How to use 是否
Subject + 是否 + predicate
是否 expresses a yes-or-no alternative in a compact, relatively formal form. It can introduce a direct question or an embedded question about whether something is true. The predicate may describe an action, condition, ability, or judgment. This makes 是否 common in surveys, written inquiries, decisions, and discussions where the truth of a proposition remains open.
Place 是否 before the relevant predicate and keep any necessary modal or aspect wording inside that predicate. It already supplies the question alternative, so a separate affirmative-negative pattern is usually unnecessary. Compared with everyday 是不是, it often sounds more written. Interpret embedded clauses according to the main verb, such as asking, checking, or deciding whether the situation holds.
Examples with pinyin and English
你是否愿意参加？
Are you willing to take part?
是否 forms a formal yes-or-no question before the predicate.
请确认会议是否已经取消。
Please confirm whether the meeting has been canceled.
The whether clause is embedded after 确认.
我们还不知道这个办法是否有效。
We do not yet know whether this method is effective.
是否 can precede a descriptive predicate.
What to remember
- Use 是否 before the proposition being questioned.
- Allow direct questions or embedded whether clauses.
- Avoid doubling it with an unnecessary question alternative.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation and examples written for Laowai using the grammar curriculum as a topic reference. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.