Yes/No Questions with Sentence-Final 無 — Hailu Hakka Grammar

A statement is turned into a yes/no question by adding (momò) at the very end. Nothing else moves: there is no inversion, no auxiliary verb is brought in, and the word order of the statement stands untouched. The particle is the same word that means not elsewhere, so the question it forms is literally … or not?

你有時間無？
ngi rhiuˋ shi gienˋ mongì yiû shì kiên mò
Do you have time?
你係發病仔無？
ngi heˇ bod piang+ er mongì he pot phiång èr mò
Are you sick?
你愛麼个無？
ngi oiˇ maˋ gaiˇ mongì oi mâ kai mò
Is there anything you'd like?

有 at the Front

When the question asks whether something has happened, (rhiuˋyiû) appears before the verb as well, so the verb sits between the two halves of a frame: (rhiuˋyiû) + VERB + (momò). Both ends do work — the first announces that an event is under discussion, the second makes the sentence a question.

你有看著無？
ngi rhiuˋ konˇ doˊ mongì yiû khon tó mò
Did you see it?
你昨晡日有去學校無？
ngi coˋ buˋ ngid rhiuˋ hiˇ hogˋ gauˊ mongì tshô pû ngit yiû hi ho̍k káu mò
Did you go to school yesterday?
你有遮仔無？
ngi rhiuˋ zhaˋ er mongì yiû châ èr mò
Do you have an umbrella?

Answering Without Yes or No

There are no words for yes and no. An answer repeats the verb of the question to agree, or negates that same verb to disagree. A question built on (rhiuˋyiû) is answered with (rhiuˋyiû) or (momò); one built on (heˇhe) is answered with (heˇhe) or (m heˇm̀ he).

無，毋過𠊎有嗽。
mo m goˇ ngai rhiuˋ cugmò m̀ ko ngài yiû tshuk
No, but I have a cough.
無，斯有幾隻。
mo sii+ rhiuˋ giˊ zhagmò sṳ̊ yiû kí chak
No, just a few.

Making a Request

The same particle turns an ability into a polite request. (zoˇ dedtso tet) can before the verb and (momò) at the end together give the everyday way of asking someone to do something, corresponding to English could you …?

你做得看著𠊎無？
ngi zoˇ ded konˇ doˊ ngai mongì tso tet khon tó ngài mò
Can you see me?
你做得打開這隻罐仔無？
ngi zoˇ ded daˊ koiˋ liaˊ zhag gonˇ er mongì tso tet tá khôi liá chak kon èr mò
Can you open this bottle?
你做得降低兜仔無？
ngi zoˇ ded gongˇ daiˋ deuˋ er mongì tso tet kong tâi têu èr mò
Can you lower it a little?

麼个 as 'Anything'

(maˋ gaiˇmâ kai) means what in an ordinary question, but inside a yes/no question or a negative sentence it shifts to any or anything. A sentence may therefore contain (maˋ gaiˇmâ kai) and still close with (momò) without any contradiction: it is asking whether there is anything at all, not what that thing might be.

有麼个問題無？
rhiuˋ maˋ gaiˇ munˇ ti moyiû mâ kai mun thì mò
Is there any problem?
𠊎無麼个錢。
ngai mo maˋ gaiˇ cienngài mò mâ kai tshièn
I don't have any money.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Hailu Hakka course

63 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 18. A few of them, with the words “Yes/No Questions with Sentence-Final 無” is about in bold:

你天光日會轉來無？
ngi tienˋ gongˋ ngid voi+ zhonˊ loi mo?ngì thiên kông ngit vo̊i chón lòi mò?
Will you be back tomorrow?
Lesson 258
你做得再過發一到無？
ngi zoˇ ded zaiˇ goˇ fad rhid doˇ mo?ngì tso tet tsai ko fat yit to mò?
Can you send the message again?
Lesson 426

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