آیا

Formal Questions with آیا

Level 3

Friends skip آیا and let their voice rise, so you meet it in exams, forms, news and polite talk.

How It Works

You already know the plain yes or no question: a rising voice and ؟ at the end. آیا opens the same question in a formal way. The words after it stay in their normal order.

Plain questionFormal question
شما معلم استید؟آیا شما معلم استید؟
امروز مکتب باز است؟آیا امروز مکتب باز است؟
او در خانه است؟آیا او در خانه است؟

You read آیا in exams, forms, interviews, news and notices, and you hear it in speeches and polite talk. Two friends chatting say the plain question.

Answer with بلی (yes) or نه (no), and add a short sentence if you like: آیا امروز مکتب باز است؟ بلی، باز است.

آیا belongs to yes or no questions only. A question with چه، کی or کجا keeps its own question word and has no آیا.

Examples (5)

  1. آیا شما داکتر استید؟

    Are you a doctor?

    آیا opens the question, and the Dari copula استید closes it.

  2. آیا امروز به مکتب می‌روید؟

    Are you going to school today?

    A polite شما question: آیا comes first and the verb ends in ـید.

  3. آیا این کتاب مال شما است؟

    Is this book yours?

    آیا sits before the whole sentence, and ؟ closes it.

  4. آیا در این شهر پوهنتون هست؟

    Is there a university in this city?

    آیا also opens a question with هست (there is).

  5. آیا دیروز در خانه بودید؟

    Were you at home yesterday?

    آیا works with the past of be as well.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding آیا to a question that has a question word.

    آیا شما کجا می‌روید؟
    شما کجا می‌روید؟

    کجا already asks the question, so آیا is only for yes or no questions.

How It Connects

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

آیاLevel 3Formal Questions with آیا

Learn This First

آیا starts a formal yes or no question.

Words in This Pattern

آیا