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Where to place 什么 (shénme) and other question words in Chinese

什么 (shénme) / 什么时候 (shénme shíhòu) / 谁 (shéi) / 哪儿 (nǎr) / 为什么 (wèishéme) / 怎么 (zěnme)

Placement of question words

HSK 1Question Forms

Rule structure

Interrogative words such as 什么 (shénme), 谁 (shéi), 哪儿 (nǎ ér) (nǎr), 怎么 (zěnme), etc., occupy the same position in the sentence as the expected answer. So, interrogative words are integrated into the standard word order and take the place of the parts of the sentence they refer to.

Examples

你什么时候来？

Nǐ shénme shíhòu lái?

When will you come?

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Placement of question words” in Chinese?

Use the structure: 什么 (shénme) / 什么时候 (shénme shíhòu) / 谁 (shéi) / 哪儿 (nǎr) / 为什么 (wèishéme) / 怎么 (zěnme). For example: 你什么时候来？ — “When will you come?”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

你什么时候来？ — “When will you come?”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 1.

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More HSK 1 grammar rules

Questions with "了吗 (le ma)"

Verb + 了 (le) + 吗 (ma)？

Asking how something is with "怎么样 (zěnmeyàng)"

⋯⋯怎么样 (zěnmeyàng)？

Yes-no questions with "吗 (ma)"

Statement + 吗 (ma)？

"A is B" with "是 (shì)"

A + 是 (shì) + B

Directional verbs "来 (lái)" and "去 (qù)"

来 (lái) / 去 (qù) + Place

Structure of days of the week with "星期 (xīngqī)"

星期 (xīngqī) + Number

Time words and word order

Subj. + Time … / Time + Subj. …

Expressing actions in progress with "在 (zài)"

(正 (zhèng)) 在 (zài) + Verb