Asking “have you…?” in Chinese with 了吗 (le ma)
Verb + 了 (le) + 吗 (ma)？
Questions with "了吗 (le ma)"
Verb + 了 (le) + 吗 (ma)？
HSK 1Question FormsQuestions with "了吗 (le ma)"
Rule structure
了吗 (le ma) at the end of a sentence or after a verb phrase expresses a question about the completion of an action. Such a question is general and expects a "yes" or "no" answer.
Rule structure
了吗 (le ma) at the end of a sentence or after a verb phrase expresses a question about the completion of an action. Such a question is general and expects a "yes" or "no" answer.
Examples
你吃饭了吗？
Nǐ chīfàn le ma?
Have you eaten?
Examples
你吃饭了吗？
Nǐ chīfàn le ma?
Have you eaten?
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Frequently asked questions
How do you express “Questions with "了吗 (le ma)"” in Chinese?
Use the structure: Verb + 了 (le) + 吗 (ma)？. For example: 你吃饭了吗？ — “Have you eaten?”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
你吃饭了吗？ — “Have you eaten?”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 1.
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More HSK 1 grammar rules
Asking how something is with "怎么样 (zěnmeyàng)"
⋯⋯怎么样 (zěnmeyàng)？
Placement of question words
什么 (shénme) / 什么时候 (shénme shíhòu) / 谁 (shéi) / 哪儿 (nǎr) / 为什么 (wèishéme) / 怎么 (zěnme)
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