Simplified Chinese - Basic Questions

___是什么

___ shì shénme?

What is ___?

Meaning: What is ___?

When to use: Use ___是什么？ to ask the identity or name of an object, word, or thing you don't know.

___是什么时候？

___ shì shénme shíhou?

When is ___?

Meaning: When is ___?

When to use: Use ___是什么时候？ to ask when an event or appointment happens (date or general time).

Tip: Beginners sometimes confuse ___是什么时候？ with ___几点？ — use 什么时候 for general times/dates and 几点 for a clock time.

___几点

___ jǐ diǎn?

What time is ___?

Meaning: What time is ___?

When to use: Use ___几点？ to ask the clock time when an event or activity starts.

你能___吗

nǐ néng ___ ma?

Can you ___?

Meaning: Can you ___?

When to use: Use 你能___吗？ to ask someone politely to do a simple action. For extra politeness, you can add 请 at the start.

Tip: Learners sometimes only say 能 or 可以 — both work, but include 你 and 吗 for a full polite question (你能...吗？).

___怎么说

___ zěnme shuō?

How do you say ___?

Meaning: How do you say ___?

When to use: Use ___怎么说？ when asking how to express a word or phrase in Chinese (or another language).