué shēng? | Are you a student or not? | 是不是 = is/is not. Answer: 是。(Yes.) or 不是。(No.) |
| 你们去不去北京？ | Nǐ men qù bu qù Běi jīng? | Are you (all) going to Beijing or not? | 去不去 = going/not going. Answer: 去。or 不去。 |
| 他有没有钱？ | Tā yǒu méi yǒu qián? | Does he have money or not? | 有 is negated with 没, so the pattern is 有没有, not 有不有. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
是不是 (shì bu shì)
Asks whether something is true, and invites a yes or no.
Structure: Subject + 是不是 + Noun / Clause
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你是不是累了？ | Nǐ shì bu shì lèi le? | Are you tired? |
| 她是不是你的姐姐？ | Tā shì bu shì nǐ de jiě jie? | Is she your older sister? |
| 今天是不是星期五？ | Jīn tiān shì bu shì xīng qī wǔ? | Is today Friday? |
Not: 你是不是老师吗？ The A-not-A question already asks the question, so do not add 吗.
是不是 is also explained in: Question Methods: 好吗、是不是、吧、呢 ellipsis (HSK 2).
有没有 (yǒu méi yǒu)
Asks whether someone has something or whether something exists.
Structure: Subject + 有没有 + Object
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你有没有时间？ | Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu shí jiān? | Do you have time? |
| 这儿有没有洗手间？ | Zhèr yǒu méi yǒu xǐ shǒu jiān? | Is there a restroom here? |
| 你家有没有电脑？ | Nǐ jiā yǒu méi yǒu diàn nǎo? | Do you have a computer at home? |
Not: 你有不有书？ The negative of 有 is 没, so the question is 有没有, not 有不有。
去不去 (qù bu qù)
Asks whether someone will go, using the verb in a positive and then a negative form.
Structure: Subject + Verb + 不 + Verb (+ Object)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 明天你去不去上班？ | Míng tiān nǐ qù bu qù shàng bān? | Are you going to work tomorrow? |
| 我们去不去公园？ | Wǒ men qù bu qù gōng yuán? | Shall we go to the park or not? |
| 周末你去不去买东西？ | Zhōu mò nǐ qù bu qù mǎi dōng xi? | Are you going shopping at the weekend? |
Not: 你去不去学校吗？ Drop 吗 here: 你去不去学校？ is already a complete question.
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Affirmative-Negative Questions among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Questions about Affirmative-Negative Questions
What does 正反问句 (Affirmative-Negative Questions) mean in Chinese?
An affirmative-negative question, also called an A-not-A question, puts a verb or adjective and its negative side by side, as in 是不是, 有没有 and 去不去. It asks a yes/no question without 吗. It is an HSK 1 grammar point.
How do you use 正反问句 (Affirmative-Negative Questions) in a sentence?
你是不是学生？ — Nǐ shì bu shì xué shēng? — Are you a student or not?. 是不是 = is/is not. Answer: 是。(Yes.) or 不是。(No.).
What do you need to know before 正反问句 (Affirmative-Negative Questions)?
Negation with 不 and 没 (HSK 1), Yes/No Questions with 吗 (HSK 1). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 正反问句 (Affirmative-Negative Questions) lead to?
Question Methods (HSK 2). Each of them names 正反问句 (Affirmative-Negative Questions) among its own prerequisites.
How do I answer an A-not-A question?
Repeat the verb alone, either positive or negative: 你去不去？ is answered 去 or 不去. For 有没有 answer 有 or 没有。
Is A-not-A different from using 吗?
The meaning is almost the same. A-not-A sounds a bit more direct, and you must never use both together.
Affirmative-Negative Questions is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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