Say yes by repeating the verb
Most yes-or-no questions in Chinese end in 吗 (ma) or use the pattern "verb-not-verb". To say yes, answer with the verb (or adjective) from the question. To say no, put 不 (bù) in front of it.
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| 你去吗？ Nǐ qù ma? Are you going? | 去。 Qù. | 不去。 Bú qù. |
| 你喜欢吗？ Nǐ xǐhuan ma? Do you like it? | 喜欢。 Xǐhuan. | 不喜欢。 Bù xǐhuan. |
| 你会说中文吗？ Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma? Can you speak Chinese? | 会。 Huì. | 不会。 Bú huì. |
| 好吃吗？ Hǎochī ma? Is it tasty? | 好吃。 Hǎochī. | 不好吃。 Bù hǎochī. |
| 你忙不忙？ Nǐ máng bu máng? Are you busy? | 忙。 Máng. | 不忙。 Bù máng. |
The one exception is 有 (yǒu, to have). Its negative is 没有 (méiyǒu), never 不有: 你有时间吗？ (Do you have time?) 有。 or 没有。
The same goes for things that already happened: 你吃饭了吗？ (Have you eaten?) is answered 吃了 (yes) or 没吃 / 还没 (not yet).
The words that work like yes
| Chinese | Pinyin | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 是 ★ | shì | Questions with 是 ("is it…?", "are you…?"); on its own, a formal "yes" |
| 是的 | shì de | A polite, complete "yes, that’s right" |
| 对 (對) ★ | duì | "Right, correct": confirming what someone said |
| 好 ★ / 好的 | hǎo / hǎo de | "OK, sure": agreeing to a suggestion or request |
| 行 | xíng | "Fine, that works": casual agreement |
| 可以 ★ | kěyǐ | "You may, that’s allowed": giving permission |
| 嗯 | ǹg (also ńg) | "Mm-hm": showing you are listening or agreeing |
| 没错 (沒錯) ★ | méi cuò | "Exactly", "no mistake" |
| 当然 (當然) ★ | dāngrán | "Of course" |
Answering every question with 是 is a common beginner habit. It works for questions built on 是, but "你喜欢吗？ 是" sounds as odd as answering "Do you like it?" with "It is."
对, 好, or 行?
- 对 agrees with a statement: 你是美国人吧？ 对。 (You’re American, right? Right.) People often say it three times in quick agreement: 对对对.
- 好 accepts a plan or request: 我们走吧。 好。 (Let’s go. OK.) 好的 is a little more polite and is very common in shops and at work.
- 行 says the plan works for you: 明天三点，行吗？ 行。 (Three tomorrow, OK? Fine.) It is common in northern China.
- 可以 grants permission: 我可以坐这儿吗？ 可以。 (Can I sit here? Sure.)
How to say no
There is no single "no" either. Negate the verb with 不 or 没, or use one of these:
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不是 | bú shì | No, it isn’t |
| 不对 (不對) | bú duì | That’s not right |
| 不行 | bù xíng | No, that won’t work; not allowed |
| 不要 ★ | bú yào | I don’t want it; don’t |
| 不用 ★ | bú yòng | No need, no thanks |
| 没有 (沒有) ★ | méiyǒu | Don’t have; didn’t |
不 is fourth tone (bù), but it changes to second tone (bú) before another fourth tone: 不是 bú shì, 不对 bú duì, 不要 bú yào. See Chinese tones for the full rule.
Answering a negative question
Chinese answers agree or disagree with the question as it was asked, not with the facts. That is the opposite of English:
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 你不去吗？ 对，我不去。 | You’re not going? No, I’m not going. (Literally "Right, I’m not going.") |
| 你不去吗？ 不，我去。 | You’re not going? Yes, I am. (Literally "No, I’m going.") |
If this trips you up, skip 对 and 不 and just say the full answer: 我不去 or 我去.
Example sentences
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你是学生吗？ 是，我是学生。 | Nǐ shì xuésheng ma? Shì, wǒ shì xuésheng. | Are you a student? Yes, I am. |
| 你明白吗？ 明白。 | Nǐ míngbai ma? Míngbai. | Do you understand? Yes. |
| 我们一起吃饭，好吗？ 好啊！ | Wǒmen yìqǐ chīfàn, hǎo ma? Hǎo a! | Shall we eat together? Sure! |
| 这是你的吗？ 不是。 | Zhè shì nǐ de ma? Bú shì. | Is this yours? No. |
| 你有笔吗？ 有。 | Nǐ yǒu bǐ ma? Yǒu. | Do you have a pen? Yes. |
| 真的吗？ 真的。 | Zhēn de ma? Zhēn de. | Really? Really. |
Common mistakes
- Using 是 as an all-purpose yes. Repeat the verb instead: 会, 喜欢, 要, 去.
- Saying 不有. The negative of 有 is 没有.
- Nodding along with 对 to a negative question. 对 confirms the negative ("right, I’m not"), which can be the opposite of what you meant.
- Missing the tone change on 不. It is bú before a fourth tone: 不是, 不对, 不去.
- Hearing 嗯 as hesitation. A short 嗯 usually means "yes, I’m listening", not "um".