Question Words

01

The Words

Six words cover most of the ground, and they are not six unrelated shapes. Two elements recur across them: 麼 opens what and who, 哪 opens where and when, and why is built transparently as do-what. Two more, for quantity, come further down.

• 麼个 (maˋ gemá ke) — what
• 麼人 (maˋ nginˇmá ngìn) — who
• 哪位 (nai vi) — where
• 哪央時 (nai iongˊ siiˇnai yông sṳ̀) — when
• 做麼个 (zo maˋ gecho má ke) — why
• 仰仔 (ngiongˋ eˇngióng è) — how

• 聽麼人个歌仔？

  tangˊ maˋ nginˇ ge goˊ eˋthâng má ngìn ke kô é

  Whose songs are you listening to?

• 你愛去哪位？

  nˇ oi hi nai viǹ oi hi nai vi

  Where do you want to go?

• 你做麼个無頭路？

  nˇ zo maˋ ge moˇ teuˇ luǹ cho má ke mò thèu lu

  Why don't you have a job?

02

Before a Noun

麼个 (maˋ gemá ke) can also stand in front of a noun to ask which thing or what kind is meant, where English uses what or which followed by the noun.

• 你安到麼个名？

  nˇ onˊ do maˋ ge miangˇǹ ôn to má ke miàng

  What is your name?

• 你兜會講麼个語言？

  nˇ deuˊ voi gongˋ maˋ ge ngiˊ ngienˇǹ têu voi kóng má ke ngî ngièn

  What languages can you speak?

• 你想愛麼个色目个鞋？

  nˇ xiongˋ oi maˋ ge sedˋ mugˋ ge haiˇǹ sióng oi má ke set muk ke hài

  What color of shoes do you want?

03

Asking How

仰仔 (ngiongˋ eˇngióng è) asks after manner or condition. Before a verb it asks how something is done; standing after a noun it asks what something is like, and is the ordinary way of asking after someone's health or opinion.

• 用葡萄牙語愛仰仔講「恁仔細」？

  iung puˇ toˇ ngaˇ ngiˊ oi ngiongˋ eˇ gongˋ anˋ ziiˋ seyung phù thò ngà ngî oi ngióng è kóng án chṳ́ se

  How do you say 'thank you' in Portuguese?

• 飯菜仰仔？

  fan coi ngiongˋ eˇfan chhoi ngióng è

  How's the food?

• 你試著仰仔？

  nˇ cii doˋ ngiongˋ eˇǹ chhṳ tó ngióng è

  How do you feel?

04

Asking How Much

幾多 (giˋ doˊkí tô) asks about number, amount or price and is followed by whatever is being counted. 幾 (giˋkí) on its own goes in front of an adjective to ask how big, how long or how old something is, with the adjective naming the dimension.

• 這隻愛幾多錢？

  iaˋ zagˋ oi giˋ doˊ qienˇyá chak oi kí tô chhièn

  How much does this cost?

• 佢幾多歲了？

  giˇ giˋ doˊ se leˋkì kí tô se lé

  How old is she?

• 這領T恤有幾大？

  iaˋ liangˊ T xidˋ iuˊ giˋ taiyá liâng T sit yû kí thai

  How big is this T-shirt?

05

No Question Particle Needed

A sentence that already contains a question word does not also take a question particle at the end. The question word by itself is enough to mark the sentence as a question, and adding 無 (moˇmò) as well would turn it into a different sort of question altogether.

• 你哪央時下班？

  nˇ nai iongˊ siiˇ haˊ banˊǹ nai yông sṳ̀ hâ pân

  What time do you finish work?

06

The Same Words as 'Any'

Outside a direct question these words shift to an indefinite sense. 麼个 (maˋ gemá ke) becomes anything in a negative sentence or a yes/no question, which is why it can turn up in a sentence that is not asking what at all.

• 𠊎無麼个錢。

  ngaiˇ moˇ maˋ ge qienˇngài mò má ke chhièn

  I don't have any money.

• 有麼个問題無？

  iuˊ maˋ ge mun tiˇ moˇyû má ke mun thì mò

  Is there any problem?