<p>First answer is yes, and next answer is no:</p>

<ol>
<li>李先生在吗？
在/不在</li>
<li>他是你的朋友吗？
是/不是</li>
<li>李先生很累吗？
累(This is shortest, but in real life people wouldn't answer like that)/不累(This is native.)</li>
<li>你要这张卡片吗？
要/不要</li>
<li>李先生有朋友吗？
有/没有</li>
</ol>

<p>And using the 嗯 to make no answer is not the right way, people don't speak like that.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-17T20:22:01.667Z
@user3306356 I don't have the privilege to comment you answer, so I'll write it down here. Use 嗯 to make the 'yes' answer is fine, and to make the other 2 answers is controversial. Use 2nd tone to hint a doubt, that would probably acceptable. But I don't see anyone using 嗯 to negate in real life.
Rui
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-17T19:01:15.193Z
2014-04-17T19:07:32.207Z
2014-04-17T19:07:32.207Z
Rui
<p>Don't know how much I can discover...and I'm not writing that strict rules.</p>
<ul>
<li>One can combine Ma with a negative sentence, and its answer is
always reverse to the western logic.</li>
</ul>
<p>e.g.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>-你们还没吃饭吗？</p>
<p>-不，吃了。/对，没吃。</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Thus there are direct answers as simplified compound answers based on
main verb.</li>
</ul>
<p>是的／对／对的－不是／不对、 是的－（还）没有 、 有的－没有。</p>
<ul>
<li>Note that <strong>你吃了吗?</strong> is not really a question asking if you have had meal, but somehow a kind of invitation. The right way to answer is</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>-你吃了吗?</p>
<p>-吃得可好了。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>if you have had your meal and don't want to be invited.</p>
<p>Any other answer leads to the consequence of being invited.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-11T06:38:38.253Z
2014-04-11T07:24:10.423Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Joseph S WU
<p>Answering everything with:</p>

<p>嗯</p>

<p>is perfectly acceptable and can avoid having to have any sort of conversation!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-11T07:25:45.990Z
2014-04-11T07:25:45.990Z
Mou某
<p>I have found a lot of information about asking questions but very little about answering them.</p>

<p>I want to create a rule to help learners answer affirmative/negative questions in Chinese. Presently I ask them to identify the following in a sentence: copulas, modals, main verbs or solitary adjectives and then use them in one or two-word answers. My question is how would you answer the following questions in the simplest way:</p>

<ol>
<li>李先生在吗？</li>
<li>他是你的朋友吗？</li>
<li>李先生很累吗？</li>
<li>你要这张卡片吗？</li>
<li>李先生有朋友吗？</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-11T06:25:22.793Z
Most frequently and informally I would use 嗯 to 4th tone to make 'yes' answers, 嗯 to the reverse 2nd tone (243) to make 'no' answers and 嗯 to 1st tone to give an uncertain answer.
Joseph S WU
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-11T07:09:59.203Z
This question appears to be off-topic because it is about a suggestion, so it should be moved to Chinese Language Meta
xqMogvKW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-11T07:29:34.860Z
This question appears to be off-topic because it is an open question about teaching Chinese.
NS.X.
<grammar><sentence-structure><yes-no-questions>
What do you think about this introduction to answering Yes/No questions?
# What do you think about this introduction to answering Yes/No questions?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-04-11)

I have found a lot of information about asking questions but very little about answering them.

I want to create a rule to help learners answer affirmative/negative questions in Chinese. Presently I ask them to identify the following in a sentence: copulas, modals, main verbs or solitary adjectives and then use them in one or two-word answers. My question is how would you answer the following questions in the simplest way:

1. 李先生在吗？
2. 他是你的朋友吗？
3. 李先生很累吗？
4. 你要这张卡片吗？
5. 李先生有朋友吗？

**Tags:** grammar, sentence-structure, yes-no-questions

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Most frequently and informally I would use 嗯 to 4th tone to make 'yes' answers, 嗯 to the reverse 2nd tone (243) to make 'no' answers and 嗯 to 1st tone to give an uncertain answer.  
> **username_2**: This question appears to be off-topic because it is about a suggestion, so it should be moved to Chinese Language Meta  
> **username_3**: This question appears to be off-topic because it is an open question about teaching Chinese.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-04-17. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

First answer is yes, and next answer is no:

1. 李先生在吗？
   在/不在
2. 他是你的朋友吗？
   是/不是
3. 李先生很累吗？
   累(This is shortest, but in real life people wouldn't answer like that)/不累(This is native.)
4. 你要这张卡片吗？
   要/不要
5. 李先生有朋友吗？
   有/没有

And using the 嗯 to make no answer is not the right way, people don't speak like that.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: @user3306356 I don't have the privilege to comment you answer, so I'll write it down here. Use 嗯 to make the 'yes' answer is fine, and to make the other 2 answers is controversial. Use 2nd tone to hint a doubt, that would probably acceptable. But I don't see anyone using 嗯 to negate in real life.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-04-11. Score: 2

Don't know how much I can discover...and I'm not writing that strict rules.

* One can combine Ma with a negative sentence, and its answer is
  always reverse to the western logic.

e.g.

> -你们还没吃饭吗？
>
> -不，吃了。/对，没吃。

* Thus there are direct answers as simplified compound answers based on
  main verb.

是的／对／对的－不是／不对、 是的－（还）没有 、 有的－没有。

* Note that **你吃了吗?** is not really a question asking if you have had meal, but somehow a kind of invitation. The right way to answer is

> -你吃了吗?
>
> -吃得可好了。

if you have had your meal and don't want to be invited.

Any other answer leads to the consequence of being invited.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-04-11. Score: 1

Answering everything with:

嗯

is perfectly acceptable and can avoid having to have any sort of conversation!


---

