Mandarin Chinese reference
是
shì
to be; yes (when confirming a 是/不是 question)
Verb pattern · 5 form tables
Mandarin verbs do not change for tense. These tables show aspect, negation, questions and sentence patterns. Short phrases omit the subject; full examples retain theirs.
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Aspect
Plain statement
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shìbe |
| noun equals noun | tā shì lǎoshīHe is a teacher |
| where somebody is from | tā shì ZhōngguórénShe is Chinese |
| whose it is | zhè shì wǒ deThis is mine |
| emphasizing one part | wǒ shì zuótiān lái deI came yesterday |
| with an adjective, no 是 | tā hěn mángHe is busy |
Future
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì shìwill be |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bú shìnot be |
| noun equals noun | tā bú shì lǎoshīHe is not a teacher |
| where somebody is from | tā bú shì ZhōngguórénShe is not Chinese |
| whose it is | zhè bú shì wǒ deThis is not mine |
| emphasizing one part | wǒ bú shì zuótiān lái deIt was not yesterday that I came |
| with an adjective, no 是 | tā bù mángHe is not busy |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shì ma?is that so? |
| noun equals noun | tā shì lǎoshī ma?Is he a teacher? |
| where somebody is from | tā shì Zhōngguórén ma?Is she Chinese? |
| whose it is | zhè shì nǐ de ma?Is this yours? |
| emphasizing one part | nǐ shì zuótiān lái de ma?Did you come yesterday? |
| with an adjective, no 是 | tā máng ma?Is he busy? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | shì bu shì?is it so or not? |
| noun equals noun | tā shì bu shì lǎoshī?Is he a teacher? |
| where somebody is from | tā shì bu shì Zhōngguórén?Is she Chinese? |
| whose it is | zhè shì bu shì nǐ de?Is this yours? |
| emphasizing one part | nǐ shì bu shì zuótiān lái de?Did you come yesterday? |
| with an adjective, no 是 | tā máng bu máng?Is he busy? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.