你好吗？
When to use
This phrase is typically used after an initial greeting like '你好'. It's a polite way to inquire about someone's condition or how they are doing.
How it works
This is a standard question structure for well-being: Pronoun + Adjective + Particle. **Productive Chunk:** 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) - 'How are you?'. This is a very common conversational phrase.
- 你 (nǐ): you (pronoun)
- 好 (hǎo): good, well (adjective)
- 吗 (ma): question particle (turns a statement into a yes/no question)
Grammar Focus
The particle 吗 is crucial for forming yes/no questions. It attaches to the end of a statement to turn it into a question. The phrase literally means 'Are you good?'. While common, in very casual settings, Chinese speakers might use other greetings or skip this question.
Notes
A common follow-up greeting after 'Hello', asking about well-being.