谁
shéi
who
The Chinese word for 'who' is '谁'. It is used in questions to ask about someone's identity or select someone from a certain group. It can be used in both formal and informal contexts, just like its English counterpart 'who'.
Example sentences using: 谁
这是谁的书？
Zhè shì shéi de shū?
Whose book is this?
None
谁把灯关了?
Shuí bǎ dēng guān le?
Who turned off the light?
You would ask this question when you want to know who switched off the light.
谁在门外?
Shuí zài mén wài?
Who is outside the door?
This question is usually asked when there's someone outside the door and you want to know who it is.
谁把门打开?
Shuí bǎ mén dǎkāi?
Who opened the door?
This is a common question used to find out who was the person responsible for opening a door.
这么多人你会记住谁?
Zhème duō rén nǐ huì jì zhù shuí?
Who will you remember among so many people?
This question is asked when a person is expected to remember someone from a large group of people.
谁能告诉我时间?
Shuí néng gàosù wǒ shíjiān?
Who can tell me the time?
This question is asked when you don't know the current time and need someone to tell you.
你看见谁了?
Nǐ kànjiàn shuí le?
Who did you see?
This question is asked to find out the person someone else saw.
谁会承认这个错误?
Shuí huì chéngrèn zhège cuòwù?
Who will admit this mistake?
This question is asked when you want to know who will take responsibility for a certain mistake.
谁能打败他?
Shuí néng dǎbài tā?
Who can defeat him?
This question is asked when discussing potential individuals who could win against a certain person in some form of competition.
你先问谁?
Nǐ xiān wèn shuí?
Who are you going to ask first?
This question is asked when you want to know who the first person someone else is planning to ask a question to is.