QUESTION for FINISHED ACTION

 
 
_THIS IS A TESTING BETA VERSION OF THE SITE_
 
DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?

DID HE GO TO CHINA?

HAVE YOU BOUGHT A CAR?

DID HE TELL YOU?

To ask if something happened (or has happened), we use the construction 有没有 /yǒu-meiyou/

We don’t use this construction to ask what or when or where or how something happened

We don’t use 了 /le/

 

EXAMPLES

Have you worked in China before?
你 以前 有 没有 在 中国 工作？
<Nǐ yǐqián yǒuméiyǒu zài Zhōngguó gōngzuò?>
Did you watch a film?
你 有 没有 看 电影?
Nǐ yǒu meiyou kàn diànyǐng?
Did he come?
他 有 没有 来？
Tā yǒu-meiyou lái?
TO COME
Did you get drunk?
你 有 没有 喝 醉？
Nǐ yǒumeiyou hē zuì?

 

DID SOMETHING JUST HAPPEN?

DID YOU (JUST) EAT?

DID YOU (JUST) BUY A BOOK?

To ask whether something JUST HAPPENED, we use 了吗 /lema/ at the END of a sentence

 

EXAMPLES

Have you received (it)?
你 收到 了 吗？
Nǐ shōudào le ma?
Are you ready?
你 准备 好 了 吗？
Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?
BASIC ACT

 

WHAT HAPPENED?

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

WHAT DID YOU BUY?

To ask what happened, we ask question using a question word 什么 /shénme/

The question is a standard question just like in “present tense”, only with the difference that we put 了 /le/ behind the verb

 

EXAMPLES

What did you dream about?
你 做 了 什么 梦？
Nǐ zuò le shénme mèng?
What tea have you bought?
你 买 了 什么 茶？
Nǐ mǎi le shénme chá?
What fruits have you bought?
你 买 了 什么 水果？
Nǐ mǎi le shénme shuǐguǒ?
What did you drink?
你 喝 了 什么？
Nǐ hē le shénme?

 

When we already know that something happened and we want to know more (like WHEN or WHERE or BY WHO) something happened, we use the construction CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE EVENT 

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QUESTIONS IN THE PAST
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