Mandarin Chinese: Asking About Someone's Family with 有 and 做
Learn to ask a Mandarin speaker whether they have siblings and what their parents do, using 有 (yǒu) questions, 吗 (ma), and 做什么 (zuò shénme), while showing genuine interest.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In Mandarin, asking about someone's family is built on a few very regular patterns. To ask whether someone has siblings, use the verb 有 (yǒu, 'to have') plus the question particle 吗 (ma): 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ To ask what someone does for work, use 做 (zuò, 'to do') with 什么 (shénme, 'what'): 你爸爸做什么？ Notice that Mandarin has no articles like 'a' or 'the', no verb conjugation, and no plural ending on nouns, so 兄弟姐妹 (xiōngdì jiěmèi) stays the same whether one sibling or several are involved. This lesson keeps you on the asking side of the conversation: question forms, follow-up questions, and short reactions that show you are listening.
By the end, you can…
- ask a Mandarin speaker whether they have siblings using 你有兄弟姐妹吗？
- ask what someone's parents do using 你爸爸做什么？ and 你妈妈做什么？
- use 吗 (ma) and question words such as 什么 (shénme) to form simple family questions.
- respond with short interested follow-ups such as 真的吗？ and 很好。
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
你有兄弟姐妹吗？
Do you have any siblings?
nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma
The standard polite way to ask whether someone has brothers and sisters. 兄弟姐妹 covers both, so it works even if the person has only one sibling.
你爸爸做什么？
What does your father do?
nǐ bàba zuò shénme
Asks about a parent's work. 做什么 literally means 'do what'; it is the normal way to ask about someone's job.
你妈妈做什么？
What does your mother do?
nǐ māma zuò shénme
Same pattern as 你爸爸做什么？, with 妈妈 (māma, mother). You can also say 你父母做什么？ (nǐ fùmǔ zuò shénme) to ask about both parents at once.
你有几个兄弟姐妹？
How many siblings do you have?
nǐ yǒu jǐ ge xiōngdì jiěmèi
Use 几 (jǐ, how many) when you expect a small number. The measure word 个 (ge) is required between 几 and the noun. Note that 兄弟姐妹 is a collective term; if you want to count only brothers or only sisters, use 兄弟 or 姐妹 instead.
真的吗？
Really?
zhēn de ma
A short, friendly reaction that shows interest. It invites the other person to say more without asking a new question.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern for asking about possession is 你有 + noun + 吗？ For example, 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ (Do you have siblings?) and 你有孩子吗？ (Do you have children?). The particle 吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question, so word order does not change. For information questions, replace the unknown part with a question word and do not add 吗: 你爸爸做什么？ (What does your father do?) and 你有几个兄弟姐妹？ (How many siblings do you have?). In the second example, 几 (how many) already makes it a question, so 吗 is unnecessary and would sound wrong.
When to use it
Use 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ with someone you have just met or are getting to know, for example at a language exchange or over dinner. It is neutral and polite. Use 你爸爸做什么？ or 你妈妈做什么？ when the conversation has already turned to family; asking about a job is a common way to show interest. If you want to be slightly more formal, say 你父母做什么？ (What do your parents do?). After the answer, respond with 真的吗？ or 很好 (hěn hǎo, very good) rather than immediately asking another question, so the other person has room to continue.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你有兄弟姐妹吗？
Do you have any siblings?nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma有，我有一个哥哥和一个妹妹。
Yes, I have an older brother and a younger sister.yǒu, wǒ yǒu yí ge gēge hé yí ge mèimei真的吗？你哥哥做什么？
Really? What does your older brother do?zhēn de ma? nǐ gēge zuò shénme他是老师。你爸爸做什么？
He is a teacher. What does your father do?tā shì lǎoshī. nǐ bàba zuò shénmeA little context goes a long way
Family questions are common in Mandarin conversation, but timing matters. Asking 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ early is usually fine; asking about income or marital status can feel intrusive until you know someone better. When someone answers, a short 真的吗？ or 很好 keeps the tone warm. If you are unsure whether a question is welcome, you can soften it with 我可以问吗？ (kěyǐ wèn ma, 'May I ask?').
One thing to watch for
Adding 吗 to a question that already contains a question word, as in 你爸爸做什么吗？
Try this instead: Use either 吗 or a question word, not both. Say 你爸爸做什么？ (What does your father do?) for an information question, or 你爸爸是老师吗？ (Is your father a teacher?) for a yes/no question.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask a new acquaintance whether they have siblings?
Show a sample answer
你有兄弟姐妹吗？
This uses 你有 + 兄弟姐妹 + 吗, the standard yes/no question pattern. 你有哥哥姐姐吗？ is also acceptable if you specifically mean older siblings.
2Translate: 'What does your mother do?'
Show a sample answer
你妈妈做什么？
你妈妈做什么？ follows the pattern person + 做什么. 你母亲做什么？ is a more formal alternative, but 妈妈 is more common in everyday speech.
3Someone says 我有一个哥哥. What short reaction shows interest?
Show a sample answer
真的吗？
真的吗？ (Really?) invites the speaker to continue and shows you are listening. 很好 or 不错 also work as positive reactions.
To ask about someone's family in Mandarin, keep it simple: 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ for siblings, and 你爸爸做什么？ or 你妈妈做什么？ for parents' work. Use 吗 for yes/no questions, use question words like 什么 and 几 without 吗, and follow up with 真的吗？ to show real interest.
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