Many Chinese learners are told that 吗 (ma) is used at the end to form a question. However, this statement is not always correct even when creating basic questions.\
When to Add 吗 (ma)
吗 (ma) needs to be added at the end of a yes-no question only.
When Not to Add 吗 (ma)
For questions like “Where are you?”, “What time is it?”, there is no need to add 吗 (ma).
Let’s have a look at some examples:
你喜欢上海吗？
Nǐ xǐhuan Shànghǎi ma?
Do you like Shanghai?
他有中文名字吗?
Tā yǒu Zhōngwén míngzi ma?
Does he have a Chinese name?
你在哪里？*
Nǐ zài nǎlǐ?
Where are you?
*吗 (ma) is not needed in this case as this is not a yes-no question.
