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是不是

Asks to confirm an assumption: isn't it…? / is it that…?

HSK 2HSK 3.0 · 2

S + 是不是 + VP？ | 是不是 + sentence？ | Sentence，是不是？

是不是 is used when the speaker already has a guess and wants it confirmed, like 'isn't it…?' or '…, right?'. It can come before the predicate (你是不是累了？), at the start (是不是要下雨了？) or as a tag at the end (我们八点出发，是不是？). Since it is already an affirmative-negative question, do NOT add 吗. Compared with neutral 吗, 是不是 shows the speaker leans toward 'yes'.

HSK 2–3 listening dialogues, typically in speakers' questions.

Examples

  • 你是不是不舒服？

    Are you not feeling well?

  • 是不是要下雨了？

    Is it about to rain?

  • 我们明天八点出发，是不是？

    We're leaving at eight tomorrow, right?

  • 他是不是已经回家了？

    Has he already gone home?

Exercises

  1. 1.你脸色不好， 生病了？

  2. 2.Choose the correct sentence:

  3. 3.这本书是你的， ？

  4. 4.他今天没来， 忘了？

More grammar points