什么 / 谁 / 哪儿 / 怎么【shénme / shéi / nǎr / zěnme】

什么, 谁, 哪儿 and 怎么 don't always ask anything. In a statement, or in a 吗 question, they mean "something", "someone", "somewhere" and "somehow".

Words that make the speaker sound unsure – 好像, 可能, 大概 – and 点儿 after the verb all signal this use.

With 吗: "any-"

吗 at the end turns the question word into "any". The question is now yes or no.

Without 吗, the same words ask "what".

A question word question already asks, so it takes no 吗. Only add 吗 when you mean "any".

• × 你叫什么名字吗？ → 你叫什么名字？

In a negative: "not … much"

After 不 or 没, 什么 softens the negative: "nothing much, not really".

With 都 or 也 after it, the question word becomes "every-" or, with a negative, "no-": 什么都不想吃 "don't want anything at all". That is a separate pattern.