<p>No, you can't use <code>如果</code> here. You got the right syntax in there though. What you want is just <strong><code>我问他有沒有见过马克</code></strong> - <em>"I asked him whether he has <strong>met</strong> Mark"</em>. Or, since you used <code>认识</code> for your translation in the question, <strong><code>我问他认不认识马克</code></strong> - <em>"I asked him whether he <strong>knows</strong> Mark"</em></p>

<p>There's no single "whether" in Chinese; you have to create the appropriate term based on the situation. One way to do this is using the structure <strong>"(verb) 不 (same verb)"</strong>. For example, repeating <code>有</code> to form <code>有沒有</code>, meaning "<em>whether (subject) has</em>". When the verb is composed of two characters, such as <code>認識</code>, normally only the first character is used before <code>不</code>, hence <code>認不認識</code> for "<em>whether (subject) knows</em>".</p>

<p>Alternatively, another way of saying "whether is to use <strong>"是否 (verb)"</strong>. For example, using this format, <em>"I asked him whether he has met Mark"</em> becomes <code>我问他是否见过马克</code>. Similarly, "<em>whether (subject) has</em>" becomes <code>是否有</code>, and "<em>whether (subject) knows</em>" is <code>是否認識</code>. Saying "whether" in this style is somewhat more restricted to <em>written</em> forms of communication, but remains quite current. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-27T22:22:58.667Z
Can someone confirm the 忍不认识 part of this answer? I've heard that 认识 can not be split up.
Stephen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-28T03:11:20.927Z
@Stephen Different situation. You can't substitute `认` for `认识` normally, but that's completely irrelevant to how this particular syntax is used. Here you aren't "splitting" `认识`; you are abbreviating the second character away at the first mention (but not second).
Semaphore
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-27T02:28:30.893Z
2014-07-27T13:34:37.093Z
2014-07-27T13:34:37.093Z
Semaphore
<p>It's 是否. 是否认识 = 认不认识. 是否听过 = 听没听过. 是否知道 = 知不知道. You can handle most phrases in this way.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-27T03:51:57.353Z
2014-07-27T03:51:57.353Z
Sean C.
<p>Indeed, in the given context the phrase "whether or not" need not be translated; for, with respect to the sentence "I asked him whether or not he had met Mark", to say "我問他認不認識 Mark" suffices. And this is an idiomatic way to "translate".</p>

<p>In general the phrase "whether or not" is not to be one-one translated. For instance, the sentence "I do not know whether or not it will rain tomorrow" corresponds in Chinese the sentence "我不知道明天會不會下雨" or less idiomatically "我不知道明天下雨不下雨". The general rule is obvious now: </p>

<p>Let <em>S</em> be a true subject, let <em>V</em> be a verb, and let <em>O</em> be an object for which "whether or not <em>S + V + O</em>" is considered. If idiomaticness is not rigidly required, and if <em>V'</em> is the Chinese counterpart of <em>V</em>, then for "whether or not <em>S + V + O</em>" to be translated in Chinese it suffices to say "<em>S + V'不V' + O</em>". </p>

<p>Therefore, to translate in Chinese the given sentence "whether or not he had met Mark", where we have replaced <em>S</em> = he and <em>V</em> = had met and <em>V'</em> = 認識 and <em>O</em> = Mark, by the rule above we have </p>

<pre><code>                        S + V'不V' + O = 他 認識不認識 Mark.
</code></pre>

<p>I hope these helpful.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-27T02:47:51.153Z
2014-07-27T04:10:26.450Z
2014-07-27T04:10:26.450Z
Yes
<p>我問他有沒有遇到 Mark.</p>

<p>"whether or not" can be translated as "有沒有" (depending on the context, of course).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-27T01:52:44.380Z
2014-07-27T01:52:44.380Z
Henry HO
<p>I've always had a bit of difficulty with statements with the term "whether" in Chinese. In this sentence I would like to say "I asked him whether or not he had met Mark." - I translated this in my diary as </p>

<p>"只有我跟一个卢旺达人讲了一下 如果他认识不认识Mark </p>

<p>Should I use 如果 in this instance? In english there is a murky divide between "Whether" and "if" but I'm not sure if this exists in Chinese. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-27T14:08:35.297Z
Nice to see that some people still know to use `whether` instead of `if`...
dda
<grammar>
How to use "whether" in Chinese - do you need to say 如果？
# How to use "whether" in Chinese - do you need to say 如果？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-07-27)

I've always had a bit of difficulty with statements with the term "whether" in Chinese. In this sentence I would like to say "I asked him whether or not he had met Mark." - I translated this in my diary as

"只有我跟一个卢旺达人讲了一下 如果他认识不认识Mark

Should I use 如果 in this instance? In english there is a murky divide between "Whether" and "if" but I'm not sure if this exists in Chinese.

**Tags:** grammar
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Nice to see that some people still know to use `whether` instead of `if`...  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-07-27. Score: 8

No, you can't use `如果` here. You got the right syntax in there though. What you want is just **`我问他有沒有见过马克`** - *"I asked him whether he has **met** Mark"*. Or, since you used `认识` for your translation in the question, **`我问他认不认识马克`** - *"I asked him whether he **knows** Mark"*

There's no single "whether" in Chinese; you have to create the appropriate term based on the situation. One way to do this is using the structure **"(verb) 不 (same verb)"**. For example, repeating `有` to form `有沒有`, meaning "*whether (subject) has*". When the verb is composed of two characters, such as `認識`, normally only the first character is used before `不`, hence `認不認識` for "*whether (subject) knows*".

Alternatively, another way of saying "whether is to use **"是否 (verb)"**. For example, using this format, *"I asked him whether he has met Mark"* becomes `我问他是否见过马克`. Similarly, "*whether (subject) has*" becomes `是否有`, and "*whether (subject) knows*" is `是否認識`. Saying "whether" in this style is somewhat more restricted to *written* forms of communication, but remains quite current.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Can someone confirm the 忍不认识 part of this answer? I've heard that 认识 can not be split up.  
> **username_2**: @Stephen Different situation. You can't substitute `认` for `认识` normally, but that's completely irrelevant to how this particular syntax is used. Here you aren't "splitting" `认识`; you are abbreviating the second character away at the first mention (but not second).  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-07-27. Score: 5

It's 是否. 是否认识 = 认不认识. 是否听过 = 听没听过. 是否知道 = 知不知道. You can handle most phrases in this way.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-07-27. Score: 2

Indeed, in the given context the phrase "whether or not" need not be translated; for, with respect to the sentence "I asked him whether or not he had met Mark", to say "我問他認不認識 Mark" suffices. And this is an idiomatic way to "translate".
In general the phrase "whether or not" is not to be one-one translated. For instance, the sentence "I do not know whether or not it will rain tomorrow" corresponds in Chinese the sentence "我不知道明天會不會下雨" or less idiomatically "我不知道明天下雨不下雨". The general rule is obvious now: 
Let S be a true subject, let V be a verb, and let O be an object for which "whether or not S + V + O" is considered. If idiomaticness is not rigidly required, and if V' is the Chinese counterpart of V, then for "whether or not S + V + O" to be translated in Chinese it suffices to say "S + V'不V' + O". 
Therefore, to translate in Chinese the given sentence "whether or not he had met Mark", where we have replaced S = he and V = had met and V' = 認識 and O = Mark, by the rule above we have 
                        S + V'不V' + O = 他 認識不認識 Mark.

I hope these helpful.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-07-27. Score: 1

我問他有沒有遇到 Mark.

"whether or not" can be translated as "有沒有" (depending on the context, of course).


---

