Questions With ar
Yes-No Questions with Ar
Ar + a normal sentence = a yes-no question: Ar tu kalbi angliškai? (Do you speak English?)
How It Works
Forming the question. Take any statement and add ar at the beginning:
- Tu esi studentas. → Ar tu esi studentas? (Are you a student?)
- Čia yra kavinė. → Ar čia yra kavinė? (Is there a café here?)
In this use, ar marks a yes-no question, rather like a spoken question mark at the start. A question with a word such as kur or kas does not need it; see where, when, how and why and kas and ką.
Answering. Say taip (yes) or ne (no). People very often answer by repeating the verb: Ar nori kavos? — Noriu. or Nenoriu. See negation with ne-.
Without ar. In relaxed speech a rising voice alone is enough: Tu iš Kauno? (You are from Kaunas?) Both ways are correct.
Ar has two more jobs you will meet later: it can mean or inside a question (Kava ar arbata?, see or: arba and ar) and whether in a reported question (indirect yes-no questions).
Examples (5)
- Ar tu kalbi angliškai? — Taip.
Do you speak English? — Yes.
Word by Word: Q you speak English? — Yes.
- Ar čia yra kavinė?
Is there a café here?
Word by Word: Q here is café?
- Ar nori kavos? — Noriu, ačiū.
Do you want some coffee? — Yes, thank you.
Word by Word: Q want coffee? — Want-I, thanks.
The answer repeats the verb instead of saying taip.
- Ar tu esi studentas? — Ne, nesu.
Are you a student? — No, I am not.
Word by Word: Q you are student? — No, not-am.
- Tu iš Kauno?
Are you from Kaunas?
Word by Word: You from Kaunas?
In speech, a rising voice alone can make the question, without ar.
Common Mistakes
Adding ar when the intended question is simply “Where do you live?”.
Ar kur tu gyveni?Kur tu gyveni?For this open question about a place, begin with kur. Ar is not needed to form it.
Putting ar at the end of the sentence.
Tu kalbi angliškai ar?Ar tu kalbi angliškai?For this basic yes-no question, put ar before the clause: Ar tu kalbi angliškai?
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- kas / kąQuestion Word Kas
Questions with a question word do not use ar.
Level 1 - kur / kada / kaip / kodėlWhere, When, How and Why
The other main way to ask a question.
Level 1 - ne- + verbNegation with Ne-
A no answer often repeats the verb with ne-.
Level 1 - arba / arOr: Arba and Ar
Inside a question, ar can also mean or.
Level 2 - Indirect Questions With arIndirect Yes-No Questions
Ar also means whether in a reported question.
Level 3 - Flexible Word Order
Word order can stay the same in a yes-no question as in a statement.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Questions With ar in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Lithuanian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
