There are two main uses of 什么 [shénme] in Chinese:
1- 什么 [shénme] means “what” in Chinese and it is used to ask open-ended questions. In Chinese, 什么 [shénme] can be placed at the end of the sentence, or before the object of the sentence. When using 什么, it is important to understand its different uses:
1. Asking about things or objects:
Example: 你想要什么?
[nǐ xiǎng yào shénme?]
What do you want?
2. Asking about actions or events:
Example: 你昨天做了什么?
[nǐ zuótiān zuòle shénme?]
What did you do yesterday?
3. Expressing disbelief or confusion:
Example: 什么!这怎么可能?
[shénme! zhè zěnme kěnéng?]
What! How is this possible?
4. Intensifier:
Example: 什么天气!
[shénme tiānqì!]
What terrible weather!
2- Besides its use as a question word, 什么 [shénme] can also be a pronoun meaning “something”, “anything”, or “any”, so you may see sentences such as:
Example: 你想喝点什么吗?
[nǐ xiǎng hē diǎn shénme ma?]
Do you want something to drink?