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?>
Have you bought (any) fruits?
你 有 没有 买 水果？
Nǐ yǒu-meiyou mǎi shuǐguǒ?
Did he come?
他 有 没有 来？
Tā yǒu-meiyou lái?
TO COME
Did you watch a film?
你 有 没有 看 电影?
Nǐ yǒu meiyou kàn diànyǐng?

 

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

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

 

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 did you drink?
你 喝 了 什么？
Nǐ hē le shénme?
What stuff have you bought?
你 买 了 什么 东西？
Nǐ mǎile shénme dōngxi?
How much did you spent for this jasmine tea?
你 花 了 多少 钱 买 这个 花茶？
Nǐ huāle duōshǎo qián mǎi zhège huāchá?
多少 / HOW MANY?

 

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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