# 你是北京的吗？



## yuechu

大家好！

If you are asking if someone is from 北京, can you say "你是北京的吗"? I think I might have been using incorrect grammar here in Chinese for a long time! Just thought I'd check to see if it was correct or 别扭！
Thanks!


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## SimonTsai

It's grammatically correct but is ambiguous. It might work in certain cases, though. (Normally we would make it clear and ask, '你來自北京?')


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## yuechu

Oh ok! Thanks, Simon! 😃 (Wow, you replied so fast, too!)


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## Goodman01

yuechu said:


> Oh ok! Thanks, Simon! 😃 (Wow, you replied so fast, too!)


'你是北京的吗' is more common than '你来自北京吗?' in Mainland China. We often say '你是北京的吗' to ask if someone is from 北京.


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## SimonTsai

I can imagine someone saying, '你是新竹的嗎?' But I think we are more inclined to ask, '你是新竹人?' (Or '你來自新竹?')

*EDIT:* I was wondering if people in the mainland find these sentences equally natural: '你是合肥的嗎?' '你是西安的嗎?' '你是美國的嗎?' '你是保加利亞的嗎?'


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## Goodman01

SimonTsai said:


> *EDIT:* I was wondering if people in the mainland find these sentences equally natural: '你是合肥的嗎?' '你是西安的嗎?' '你是美國的嗎?' '你是保加利亞的嗎?'


嗯嗯，是滴！大陆就这么说，可能两岸的汉语有差异。


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## skating-in-bc

A: 先生, 您好! 我是台灣記者, 來北京採訪這裡居民對台灣的態度, 不知您願不願意接受採訪, 回答幾個問題?
B: 問吧!
A: 你是北京的嗎? (= 你是北京的居民嗎)
B: 是, 我住北京.

A: 你的帖子說北京正在下雪, 跟我看到的不一樣.
B: 哦, 我人不在北京, 是從網上的氣象報告抄來的.
A: 難怪.
B: 你是北京的嗎, 有興趣聊聊 "天" 嗎？(= 你是在北京發帖的嗎; 你是從北京發帖過來的嗎)

Interestingly, 你是北京的嗎 can be translated into English as "Are you from Beijing?" and work in both scenarios above, although it does not mean exactly "你來自北京嗎".


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## SimonTsai

skating-in-bc said:


> A: 先生, 您好! 我是台灣記者, 來北京採訪這裡居民對台灣的態度 [.... 您] 是北京的嗎? (= [您] 是北京的居民嗎)
> B: 是, 我住北京.


Oh, I find this very natural. I was thinking of a different scenario yesterday:

甲：你高中讀哪裏？
乙：成功。
甲：成功？所以*你臺北人？*
乙：我住新北，淡水。


> 你是北京的嗎 [...] (= 你是在北京發帖的嗎; 你是從北京發帖過來的嗎)


If A lived in Beijing and I knew it, I wouldn't ask.

If A were in a trip to China, I might ask, '你現在人在北京?'

If A were totally a stranger and we had just met online minutes ago, '你住北京?' This is what I would ask.


SimonTsai said:


> It's grammatically correct but is ambiguous.


I think that I may have to clarify myself: I said that it's ambiguous because I was thinking of, '你是北京 (分公司) 的嗎?' '你是北京的 (業務代表) 嗎?' Neither is about one's home town.


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## skating-in-bc

SimonTsai said:


> '你是北京 (分公司) 的嗎?'


_Are you from_ (the) _Beijing_ (branch)?


SimonTsai said:


> '你是北京的 (業務代表) 嗎?'


_Are you_ (a sales representative) _from Beijing_?

==> In those scenarios, "你是北京的嗎?" still corresponds to English "Are you from Beijing?"


SimonTsai said:


> '你是北京 (分公司) 的嗎?' '你是北京的 (業務代表) 嗎?' Neither is about one's home town.


True.


yuechu said:


> If you are asking if someone is from 北京, can you say "你是北京的吗"?


Yes, because I'm not able to think of a scenario where "你是北京的嗎?" cannot be translated as "Are you from Beijing?"


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## yuechu

Hi Estherqq,
You're saying that 你是北京的吗 is more natural than 你来自北京吗, right?
OK, thanks!


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## Estherqq

yes


yuechu said:


> Hi Estherqq,
> You're saying that 你是北京的吗 is more natural than 你来自北京吗, right?
> OK, thanks!


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## Deinonychus

I would probably say “你是北京人吗” in most cases.


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## Jake_Chan

[你是北京的吗] may sound a bit tactless in formal or first-time encounters.

[你来自北京吗] and [你是北京人吗] are better phrases to ask if someone is from Beijing on the above occasions.


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## SuperXW

Jake_Chan said:


> [你是北京的吗] may sound a bit tactless in formal or first-time encounters.


Yes. Using "...的" to refer to “...的人”, may always be informal or non-honorific.
e.g. 男的 女的 干活儿的 打酱油的 穿花衣服的 卖房子的...


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## yuechu

SuperXW said:


> Yes. Using "...的" to refer to “...的人”, may always be informal or non-honorific.
> e.g. 男的 女的 干活儿的 打酱油的 穿花衣服的 卖房子的...


I didn't realize this. Good to know! Thanks, SuperXW! 
Thanks to everyone else for your replies, too!


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## henter

我觉得你是北京人吗用的多一些。


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