是不是 vs 有没有 (shì bù shì vs yǒu méi yǒu): A-not-A questions for identity and possession
Both 是不是 and 有没有 are A-not-A question forms, but they serve different purposes. 是不是 asks whether something is true (identity, state, or action), often with the speaker already assuming the answer is likely; 有没有 asks about existence or possession, and also forms perfective questions with verbs (e.g., 'have you done something?').
In Mandarin Chinese, A-not-A questions are formed by repeating the verb in its affirmative and negative forms. 是不是 is the A-not-A form of the verb 是 (to be), so it asks about identity, classification, or whether an action/state holds true. 有没有 is the A-not-A form of 有 (to have / there is), so it asks about possession, existence, or whether an action has been completed. The two are not interchangeable: using 是不是 for possession or existence (e.g., '你是不是书？') is incorrect; using 有没有 for identity (e.g., '你有没有老师？' to mean 'Are you a teacher?') is also wrong.
When to use each
Use 是不是 when you want to ask whether something is true, especially when you have a prior assumption and just need confirmation. It can be used with nouns (是不是老师?), adjectives (是不是漂亮?), and verbs (是不是去?). It is also common as a tag question at the end of a statement.
Unlike the neutral question particle 吗, 是不是 often implies that the speaker already believes the statement to be true and is seeking verification. For example, 你是不是去? suggests 'You are going, right?'
Use 有没有 to ask about existence (有没有问题? 'Is there a problem?') or possession (你有没有钱? 'Do you have money?'). It can also precede a verb to ask whether an action has been performed (你有没有吃饭? 'Have you eaten?') — this is the perfective use.
When used with a verb, 有没有 forms a perfective question asking if the action has occurred. This is different from the simple A-not-A form of the verb itself (e.g., 你去不去? 'Are you going?') which asks about future or habitual action.
At a glance
| 是不是 | 有没有 | |
|---|---|---|
| Core meaning | Asks whether something is true (identity/state/action) | Asks about existence or possession; perfective aspect with verbs |
| Used with nouns | Yes — e.g., 是不是学生? 'Is (s/he) a student?' | No — 有没有学生? means 'Are there students?' (existence), not identity |
| Used with adjectives | Yes — e.g., 是不是大? 'Is it big?' (confirmation) | No — 有没有大? is incorrect |
| Used with verbs (general) | Yes — e.g., 是不是去? 'Are you going?' (confirmation of action) | Yes, but only for perfective aspect — e.g., 有没有去? 'Did you go? Have you gone?' |
| Presupposition | Often carries a presupposition that the statement is true | More neutral regarding truth value |
Examples
- 是不是你是不是老师？Nǐ shì bù shì lǎoshī?Are you a teacher? (I think you are; just checking.)Asks for confirmation of identity.
- 是不是这本书是不是你的？Zhè běn shū shì bù shì nǐ de?Is this book yours? (Presumes it is.)Used with a possessive structure.
- 有没有你有没有钱？Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu qián?Do you have money?Asking about possession.
- 有没有这里有没有厕所？Zhèlǐ yǒu méi yǒu cèsuǒ?Is there a toilet here?Asking about existence.
- 有没有你有没有吃饭？Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu chīfàn?Have you eaten?Perfective use with a verb.
- 是不是你是不是喜欢她？Nǐ shì bù shì xǐhuān tā?Do you like her? (I suspect you do.)Used with a stative verb to seek confirmation.
Common mistakes
- Using 有没有 instead of 是不是 for identity: e.g., '你有没有老师?' to mean 'Are you a teacher?' — 有没有老师 means 'Do you have a teacher?'
- Using 是不是 instead of 有没有 for possession: e.g., '你是不是书?' to mean 'Do you have a book?' — 是不是书 means 'Is it a book?'
- Using 有没有 before an adjective to form a yes-no question: e.g., '有没有大?' — incorrect; must use 是不是大? or 大不大?
- Confusing the perfective 有没有 + verb with simple verb A-not-A: e.g., '你昨天有没有去？' is fine, but '你昨天有没有去？' asks 'Did you go yesterday?' not 'Are you going today?'
FAQ
- When do I use 是不是 vs 没有？
- Use 是不是 when you want to ask whether something is true (identity, state, or action), often with the assumption that it is true (e.g., 你是不是学生？ 'You are a student, right?'). Use 有没有 to ask about existence/possession (有没有钱？ 'Do you have money?') or to form perfective questions about completed actions (有没有去？ 'Have you gone?').
- What is the difference between 是不是 and 吗 questions?
- A 吗 question (e.g., 你是学生吗？) is neutral — it simply asks for information without presupposing the answer. A 是不是 question often implies that the speaker assumes the answer is 'yes' and seeks confirmation. So 你是不是学生？ suggests 'You are a student, aren't you?' while 你是学生吗？ is a genuine open question.
- Can 有没有 be used with any verb?
- Yes, but only to ask whether an action has been completed (perfective). For example, 你有没有吃饭？ 'Have you eaten?' But for simple yes-no about a present or future action, use the verb's own A-not-A form (e.g., 你去不去？ 'Are you going?'), not 有没有.
- How do I ask 'Do you have a car?' — is it 你是不是车？?
- No, that would mean 'Is it a car?' or 'Are you a car?' The correct form is 你有没有车？ because possession uses 有. For identity, use 是不是.