在哪儿 / 什么

zài nǎr / shén me

Expressing "some" with question words

A question word without a question means "some" — somewhere, something, someone.

Question Word used indefinitely

How it works

这个人我在哪儿见过 — I've seen this person somewhere. It isn't asking where.

Intonation and context do the disambiguating: a question rises, a statement doesn't.

Common in vague statements: 我想吃点什么 — I fancy eating something.

Examples

  • zhè ge rén wǒ zài nǎr jiàn guò

    这个人我在哪儿见过。

    I've seen this person somewhere before.

  • wǒ xiǎng chī diǎn shén me

    我想吃点什么。

    I feel like eating something.

  • hǎo xiàng shéi zài qiāo mén

    好像谁在敲门。

    It sounds like someone's knocking.