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

A statement is turned into a yes/no question by adding (moˇmò) 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？
nˇ iuˊ siiˇ gienˊ moˇǹ yû sṳ̀ kiên mò
Do you have time?
你愛麼个無？
nˇ oi maˋ ge moˇǹ oi má ke mò
Is there anything you'd like?

有 at the Front

When the question asks whether something has happened, (iuˊyû) appears before the verb as well, so the verb sits between the two halves of a frame: (iuˊyû) + VERB + (moˇmò). 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？
nˇ iuˊ kon doˋ moˇǹ yû khon tó mò
Did you see it?
你昨晡日有去學校無？
nˇ coˊ buˊ ngidˋ iuˊ hi hog gauˋ moˇǹ chhô pû ngit yû hi ho̍k káu mò
Did you go to school yesterday?

When a noun follows instead of a verb, (iuˊyû) is simply the verb to have, and (moˇmò) at the end still does the asking.

你有遮仔無？
nˇ iuˊ zaˊ eˋ moˇǹ yû châ é 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 (iuˊyû) is answered with (iuˊyû) or (moˇmò); one built on (he) is answered with (he) or (mˇ hem̀ he).

無，毋過𠊎有嗽。
moˇ mˇ go ngaiˇ iuˊ cugmò m̀ ko ngài yû chhu̍k
No, but I have a cough.
無，只有幾隻。
moˇ ziiˋ iuˊ giˋ zagˋmò chṳ́ yû kí chak
No, just a few.

Making a Request

The same particle turns an ability into a polite request. (zo dedˋcho tet) can before the verb and (moˇmò) 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？
nˇ zo dedˋ kon doˋ ngaiˇ moˇǹ cho tet khon tó ngài mò
Can you see me?
你做得打開這隻罐仔無？
nˇ zo dedˋ daˋ koiˊ iaˋ zagˋ gon eˋ moˇǹ cho tet tá khôi yá chak kon é mò
Can you open this bottle?
你做得降低兜仔無？
nˇ zo dedˋ gong daiˊ deuˊ eˋ moˇǹ cho tet kong tâi têu é mò
Can you lower it a little?

麼个 as 'Anything'

(maˋ gemá ke) 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 gemá ke) and still close with (moˇmò) without any contradiction: it is asking whether there is anything at all, not what that thing might be.

有麼个問題無？
iuˊ maˋ ge mun tiˇ moˇyû má ke mun thì mò
Is there any problem?
𠊎無麼个錢。
ngaiˇ moˇ maˋ ge qienˇngài mò má ke chhièn
I don't have any money.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Sixian 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？
nˇ tienˊ gongˊ ngidˋ voi zonˋ loiˇ moˇ?ǹ thiên kông ngit voi chón lòi mò?
Will you be back tomorrow?
Lesson 258
你做得再發一到無？
nˇ zo dedˋ zai fadˋ idˋ do moˇ?ǹ cho tet chai fat yit to mò?
Can you send the message again?
Lesson 426

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