HSK 1
用正反疑问形式提问
yòng zhèng fǎn yí wèn xíng shì tí wèn
Affirmative-negative question form (A 不 A)
Explanation
The affirmative-negative question (正反疑问句) is a way of asking a question by stating SIMULTANEOUSLY the affirmative and the negative of the verb/adjective, equivalent to "is it... or not?" or "...yet or not?" in English.
A + 不 + A? or A + 没 + A? (A is a verb or an adjective). - With adjectives: 贵不贵 (expensive or not), 好看不好看 (good or not). - With verbs: 吃不吃 (eat or not), 去没去 (went or not yet). - The full form asking about something that has happened: [sentence] + 了没有? E.g. 他回家了没有 (Has he gone home yet).
When you want to ask NEUTRALLY, without leaning toward any answer (unlike the 吗 question, which may carry a guess). This type of question does NOT add 吗 at the end.
Use 不 (bù) for general things/habits/the future (你吃不吃 - do you eat or not); use 没 (méi) for whether something has already happened (他去没去 - has he gone or not).
(1) Adding a redundant 吗 (wrong: 你吃不吃包子吗？). (2) Mixing up 不/没: asking about something completed but using 不 (wrong: 他去不去了).
Examples
Is this book expensive?
Is the movie good?
Do you eat baozi (steamed buns)?
Has he gone to the library?
Has he gone home yet?
Are you hungry yet?
Practice
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The grammar point “用正反疑问形式提问” (Affirmative-negative question form (A 不 A)) is one of the key structures at HSK 1. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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