When to use 么 (me) instead of 吗 (ma) in Chinese?

A quick #SpokenTuesday post to upgrade your WeChat conversations✨

Next time you want to ask friends/colleagues a question – type in 么 me instead of 吗 ma!

⭐️

么 me (question word)

❗️It works for spoken language too😉
⭐️

It’ll just make your question sound more casual. As if you’re “just wondering”:

吃饭了么？
Had lunch yet?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

How would you ask “Hungry yet”?😁

 

---

@wenling_lam: 你饿了么？

@yourmandarin: @wenling_lam 😋🏅

@sbyzulkr: 你饿了么?

@yourmandarin: @sbyzulkr 🏅😎

@julianacardona7: @saaralopez

@saaralopez: @julianacardona7 es más natural?

@the_wayne10: How about ” 为什么 ? ” . . . . . . . Is it right / wrong ??

@yourmandarin: @the_wayne10 It’s not wrong! But you can make it sound more casual by saying 为啥 instead😁

@emahayashida: 请问，“什么鬼” 是什么意思呢？ @yourmandarin

@yourmandarin: @emahayashida “What the heck”

@memske01: 你俄了么?

@yourmandarin: @memske01 🏅😋

@hamseeeneananas: And what does it mean in connection with verbs like 要么？

@yourmandarin: @hamseeeneananas 😊 That’s a great question and another topic! 要么 is also used to make your sentences more casual, but not questions – suggestions: 要么 we order a takeaway today? (“Perhaps we could”, “or maybe we could”)

@hamseeeneananas: @yourmandarin 非常感谢！！😘

@rouge.ma: 饿了么？ ✌🏼

@yourmandarin: @rouge.ma 😁🏅

@emahayashida: @yourmandarin 天啊，对不起，不好意思😥

@amirulneezam: Hai e le me?

@yourmandarin: @amirulneezam 👍 “hai” means “still”, so you don’t need it here! “Le” is enough to express “yet”😉

@mirnitaisa: 你餓了麼？

@yourmandarin: @mirnitaisa 😋🏅

@amandaswampler: E le me?

@yourmandarin: @amandaswampler 😁🏅

@havo.0205: 你吃下饭么？

@zzzzyuhan: @havo.0205 你吃饭了么