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Question word 什么 (shénme) – HSK 1 (HSK 3.0) Grammar | HaoHSK

HSK Grammar/HSK 3.0 · HSK 1/Questions & Interrogatives

什么shénme

HSK 3.0 · HSK 1 · #5

Question word 什么 (shénme)

Meaning: What

Pattern

Subject + Verb + 什么？
什么 + Noun？

Usage

什么 (shénme) is one of the most fundamental question words in HSK 1, meaning “what”.
A key rule in Chinese grammar is that question words stay in situ—in the exact position of the answer—rather than moving to the beginning of the sentence as in English.
Compare: Statement: 我吃苹果 (I eat apples) → Question: 你吃什么?
(What do you eat? Lit. 'You eat what?').
Common uses of 什么: 1.

Examples

1
你叫什么名字?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What is your name?
2
这是什么?
Zhè shì shénme?
What is this?
3
你吃什么?
Nǐ chī shénme?
What are you eating?
4
你做什么工作?
Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?

Notes

•什么 stays in the exact position of the element being asked about; do not move it to the front.

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

•Moving 什么 to the front like in English: WRONG 什么你吃? → RIGHT 你吃什么?

•Adding 吗 at the end: WRONG 你叫什么吗? → RIGHT 你叫什么?

Related topics

questions
pronouns

吗 Previous HSK 1 Grammar (HSK 3.0)Next 谁

Same group

Questions & Interrogatives

吗Question particle for yes/no questions
谁Who / whom / whose
哪 / 哪儿Which / Where
几 / 多少How many / How much

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Asking about objects:

这是什么?

(What is this?) 2.

Asking names: 你叫什么(名字)?

(What is your name?) 3.

Asking professions: 你做什么工作?

(What job do you do?) 4.

Asking preferences: 你喜欢什么?

(What do you like?)

什么 can also precede a noun to ask “what kind of / which”: 什么书?

(What book?), 什么时候?

(When / what time?), 什么人?

(What kind of person?).

Important: NEVER add 吗 to the end of a sentence containing 什么.

What job do you do?

5

你想喝什么?

Nǐ xiǎng hē shénme?

What would you like to drink?

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