This lesson is for HSK 1 learners who want to ask yes-or-no questions in a natural, conversational way. After roughly 10 minutes of live voice practice with AI teacher Mei Lin, you'll be able to check whether a friend wants to eat, go somewhere, or do something together — all using the A-not-A pattern.
A-not-A Questions (正反疑问句) let you turn any verb into a yes-or-no question by repeating the verb with 不 (bù) in between. The structure is simple: Verb + 不 + Verb. For example, 你去不去？(nǐ qù bu qù?) means "Are you going or not?" and 好不好？(hǎo bu hǎo?) means "OK?"
The key example you'll practice in this lesson is:
你想不想吃中国菜？(nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng chī zhōng guó cài?) — Do you want to eat Chinese food?
Here 想 (xiǎng) appears twice, separated by 不, turning the statement into a question. This pattern works the same way as adding 吗 (ma) to the end of a sentence, but it sounds more conversational and natural in everyday speech.
In this live conversation lesson, you talk out loud with Mei Lin in real time — no typing. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation and adapts to your level. The lesson focuses on this single grammar pattern, so you get repeated, targeted practice forming Affirmative-Negative Questions on the fly.
You can try the first lesson free with no credit card required. To reinforce what you learn, you can also print handwriting worksheets with the free Chinese Worksheet Generator, which covers HSK 1–3 vocabulary.
Ready for more? Visit the HSK 1 lessons hub page for the full curriculum, or try another HSK 1 live lesson like Giving and Requesting or Offering Choices.
A-not-A Questions (正反疑问句) are formed by placing 不 between two copies of the same verb, as in 你去不去？(nǐ qù bu qù?) — "Are you going or not?" They function like yes-or-no questions but sound more conversational than adding 吗 (ma) to the end of a sentence.
This live lesson focuses entirely on Affirmative-Negative Questions. You talk with Mei Lin by voice for about 10 minutes, practicing the Verb + 不 + Verb pattern through real examples like 你想不想吃中国菜？(nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng chī zhōng guó cài?). Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you go.
Both ask yes-or-no questions, but A-not-A Questions (正反疑问句) repeat the verb around 不, while 吗 questions attach 吗 to the end of a statement. A-not-A sounds more natural and conversational in everyday speech — for example, 你想不想吃中国菜？feels more casual than 你想吃中国菜吗？