nǐ jìde tā de míngzi ma?

you

Breakdown of nǐ jìde tā de míngzi ma?

• 吗ma: question particle
• 名字míngzi: name
• 的de: possessive particle

Questions & Answers about nǐ jìde tā de míngzi ma?

What does 吗 (ma) do here? Do I need to change word order to make a question?

吗 is a sentence-final particle that turns a statement into a yes–no question. Word order stays the same.

• Statement: 你记得她的名字。
• Question: 你记得她的名字吗？ Without 吗, it’s just a statement. Also, don’t use 吗 in the same sentence with a question word like 什么.

Is the word order the same as English?

Yes. It’s Subject–Verb–Object plus a final particle:

• Subject: 你 (you)
• Verb: 记得 (remember)
• Object: 她的名字 (her name)
• Particle: 吗 So: 你 + 记得 + 她的名字 + 吗？

Is 的 necessary in 她的名字? Can I say 她名字?

Use 的 to mark possession: 她的名字 is the normal form. Dropping 的 (她名字) sounds unnatural here. The 的 can be dropped mainly with close kinship or set terms (e.g., 我妈 for 我的妈妈), but not with 名字.

How do I answer this naturally?