In English, the word “yes” is used consistently to express agreement or approval. “Do you want to go to the movies with me?” “Yes.” “Do you like chocolate ice cream?” “Yes.” “Is this your lost wallet?” “Yes!”
In Chinese, however, there are several different ways to express agreement or approval. If you are just beginning your study of the Chinese language, you may assume that the positive answer to any question is 是 (shì). But it’s just not that simple. After you have been communicating with Chinese people for a while, you may be surprised to find that they frequently express “yes” in various ways and that there is really no direct equivalent of “yes” in Chinese.
Common Expressions for Saying “Yes” in Chinese
是 (shì) / 是的 (shì de)
This is a straightforward way to say “yes,” often used to confirm facts or identities.
e.g.
A: 你是XXX吗？(Nǐ shì XXX ma?) Are you XXX?
B: 是/是的。(Shì de.) Yes.
A: 这是你的书吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de shū ma?) Is this your book?
B: 是/是的。(Shì de.) Yes.
A: 你是老师吗？(Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?) Are you a teacher?
B: 是/是的，我是老师。(Shì de, wǒ shì lǎoshī) Yes.
A: 你喜欢运动吗？(Nǐ xǐhuān yùndòng ma?) Do you like sports?
B: 是的,我喜欢运动。(Shì de, wǒ xǐhuān yùndòng.) Yes.
有 (yǒu)
This word is used to affirm possession or existence.
e.g.
A: 你有狗吗？(Nǐ yǒu gǒu ma?) Do you have a dog?
B: 有，我有三只。(Yǒu, wǒ yǒu sān zhī.) Yes, I have three.
A: 你有弟弟吗？(Nǐ yǒu dìdì ma?) Do you have a younger brother?
B: 有，我有两个。(Yǒu, wǒ yǒu liǎng gè.) Yes, I have two.
A: 这里有空位吗？(Zhè lǐ yǒu kòng wèi ma?) Is there a vacant seat here?
B: 有。(Yǒu.) Yes.
A: 你们餐厅有牛肉面吗？(Nǐmen cāntīng yǒu niúròu miàn ma?) Does your restaurant serve beef noodles?
B: 有。(Yǒu.) Yes, we do.
对 (duì)
This word can be used to indicate agreement or correctness.
e.g.
A: 你是不是很喜欢狗？(Nǐ shì bú shì hěn xǐhuān gǒu?) You really like dogs, don’t you?
B: 对。(Duì.) Yeah.
A: 你在学中文，对吗？(Nǐ zài xué zhōngwén, duì ma?) You’re learning Chinese, right?
B: 对。(Duì.) That’s right.
A: 我觉得她很聪明，你觉得呢？(Wǒ juéde tā hěn cōngmíng, nǐ juéde ne?) I think she’s very smart. What about you?
B: 对，我也这么觉得。(Duì, wǒ yě zhème juéde.) Right, I think so too.
A: 这个答案是对的吧？(Zhège dá’àn shì duì de ba?) This answer is correct, right?
B: 对。(Duì.) Correct.
行 (xíng)
A casual way to say “okay” or “sure.”
e.g.
A: 我明天给你钱行不行？(Wǒ míngtiān gěi nǐ qián xíng bù xíng?) Can I give you the money tomorrow?
B: 行。(Xíng.) Sure.
A: 你今天晚上七点来接我，行不行？(Nǐ jīntiān wǎnshàng qī diǎn lái jiē wǒ, xíng bù xíng?) Can you pick me up at 7 pm tonight?
B: 行。(Xíng.) Sure.
A: 我们换个地方吃饭，行吗？(Wǒmen huàn gè dìfāng chīfàn, xíng ma?) Can we eat somewhere else?
B: 行。(Xíng.) Okay.
A: 你把这个任务完成，行吧？(Nǐ bǎ zhège rènwù wánchéng, xíng ba?) Can you finish this task?
B: 行。(Xíng.) Sure thing.
可以 (kě yǐ)
It means “yes” in the sense of permission or possibility or affirming ability.
e.g.
A: 我可以进来吗？(Wǒ kě yǐ jìnlái ma?) May I come in?
B: 可以。(Kě yǐ.) Yes.
A: 我可以用一下你的电脑吗？(Wǒ kěyǐ yòng yīxià nǐ de diànnǎo ma?) Can I use your computer?
B: 可以。(Kě yǐ.) Yes.
A: 这件衣服可以试穿吗？(Zhè jiàn yīfú kěyǐ shìchuān ma?) Can I try on this clothing?
B: 可以。(Kě yǐ.) Yes, you can.
A: 我可以坐这里吗？(Wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèlǐ ma?) May I sit here?
B: 可以。(Kě yǐ.) Sure.
当然 (dāngrán)
This means “of course,” often used for strong affirmations.
e.g.
A: 你喜欢男人吧？(Nǐ xǐhuān nánrén ba?) You like men, right?
B: 当然。(Dāngrán.) Of course.
A: 你喜欢看电影吧？(Nǐ xǐhuān kàn diànyǐng ba?) You like watching movies, right?
B: 当然！(Dāngrán!) Of course!
A: 如果我有问题，可以问你吗？(Rúguǒ wǒ yǒu wèntí, kěyǐ wèn nǐ ma?) If I have questions, can I ask you?
B: 当然！(Dāngrán!) Certainly!
A: 你会帮我完成这个任务吧？(Nǐ huì bāng wǒ wánchéng zhège rènwù ba?) You’ll help me complete this task, right?
B: 当然！(Dāngrán!) Of course I will!
The extended phrases to express “Yes” in Chinese
嗯 (en)
A casual and conversational way to agree, similar to “yep” in English.
e.g.
A: 你是美国人吗？(Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?) Are you American?
B: 嗯。(En.) Yep.
A: 你去过北京吗？(Nǐ qù guò Běijīng ma?) Have you been to Beijing?
B: 嗯。(En.) Yep.
A: 今天天气很好，对吧？(Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo, duì ba?) The weather is great today, right?
B: 嗯，很适合晒太阳。(En, hěn shìhé shài tàiyáng.) Yep, very suitable for sunbathing.
A: 你今天有时间吗？(Nǐ jīntiān yǒu shíjiān ma?) Do you have time today?
B: 嗯。什么事？(En. Shénme shì?) Yep. What’s up?
好啊 (hǎo a)
A friendly way to agree to requests or proposals or show willingness.
e.g.
A: 你明天下午和我吃饭，好不好？(Nǐ míngtiān xiàwǔ hé wǒ chīfàn, hǎo bù hǎo?) Want to have lunch with me tomorrow afternoon?
B: 好啊。吃什么？(Hǎo a. Chī shénme?) Sure. What do you want to eat?
A: 我们周末去爬山，好吗？(Wǒmen zhōumò qù páshān, hǎo ma?) Let’s go hiking this weekend, okay?
B: 好啊。(Hǎo a.) Sure.
A: 你能帮我看一下这个文件吗？(Nǐ néng bāng wǒ kàn yīxià zhège wénjiàn ma?) Can you help me check this document?
B: 好啊，没问题。(Hǎo a, méi wèntí.) Sure, no problem.
A: 我们一起学习吧，好不好？(Wǒmen yīqǐ xuéxí ba, hǎo bù hǎo?) Let’s study together, shall we?
B: 好啊。(Hǎo a.) Okay.
没错 (méi cuò)
It means “exactly” or “that’s right,” often used to affirm opinions.
e.g.
A: 我觉得Monica喜欢Alan。(Wǒ juéde Monica xǐhuān Alan.) I think Monica likes Alan.
B: 没错，我也觉得！(Méi cuò, wǒ yě juéde.) Exactly, I think so too!
A: 上海的交通越来越方便了。(Shànghǎi de jiāotōng yuèláiyuè fāngbiàn le.) Shanghai’s transportation is getting more convenient.
B: 没错。(Méi cuò.) Exactly.
A: 他一定很努力才能取得好成绩。(Tā yīdìng hěn nǔlì cáinéng qǔdé hǎo chéngjī.) He must have worked hard to get good grades.
B: 没错。(Méi cuò.) That’s right.
A: 这个地方真的很漂亮。(Zhège dìfāng zhēn de hěn piàoliang.) This place is really beautiful.
B: 没错。(Méi cuò.) Totally.
没问题 (méi wèntí)
It’s like English “no problem” when agreeing to do something. It’s usually used to show willingness or agreement to fulfill a request.
e.g.
A: 你能帮我买一杯拿铁吗？(Nǐ néng bāng wǒ mǎi yī bēi nátiě ma?) Can you buy me a latte?
B: 没问题，大杯的？(Méi wèntí, dà bēi de?) No problem. Grande size?
A: 你可以帮我搬一下椅子吗？(Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ bān yīxià yǐzi ma?) Can you help me move the chair?
B: 没问题。(Méi wèntí.) No problem.
A: 明天我请假，你帮我和老板说一声可以吗？(Míngtiān wǒ qǐngjià, nǐ bāng wǒ hé lǎobǎn shuō yī shēng kěyǐ ma?) Can you let the boss know I’ll take a day off tomorrow?
B: 没问题。(Méi wèntí.) Sure.
A: 你能教我这个语法吗？(Nǐ néng jiāo wǒ zhège yǔfǎ ma?) Can you teach me this grammar?
B: 没问题。(Méi wèntí.) Of course.
妥妥的 (tuǒ tuǒ de)
A colloquial phrase meaning “it’s settled” or “all good.”
e.g.
A: 这个工作就交给你了。(Zhè gè gōngzuò jiù jiāo gěi nǐ le.) This task is yours now.
B: 妥妥的。(Tuǒ tuǒ de.) It’s settled.
A: 你能把这个报告整理好吗？(Nǐ néng bǎ zhège bàogào zhěnglǐ hǎo ma?) Can you organize this report?
B: 妥妥的。(Tuǒ tuǒ de.) Consider it done.
A: 我把这件事交给你，没问题吧？(Wǒ bǎ zhè jiàn shì jiāo gěi nǐ, méi wèntí ba?) I’m handing this task to you. No problem, right?
B: 妥妥的。(Tuǒ tuǒ de.) Absolutely.
A: 这个计划可以按时完成吗？(Zhège jìhuà kěyǐ àn shí wánchéng ma?) Can this plan be completed on time?
B: 妥妥的。(Tuǒ tuǒ de.) For sure!
Affirmative Responses in Yes-No Questions
Chinese often uses the question’s key word to affirm. This depends on whether the verb or adjective in the question matches the response. One is “main statement + 吗 (ma)?”, and the other is “subject + V不(bu)V + ……?” To answer questions such as these in the affirmative, all you need to do is to repeat the key word. (Key words can be modal verbs such as 能 (néng)，会 (hùi)，可以 (kě yǐ), normal verbs such as 吃 (chī)，喝 (hē)，睡 (shùi), or adjectives such as 好(hǎo)，新(xīn)，丑(chǒu) etc.)
e.g.
A: 你吃不吃水果？(Nǐ chī bù chī shuǐguǒ?) Do you want to eat fruit?
B: 吃！(Chī!) Yes, I do!
A: 你能不能帮我？(Nǐ néng bù néng bāng wǒ?) Can you help me?
B: 能！(Néng!) Yes, I can!
Comments (0)