How to use 怎么
怎么 + Verb ?
怎么 asks about the method or means of carrying out an action. Put it before the verb whose method you want to know. The subject, when stated, normally remains before 怎么, and the object stays after the verb. Chinese therefore keeps much of the ordinary statement order when forming this question.
The subject can disappear when it is obvious or when the question asks generally how something should be done. The answer should supply a method, route, tool, or other relevant procedure. Because 怎么 already marks the question, a normal information question does not also require 吗. Context matters: 怎么 can ask why in other situations, rather than requesting instructions.
Examples with pinyin and English
你们怎么学中文？
How do you study Chinese?
你怎么上班？坐地铁吗？
How do you get to work? By metro?
What to remember
- Put 怎么 immediately before the action.
- Leave the object after its verb.
- Method questions do not need 吗.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. 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.