Question Words "WHAT" & "WHY"

Here are another 2 commonly used question words, WHAT and WHY

WHAT 什么 shénme

Unlike English, question words are mostly used in front of the sentences. In Chinese, that's hardly the case, when you are asking a full sentence question. Here is the sentence structure:

S + Verb +  什么 + Noun (if any)?

For example:
Example: What do you drink?

S = you 你
Verb = drink 喝

你喝什么？

Nǐ hē shénme?

When there is existence of a noun, for example you want to know about the beverages (饮料 yǐnliào(n) that he/she drinks, then you add it after 什么 shénme

What beverage do you drink?
你喝什么饮料？ 

Nǐ hē shénme yǐnliào?

Example: What are you listening to?
(To describe the present continuous tense, that the action is on going at the moment of speaking, in Chinese we often use the word 在 Zài)

你在听什么？
Nǐ zàitīng shénme?

What music are you listening to?
你在听什么音乐？

Nǐ zàitīng shénme yīnyuè?

WHY 为什么 Wèishénme

Here is the structure for WHY:
S + 为什么 Wèishénme + Verb?

Example: Why does she cry?
她为什么哭？

Tā wèishénme kū?

Example: Why does your mom go to the hospital?
你妈妈为什么去医院？
Nǐmāma wèishénme qù yīuàn?

Just like in English, we answer WHY question with "Because... " in Chinese, we use “因为 Yīnwèi。。。”

 

After the word "because", then the sentence follows can be simple sentence that we have learnt before, either in Positive form or in Negative form.

 

For example:

Why does she cry?

她为什么哭？

Tā wèishénme kū?

 

Answer 1, followed by negative sentence:

Because her mom hasn't come to pick her up yet.

因为她妈妈还没接她

Yīnwèi tāmāma háiméi lái jiē tā

 

Answer 2, followed by positive sentence:

Because her stomach hurts.

因为她的肚子痛

Yīnwèi tāde dùzi tòng

 

 

Again, Video can only be played on a desktop, not handheld.

 

Next post we will be reviewing all the WH questions introduced. Let's see how much that you have grasped, before moving on to the next lesson.

 

Good Week Ahead,

Linda Tan