Your learning plan · Continue · Review →
שאלו מה ומי
הוצגהמיקום המנוהל נשמר בדפדפן הזה. המשך אינו משלים את השיעור או עונה על שאלותיו.
A book or a person?
-
这是what什么？ Zhè shì shénme? — What is this?
-
this这to be / is是who谁？ Zhè shì shéi? — Who is this? this这 zhè means this; who谁 asks about a person.
-
Before you start: Recall a name question from introductions and an identity check from (yes/no ?)吗 questions. Decide what information is missing before answering.
A question requests someone’s name rather than checking an identity. Which reply supplies the requested kind of information?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
我叫李明 supplies a name. 是 only confirms a proposition and 我不是老师 denies an identity. Different question types need different information.
Keep the information slot
- Compare this这to be / is是book书。 — This is a book. with 这是what什么？ — What is this? what什么 replaces the information you want.
- Compare she / her她to be / is是teacher老师。 with who谁to be / is是teacher老师？ — Who is a teacher? Here who谁 replaces the person, so it is already at the front.
Complete “Who is this?”: 这是____？
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
谁 asks for a person.
Give the requested information
- 这是what什么？ → this这to be / is是book书。 Zhè shì shū. this这to be / is是who谁？ → 这是林安。 Zhè shì Lín Ān.
- A name question needs a name; a what-question needs the thing. Replying to be / is是 alone does not supply that information.
A: this这to be / is是who谁？ B: 这是林安。A: she / her她to be / is是teacher老师(yes/no ?)吗？ B: no不是，she / her她to be / is是student学生。 — Who is this? This is Lin An. Is she a teacher? No, she is a student.
Work through a decision: Begin with 林安是teacher老师。If the missing information is which person is the teacher, replace the person slot with who谁：who谁to be / is是teacher老师？For this这to be / is是book书。, the missing thing follows to be / is是, so 这是what什么？puts what什么 in that slot. Locate the gap rather than moving every question word to one fixed position.
Compare a near miss: to be / is是 confirms an identity check, but it does not name the person requested by who谁to be / is是teacher老师？Answering this这to be / is是book书 to this这to be / is是who谁？supplies a thing when the question asks for a person. Grammatical words can still answer the wrong question.
Someone points at a book and asks 这是什么？ Reply:
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
这是书 supplies the thing requested: a book.
Match each question to a fitting answer.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Each answer supplies the information requested by the question.
The fact is 林安是老师。You want to ask which person is the teacher. Choose the question that replaces the person slot.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
谁 replaces 林安 in 林安是老师, giving 谁是老师？林安是谁？asks who Lin An is instead, while 这是什么？asks about a thing. Match the unknown slot, not just the presence of 谁.
Find the question word
- Play and decide whether the speaker asks about a person or thing.
- who谁 can be read shéi or shuí; this course uses shéi in the examples. what什么 shénme has a second-tone first syllable and a light second syllable.
Do not move a question word solely to imitate English word order. It occupies the information slot in these patterns. That slot can itself be at the start, as in who谁to be / is是teacher老师？
What does the speaker want?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
谁 asks who the person is.
A Chinese question word can be at the beginning if that is the information slot.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
谁是老师？ asks which person is a teacher; 谁 replaces the subject.
王力是学生。林安是老师。问题：谁是老师？Which reply fits this fresh account?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The account assigns 老师 to 林安, so 林安是老师 supplies the requested person. 王力 has the different role 学生. 这是书 answers a different kind of question.
Ask about your surroundings
- Point to a book and ask 这是what什么？ Answer this这to be / is是book书。 Ask about a pictured classmate with this这to be / is是who谁？
- Mix these with the name and identity questions you already know. Choose the question for the information you actually want.
what什么 asks what; who谁 asks who. Keep the question word in the information slot, and answer with the missing information.
Next: put the conversation together.
Later recall: Tomorrow, recall one person question and one thing question without the model. A few days later, make a new role scene and ask who谁to be / is是teacher老师？Check that your reply matches the new facts. Revisit “Keep the information slot” if you move the question word without checking the missing slot.
Build “Who is a teacher?”
Difficulty 3/5 · 200 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The person slot is first: 谁是老师？.
Invent a new Mandarin mini-scene with a named student, a named teacher and a book. Write one 谁 question and fitting answer about a person, then one 什么 question and answer about the book. Say both pairs aloud. Swap the two people’s roles and revise the person answer.
Compare and revise your own wording. Written self-review does not assess pronunciation or conversation quality.