How to Say Yes in Chinese

Chinese

是的

Pinyin

shì de

Sounds like

shir duh

Read it piece by piece

是

shì

shir

English IPA /ʃɜːr/

的

duh

English IPA /duh/

When to use 是的

Neutral confirmation

Use 是的 to confirm a statement or answer a question built around 是.
For questions with verbs such as 会, 有, or 喜欢, answer with that same verb: 会, 有, or 喜欢.

对

對

duì

Right; correct

Conversational

好

hǎo

Okay; agreed

Conversational agreement

Is this yours? Yes, it is.

这是你的吗？是的。

這是你的嗎？是的。

zhè shì nǐ de ma? shì de

Can you speak Chinese? Yes, I can.

你会说中文吗？会。

你會說中文嗎？會。

nǐ huì shuō zhōng wén ma? huì

Do not answer every yes-or-no question with 是的; matching the question's main verb is often more natural.