Yes/no questions with ですか

～ですか ~ desu ka Is it...? (yes/no questions)

Add か (ka) to the end of a sentence and it becomes a question. Japanese keeps the word order. English moves "be" to the front.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Sentence basics
English links: yes/no questions, short answers, word order

What it means

To make a yes/no question, add か to the end. 学生です (I am a student) becomes 学生ですか (Are you a student?). Nothing else moves.

か does the job of a question mark, so formal writing often ends with 。 and not ？. In speech, your voice goes up a little at the end. With friends, people often drop か and just use the rising voice: 学生？

To answer yes, say はい、そうです (Yes, that's right). To answer no, say いいえ、違います (No, that's wrong), or give the negative: いいえ、学生ではありません.

Be careful with negative questions. はい means "what you said is right", not "the positive is true". So 学生じゃないですか？はい means "Right, I'm not a student". In English that is "No, I'm not". This catches many students, and many teachers too.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
A は B ですか A wa B desu ka	Add か to the end. The word order does not change.
はい、そうです hai, sou desu	Yes, that's right.
いいえ、違います iie, chigaimasu	No, that's wrong. Or use the negative: いいえ、B ではありません.
B？ (rising voice) B? (rising voice)	Plain and casual, with friends. No か, just the rising voice.

Examples

田中さんは先生ですか。 tanaka-san wa sensei desu ka. Is Mr Tanaka a teacher?
これはあなたのかばんですか。 kore wa anata no kaban desu ka. Is this your bag?
明日はテストですか。 ashita wa tesuto desu ka. Is there a test tomorrow?
会議は三時ですか。 kaigi wa sanji desu ka. Is the meeting at three?
アメリカ人ですか。いいえ、イギリス人です。 amerikajin desu ka. iie, igirisujin desu. Are you American? No, I'm British.

How English says it

English changes the word order. "You are a teacher" becomes "Are you a teacher?". The verb "be" moves to the front, before the subject. The written question must end with a question mark.

English answers are usually short answers with the subject and "be": "Yes, I am." "No, it isn't." And yes and no follow the facts, not the question. If you are not a student, the answer is "No", however the question is asked.

Why it can make English hard

Japanese keeps the statement order and adds か. Many students do the same in English and write "You are a teacher?" or "This is your bag?".
そうです fits every yes, so some learners answer "Yes, it is so" or just "Yes", and never learn "Yes, I am" or "Yes, they are".
はい and いいえ answer "is what you said right?". With a negative question, students may say "Yes" when they mean "No, I'm not".

Mistakes you will hear

You are a teacher? Are you a teacher? The Japanese order with a question mark added. "Be" must come first.
A: Is this your bag? B: Yes, it is so. A: Is this your bag? B: Yes, it is. A word-for-word はい、そうです. English repeats the subject and "be".
A: Isn't this your pen? B: Yes. (it is not) A: Isn't this your pen? B: No, it isn't. In English, "no" goes with a negative fact, whatever the question.

In the classroom

Write a statement on cards, one word per card: "You / are / a / teacher". A student moves the "are" card to the front and adds a "?" card. Do this a few times and the movement becomes a habit.
Drill short answers with a quick ball toss. You ask "Are you hungry?" and throw; the catcher answers "Yes, I am" or "No, I'm not" and asks the next one.
For negative questions, teach a simple rule: after yes or no, always say the full short answer. "No, I'm not" is clear even if the yes or no is wrong.
Hum the question and the statement with no words. Students hear the voice go up at the end, then they copy it.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: これはペンです＿。 (Is this a pen?)

Answer: か

Add か to the end of the sentence to make a question.
2. Make it a question: 山田さんは医者です。

Answer: 山田さんは医者ですか。

Add か. The word order stays the same.
3. A student writes "This is your bag?" Fix it.

Answer: Is this your bag?

In an English question, "is" comes before the subject.
4. Translate into Japanese: Is today Wednesday?

Answer: 今日は水曜日ですか。

Today is the topic, and か makes the question.
5. You ask a student, "Isn't this your pen?" It is not. They say "Yes." What do you teach?

Answer: No, it isn't.

In Japanese, はい agrees with the question. In English, "no" follows the fact that it is not their pen.