How to Do Something with “怎么” (zěnme)

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Level: A1 / HSK1

Similar to: Placement of question words (A1), Asking how something is with “zenmeyang” (A2), Asking why with “zenme” (A2), Expressing “not often” with “bu zenme” (B1), Expressing “not very” with “bu zenme” (B1)

Used for: Asking questions

Keywords: 怎么

If you want to ask “how” in Chinese, the word you need is 怎么 (zěnme). It’s straightforward to use: simply place it before a verb.

Contents

1. The Basic “How to Verb” Usage
   • Structure
   • Examples
2. Topic First
   • Structure
   • Examples
3. Exceptions
4. Summary
5. Meta Description, Tags, and Alt Text

1. The Basic “How to Verb” Usage

Structure

The question word 怎么 (zěnme) is used to ask “how” in Chinese. It is placed in front of the verb:

Subj. + 怎么 + Verb + Obj.

Note that the subject can often be omitted from general “how to” questions, and there doesn’t always have to be an object.

Examples

1. 你们 怎么 学 中文？
   
   • Pinyin: Nǐmen zěnme xué Zhōngwén?
   • Hindi Pronunciation: नीमें ज़ेन्मे शुए झोंगवेन?
   • English Meaning: How do you study Chinese?
   • Hindi: आप लोग चीनी कैसे पढ़ते हैं?
2. 你 怎么 上班？坐 地铁 吗？
   
   • Pinyin: Nǐ zěnme shàngbān? Zuò dìtiě ma?
   • Hindi Pronunciation: नी ज़ेन्मे शांगबान? ज़ुओ दीटिए मा?
   • English Meaning: How do you get to work? By metro?
   • Hindi: आप काम पर कैसे जाते हैं? मेट्रो से?
3. 你 知道 怎么 去 外滩 吗？
   
   • Pinyin: Nǐ zhīdào zěnme qù Wàitān ma?
   • Hindi Pronunciation: नी झीदाओ ज़ेन्मे चू वाइटान मा?
   • English Meaning: Do you know how to get to the Bund?
   • Hindi: क्या आप जानते हैं कि वाइटान कैसे जाना है?

2. Topic First

Starting a “how to” question with the topic at the beginning of the question is very common. That is, the thing being asked about is introduced first, then a question is asked about how to do something involving it.

Structure

Topic + 怎么 + Verb

The object doesn’t have to come after the verb. Sometimes it moves to the front of the question, establishing what the question is going to be about, before getting specific with the “how” question.

Examples

1. 芒果 怎么 吃？
   
   • Pinyin: Mángguǒ zěnme chī?
   • Hindi Pronunciation: मंग्गुओ ज़ेन्मे ची?
   • English Meaning: How do you eat mangos?
   • Hindi: आम कैसे खाते हैं?
2. iPad 怎么 用？
   
   • Pinyin: iPad zěnme yòng?
   • Hindi Pronunciation: iPad ज़ेन्मे योंग?
   • English Meaning: How do you use an iPad?
   • Hindi: आईपैड कैसे इस्तेमाल करते हैं?
3. 语法 怎么 学？
   
   • Pinyin: Yǔfǎ zěnme xué?
   • Hindi Pronunciation: यूफा ज़ेन्मे शुए?
   • English Meaning: How do you study grammar?
   • Hindi: व्याकरण कैसे पढ़ते हैं?

3. Exceptions

In some contexts, 怎么 (zěnme) might not be appropriate. For example, when asking about the state or condition of something, you would use 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) instead.