你准备好了吗？
Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole ma?
The English phrase "are you ready?" is translated into Chinese as 你准备好了吗？ (Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole ma?)
This question is used to ask if someone has completed the necessary preparations for an activity.
Which one should you use?
While 你准备好了吗？ is the standard way to ask the question, you can use 你准备好了没？ in casual spoken Chinese to ask "Are you ready yet?", replacing the question particle 吗 with 没.
How does it change in a sentence?
To increase the level of politeness in your question, replace the subject 你 (nǐ) with the polite version 您 (nín).
How do you pronounce it?
Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole ma?
When do people say it?
A common and natural way to respond to being asked if you are ready is to repeat the phrase without the question particle, saying 准备好了.
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the concept of 'being ready' can sometimes be expressed through the word 到位 (dàowèi), which literally means 'the position is in place', used when someone is mentally or physically prepared for a task.
- The character 好 in 准备好了 does not mean 'good' here, but indicates the completion of an action to a satisfying standard.
- Replacing 吗 with 没 in 准备好了没？ subtly changes the tone to imply that the speaker has been waiting for some time.
Examples in context
- 我准备好了！I'm ready!
- 你准备好了吗？Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?Are you ready?
Example conversation
Jia Yi asks Jun Jie if he is ready to leave for the airport.
- 佳怡 Jiayi俊杰，你准备好了吗？Jùnjié, nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?Jun Jie, are you ready?
- 俊杰 Junjie我准备好了。Wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo le.I am ready.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那我们走吧。Nà wǒmen zǒu ba.Then let's go.
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，走吧。Hǎo de, zǒu ba.Okay, let's go.
