asking
You can now construct both positive and negative statements with all three verbs-to-be and with adjectives. These can be made into questions simply by adding a question tag to the end.
The question tag … châi măi? is added to form a question with the verb-to-be or adjectives. It’s the same for all statements, irrespective of which verb-to-be, or adjective, or positive or negative. So nice and easy to remember!
| … châi măi? | … isn’t it? |
| … châi măi? | … aren’t I? |
| … châi măi? | … isn’t he/she? |
| … châi măi? | … aren’t we/they? |
answering
Answering is as easy as asking – almost! You can just use châi for yes or mâi châi for no, but it can get a bit confusing if the question tag was on the end of a negative statement.
In the case of negative statements, the answer would mean yes, it is not, which is opposite to what you expect from European languages.
Example:
question: He is not here, is he?
answer: yes, (that is correct) he is not here
answer: no, (you are wrong) he is here
Think of it like this: you are making a statement and the question tag is asking for confirmation. So if your statement said something is not, then the answer must be yes, it is not, or no, it is.
| question | yes | no |
|---|---|---|
| nân kheuu John, châi măi? | châi | mâi châi |
| nân bpen dtóe, châi măi? | châi | mâi châi |
| khăo mâi yùu thêe nêe, châi măi? | châi | mâi châi |
| man mâi sŭung, châi măi? | châi | mâi châi |
Let’s get to it! Question tag examples follow for adjectives and for each of the three types of verb-to-be, in both positive and negative form (first 2 positive, second 2 negative in each set).