хіба / няўжо

Surprised Questions with Хіба and Няўжо

Level 4Sounds Like híba í nâŭžo

Няўжо ты не ведаеш? (Do you really not know?) Хіба гэта праўда? (Is that really true?) Both words add surprise or doubt to a question.

How It Works

Both words make a yes-no question emotional. Compare a neutral question with ці: Ці ты ведаеш? (Do you know?) with Няўжо ты не ведаеш? (Do you really not know?).

Няўжо: genuine surprise. Use it when you have just learned something you find hard to believe: Няўжо ўжо восень? (Is it really autumn already?) Няўжо ты сам гэта зрабіў? (Did you really do this yourself?)

Хіба: doubt or a challenge. Хіба often suggests that the expected answer is no: Хіба я так казаў? (Did I say that? I do not think so.) With не, it suggests the answer should be yes: Хіба ты не памятаеш? (Don't you remember? You should.)

Punctuation and order. The word usually comes first, and the sentence ends with a question mark. Хіба can also follow the subject: А вы хіба там былі? It combines with ж: Хіба ж гэта праўда?

Other meanings of хіба. Хіба also means unless or except: Прыйду, хіба толькі затрымаюць. (I will come, unless they keep me.) For except perhaps, see хіба што. As a noun, хіба means a flaw.

For a question that suggests something, see ці не.

Examples (6)

  1. Няўжо ты не ведаеш?

    Do you really not know?

    Word by Word: Really you not know?

  2. Хіба гэта праўда?

    Is that really true?

    Word by Word: Surely this truth?

  3. Няўжо ўжо восень?

    Is it really autumn already?

    Word by Word: Really already autumn?

  4. Хіба я так казаў?

    Did I really say that?

    Word by Word: Surely I so said?

    Хіба suggests the speaker thinks the answer is no. A woman says: казала.

  5. Хіба ты не памятаеш? Мы былі там разам.

    Don't you remember? We were there together.

    Word by Word: Surely you not remember? We were there together.

  6. Няўжо ты сам гэта зрабіў?

    Did you really do this yourself?

    Word by Word: Really you yourself this did?

    Said to a man. To a woman: сама гэта зрабіла.

Common Mistakes

  • Using няўжо for a neutral question, such as simply asking a new acquaintance what they do.

    Няўжо ты студэнт?
    Ці ты студэнт?

    Няўжо shows surprise or disbelief. For a simple yes-no question, use ці or just question intonation.

  • Ending a хіба or няўжо sentence without a question mark.

    Няўжо ён ужо прыехаў.
    Няўжо ён ужо прыехаў?

    A sentence opened by няўжо or хіба in this sense is a question, so it ends with a question mark.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

хіба / няўжоLevel 4Surprised Questions with Хіба and Няўжо

Learn This First

Surprised questions follow ці questions.

Words in This Pattern

хібаняўжо