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Questions & Answers about nǐ zài jiā ma?
How do I pronounce the whole sentence?
Pinyin: nǐ zài jiā ma?
Tones: 3-4-1-(neutral). The particle 吗 is neutral (light and short). Avoid pronouncing it as a full tone like mǎ/má/mà.
What does the particle 吗 do here?
吗 turns a statement into a yes–no question. Word order stays the same as the statement: 你在家 + 吗. Do not add 吗 to questions that already use a question word (who/what/where, etc.) or to the A-not-A pattern.
Why isn’t there a verb like English to be (是)?
For locations, Chinese uses 在 to mean “to be (located) at/in.” So “You are at home” is 你在家, not 你是在家 (the latter is only for emphasis/contrast).
What exactly is 在 here—verb or preposition?
Here 在 is the main verb meaning “to be located at.” Pattern: Subject + 在 + Place.
It can also act like a coverb before another verb: 我在家工作 “I work at home.”
Do I need 里 after 家 (i.e., 在家里)?
Both 在家 and 在家里 are fine. 在家 is very common and neutral; 在家里 slightly emphasizes “inside the house” as a physical space.
Can I drop any words?
- Dropping the subject is common in context: 在家吗？ “(Are you) at home?”
- You cannot drop 在 here; 你家吗？ is not a natural yes–no question.
- Dropping 家 changes the meaning: 你在吗？ means “Are you there/available?” (not specifically at home).
How do I answer this naturally?
- Yes: 在。 / 我在（家）。
- No: 不在。 / 我不在家。
Add details if you like: 我不在家，我在公司。 Note the tone sandhi: 不在 is pronounced bú zài.
Is 你在不在家？ the same as 你在家吗？?
Meaning is the same (yes–no). 你在不在家？ uses the A-not-A pattern (verb 在 + 不在). It often feels a bit more direct/informal, like “Are you at home or not?”
What’s the difference between ending with 吗 and 呢 (e.g., 你在家呢？)?
- 吗: neutral yes–no question.
- 呢: indicates an ongoing state or invites continuation/confirmation; 你在家呢？ can sound like “So, you’re at home (right)?” or “You’re at home, then what…?” It’s softer and assumes/echoes a context.
Do I need to say “right now,” e.g., 你现在在家吗？?
If the time is clear from context, 你在家吗？ usually implies “now.” Add 现在 to make the time explicit: 你现在在家吗？
Is 你是在家吗？ correct?
Yes, but it’s emphatic/contrastive: “Are you at home (as opposed to somewhere else)?” Use it when clarifying or correcting an assumption, not for a neutral inquiry.
Does 家 mean “home” or “family” here?
Here 家 means “home/house.” For “family (members),” use 家人. To specify whose home, say 在你家/在他家.
Any notes on spacing and punctuation?
Chinese is written without spaces between characters. The standard form is 你在家吗？ using the Chinese question mark ？.