Can 什么(shénme) and 吗 (ma) ever be used in the same sentence? A language CD had what sounds like: 小姐你要喝点什么吗？ xiǎojiě, nǐ yào hē diǎnr shénme ma? The translation is : "Miss, would you like to drink anything?" Why would 吗 be at the end, if you already have 什么 doesn't that already show that it is a question? Unless 什么 can also mean "something" instead of only "what". In which case 小姐你要喝点什么 could mean "Miss , you want to drink something" and 小姐你要喝点什么吗？ turns it into the question, "Miss, do you want something to drink?" Does that make sense or is the sentence a mistake?So, in addition to being a question word meaning "what?", 什么 can also mean "thing" or "something"? Perhaps someone could provide other example sentences of 什么 being used to mean "something" ?

What is the difference between saying 叉 and 叉子 ? I have seen 2 forms for the word fork and the same with the word for spoon. For fork: 叉Chā and 叉子chāzi for spoon: 勺 and 勺子 . What is the difference between these 2 forms? Does adding 子 make it more formal? I have seen other words that in some dictionaries have a 子 at the end and other word lists don't include it. Does 子 add any meaning? Also, what is the correct word for a knife you use at the table along with a fork, is it 晚餐刀 ? I have seen a few words that seem to mean a knife you eat with and am not sure which one to use.

Asking for a pair of chopsticks in Mandarin What is the correct way to ask for a pair of chopsticks? (For example, in a restaurant or someone's home) Is this correct? 你有筷子吗？ or in pinyin: Nǐ yǒu Kuàizi ma? Is 筷子 the correct word for chopsticks? Also, is there supposed to be a measure word used with chopsticks? For example, even in English people will often ask for a "pair of chopsticks".

Is there a word for "a little" that is pronounced "ee dee ar"? On one of my audio CDs for the word that means "a little" or "a bit" it sounds like they are saying (transliterated not pinyin) "ee dee ar". Is this really the word yi4 dian3 ( 一点 ) just with a different local pronunciation or is there a diff

meaning of the word 商店助手 (shāngdiàn zhùshǒu) ? I have a new vocabulary word 商店助手 (shāngdiàn zhùshǒu) it is translated as store assistant and seems to literally be the combination of store + assistant. What kind of role is this exactly ? Would this be a regular store employee (a generic term for any store employee)? Is it an assistant manager? Does anyone know?