In Mandarin, the word 什么 (shénme) means “what.”

It’s super handy for asking different kinds of questions! Here are seven ways you can use 什么:

1. Finding Out About Things

   • 你要喝什么？(Nǐ yào hē shénme?)
   • Translation: What do you want to drink?

2. Asking for Clarification

   • 你说什么？(Nǐ shuō shénme?)
   • Translation: What did you say?

3. Learning About Preferences

   • 你喜欢什么音乐？(Nǐ xǐhuān shénme yīnyuè?)
   • Translation: What kind of music do you like?

4. Asking Why

   • 你为什么来这里？(Nǐ wèishénme lái zhèlǐ?)
   • Translation: Why did you come here?

5. Wondering About Food

   • 有什么好吃的？(Yǒu shénme hǎochī de?)
   • Translation: What is there to eat?

6. Curious About Activities

   • 你在做什么？(Nǐ zài zuò shénme?)
   • Translation: What are you doing?

7. Getting Information About People

   • 她是谁？(Tā shì shéi?)
   • Translation: Who is she?

(Note: This question uses the word "谁" (shéi), which means “who.”)

Important Grammar Tips

• In Mandarin, the usual order of a sentence is Subject-Verb-Object.
• You need special words called measure words (like 个 (gè), 本 (běn), and 只 (zhī)) when talking about amounts or types of things.
• To ask yes or no questions, you can add the word 吗 (ma). Use 什么 or 哪 (nǎ) when you want to ask about things or choices.
• To say “no,” you can use 不 (bù) for general refusals and 没 (méi) for things that happened before.
• Some words like 了 (le) show that something is done, while 着 (zhe) shows that something is still happening.

Using 什么 will help you get better at speaking Mandarin. Give these question forms a try!