How common it is
吗 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say ma slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
在学校里，你可以问同学：“你写完作业了吗？”
Zài xuéxiào lǐ, nǐ kěyǐ wèn tóngxué: 'Nǐ xiě wán zuòyè le ma?'
At school, you can ask a classmate: 'Have you finished your homework?'
Context note
在学校里，我们常常用“吗”来问问题，比如“你准备好了吗？”
Zài xuéxiào lǐ, wǒmen chángcháng yòng “ma” lái wèn wèntí, bǐrú “nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?”
At school, we often use 'ma' to ask questions, like 'Are you ready?'
5 examples
你今天上学吗？
nǐ jīn tiān shàng xué ma？
Are you going to school today?
老师在教室里吗？
lǎo shī zài jiào shì lǐ ma？
Is the teacher in the classroom?
我们下午有体育课吗？
wǒ men xià wǔ yǒu tǐ yù kè ma？
Do we have PE class this afternoon?
你带了课本吗？
nǐ dài le kè běn ma？
Did you bring your textbook?
作业完成了吗？
zuò yè wán chéng le ma？
Have you finished the homework?
5 mini stories
妈妈问儿子：你今天上学吗？儿子回答：是的，我上学了。
mā ma wèn ér zi： nǐ jīn tiān shàng xué ma？ ér zi huí dá： shì de， wǒ shàng xué le。
Mom asked her son: Are you going to school today? The son answered: Yes, I'm going to school.
老师问学生：你们下午有体育课吗？学生们说：有，我们有体育课。
lǎo shī wèn xué shēng： nǐ men xià wǔ yǒu tǐ yù kè ma？ xué shēng men shuō： yǒu， wǒ men yǒu tǐ yù kè。
The teacher asked the students: Do we have PE class this afternoon? The students said: Yes, we do have a PE class.
爸爸问女儿：你带了课本吗？女儿回答：带了，我带了课本。
bà ba wèn nǚ ér： nǐ dài le kè běn ma？ nǚ ér huí dá： dài le， wǒ dài le kè běn。
Dad asked his daughter: Did you bring your textbook? His daughter answered: Yes, I brought my textbook.
同学问朋友：作业完成了吗？朋友说：还没有，我没有完成。
tóng xué wèn péng yǒu： zuò yè wán chéng le ma？ péng yǒu shuō： hái méi yǒu， wǒ méi yǒu wán chéng。
A classmate asked a friend: Have you finished the homework? The friend said: No, I haven't finished it yet.
老师问学生：你们下午有音乐课吗？学生们回答：没有，我们没有音乐课。
lǎo shī wèn xué shēng： nǐ men xià wǔ yǒu yīn yuè kè ma？ xué shēng men huí dá： méi yǒu， wǒ men méi yǒu yīn yuè kè。
The teacher asked the students: Do we have music class this afternoon? The students answered: No, we don't have a music class.