Sentence pattern · Band 1
什么 · 谁 · 哪儿: question words sit where the answer sits
你是谁？ 这是什么？ 他在哪儿？
English drags the question word to the front: what do you want, where do you live. Mandarin refuses the drag. The question word takes the seat where the answer will sit, so what you want ends in 什么 and where you live ends in 哪儿. Ask 什么 for things, 谁 for people and 哪儿 for places.
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Mistakes people make
The question word stays in the slot where the answer will land; English drags it to the front, Mandarin keeps it home.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 疑问词：什么、谁、哪儿 mean?
English drags the question word to the front: what do you want, where do you live. Mandarin refuses the drag. The question word takes the seat where the answer will sit, so what you want ends in 什么 and where you live ends in 哪儿. Ask 什么 for things, 谁 for people and 哪儿 for places.
How do you build it?
你是谁？ 这是什么？ 他在哪儿？
What is the most common mistake?
什么你想吃？ → 你想吃什么？
The question word stays in the slot where the answer will land; English drags it to the front, Mandarin keeps it home.
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