Asking Yes-or-No Questions
Say the sentence as a question, or add anei right after the verb.
How It Works
There are two ways to ask a yes-or-no question. One uses only your voice. The other adds anei.
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| Ua pau ka hana. | Ua pau ka hana? (said as a question) |
| Ua ʻai ʻoe. | Ua ʻai anei ʻoe? |
| Hiki iā ʻoe ke hele. | Hiki anei iā ʻoe ke hele? |
The Reference Grammar says anei marks a yes-or-no question and has no English equivalent. It gives Ua ʻike anei ʻoe iā Keola? for “Have you seen Keola?”. Wikipedia says anei is placed after the leading word of a sentence, and that a yes-or-no question can also be unmarked, shown by voice alone.
Answer with ʻae for yes or ʻaʻole for no. Question words such as ʻo wai and he aha make a different kind of question.
Examples (5)
- Ua ʻai anei ʻoe?
Did you eat?
Anei comes right after ua ʻai.
- Makemake anei ʻoe i ka waiū?
Do you want milk?
Anei follows the first word makemake.
- Hiki anei iā ʻoe ke hele mai?
Can you come?
Anei follows hiki.
- E hele ana anei ʻoe i ke kula?
Are you going to school?
Anei follows the e ... ana group.
- Ua pau ka hana?
Is the work finished?
Voice alone can make this a question, with no extra word.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A yes-or-no question is answered with ʻae or ʻaʻole.
Related Patterns
Practice Asking Yes-or-No Questions in Bubblegum
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