Grammar · Chapter 4
Questions without 吗: 好不好, 还是
A 不 A？ · A 还是 B？
Instead of 吗 you can put “yes” and “no” side by side: 好不好？, “good or not?”, 是不是. To choose between two things use 还是: 你是老师还是学生？ These questions take no 吗.
Examples
- 你是不是学生？ Nǐ shì bu shì xuésheng? Are you a student or not?
- 他好不好？ Tā hǎo bu hǎo? Is he nice or not?
- 你是老师还是学生？ Nǐ shì lǎoshī háishi xuésheng? Are you a teacher or a student?