用疑问代词提问

**What it means:** Chinese interrogative pronouns (疑问代词) ask for specific information — a person, a thing, a place, a manner, or a quantity. Unlike English, where you move the question word to the front ("What do you want?" vs. "You want what?"), Chinese keeps normal sentence order. The question word simply slots into the position of the unknown element.

**Key question words at HSK 1:** - 什么 (shénme) — what (for things, actions, types) - 谁 (shéi / shuí) — who - 哪儿 / 哪里 (nǎr / nǎlǐ) — where - 怎么 (zěnme) — how (manner) - 几 (jǐ) — how many (small numbers, usually under 10) - 多少 (duōshao) — how many / how much (any number, price)

**When to use:** Use whenever you need specific information — not just a yes/no answer.

**When NOT to use:** - NEVER combine a question word with 吗 in the same sentence (你去哪儿吗？is WRONG). - Do NOT add 吗 to these questions — the question word is already enough.

**Common mistakes:** - Moving the question word to the front of the sentence like English: 什么你想买？ is WRONG. Say 你想买什么？ - Mixing question words with 吗: 你买什么吗？ is WRONG.

**Special note on 几 vs 多少:** - 几 + measure word: 你买几个苹果？ (a few items expected) - 多少 (no measure word needed): 这个多少钱？ (asking price or large amounts)