If you've just started learning Mandarin and want to ask someone a simple question — "Are you Chinese?" or "Do you like coffee?" — this HSK 1 speaking lesson shows you how. After about 10 minutes of live conversation with AI teacher Mei Lin, you'll be able to ask yes/no questions to find out basic things about a new person, like where they're from, what they do, and what they like.
吗 (ma) is added to the end of a statement to turn it into a yes/no question. The key insight: the word order stays exactly the same. You don't rearrange anything — you just append 吗.
Take the statement 你喜欢咖啡 (nǐ xǐhuan kāfēi) — "You like coffee." Add 吗 and you get 你喜欢咖啡吗？(nǐ xǐhuan kāfēi ma?) — "Do you like coffee?" The same applies to 你是中国人吗？(nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?) — "Are you Chinese?" The structure is always Statement + 吗.
This is a voice-based lesson — you talk out loud with Mei Lin in real time, not by typing. She asks you questions, you respond using 吗 (ma), and she corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation, adapting to your level. You'll practice asking Mei Lin about where she's from, what she does, and what she likes — all through the Statement + 吗 structure.
Each live conversation lesson targets one specific grammar pattern and takes roughly 10 minutes. You can try the first lesson free.
Ready to keep building? Browse more HSK 1 lessons, or try another HSK 1 live lesson on asking how with 怎么 (zěnme) and counting things with 个 (gè) and measure words. You can also print free handwriting worksheets with the Chinese Worksheet Generator to practice characters from HSK 1–3.
吗 (ma) is added to the end of any statement to form a Yes/No Question. The word order doesn't change — you just append 吗. For example, 你喜欢咖啡吗？(nǐ xǐhuan kāfēi ma?) means "Do you like coffee?"
You talk out loud with Mei Lin and practice forming questions like 你是中国人吗？(nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?). She corrects your pronunciation and grammar in real time, so you learn to use 吗 (ma) naturally in conversation rather than just memorizing the rule.
Yes — this is an HSK 1 speaking lesson designed for learners just starting out. The only grammar pattern covered is 吗 (ma) for Yes/No Questions, and the lesson takes about 10 minutes. You can try the first lesson free.
Yes — you can print handwriting worksheets with the free Chinese Worksheet Generator. Ready-made packs cover HSK 1–3 words, so you can practice writing characters like 吗 and 咖啡 alongside your speaking practice.