Difference between revisions of "Alternative existential sentences"

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Existential sentences are used to express an object's existence in a certain place or location. The word order is a little different from that of a regular Chinese sentence, but this is still a pretty useful grammar point as existential sentences express everyday things, like "there is a book lying on the desk," and similar phrases.
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It's not just 在 and 有 that can be used to form existential sentences, expressing something's existence in a certain place or location. The word order may be a little different from what you are used to, but these are still fairly ways to make everyday statements such as, "there is a book lying on the desk."
 
 
Typically, Chinese sentences contain the SVO or STPVO word order, but existential sentences have their own order.
 
  
 
== Existential Sentences with "着" ==
 
== Existential Sentences with "着" ==
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== Existential Sentences with "有" and "" ==
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== Existential Sentences with 是 ==
  
 
Existential sentences have three kinds of verbs: 有 (yǒu), 是 (shì), and verbs that express bodily gestures or actions like 拿 (ná).
 
Existential sentences have three kinds of verbs: 有 (yǒu), 是 (shì), and verbs that express bodily gestures or actions like 拿 (ná).
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{{Used for| Describing the existence of an object in a certain location or place}}
 
{{Used for| Describing the existence of an object in a certain location or place}}
 
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Revision as of 08:58, 28 June 2017

It's not just 在 and 有 that can be used to form existential sentences, expressing something's existence in a certain place or location. The word order may be a little different from what you are used to, but these are still fairly ways to make everyday statements such as, "there is a book lying on the desk."

Existential Sentences with "着"

Structure

Place Word/Phrase + Verb + 了/着 + Numeral + Measure Word + Noun

Examples

  • 桌子 上 放 一 本 书。Zhūo zi shàng fàng zhe yī běn shū.There is a book lying on the table.
  • 公园 的 椅子 上 坐 几 个 人。Gōngyuán de yǐzi shàng zuò zhe jǐ ge rén.Some people are sitting in the chairs in park.
  • 柜子 里 挂 一些 衣服。Guìzi lǐ guà zhe yīxiē yīfu.There are some clothes hanging inside the closet.

Existential Sentences with 是

Existential sentences have three kinds of verbs: 有 (yǒu), 是 (shì), and verbs that express bodily gestures or actions like 拿 (ná).

Structure

Place Word/Phrase + Verb + 了/着 + Numeral + Measure Word + Noun

Examples

  • 洗衣机 里 一些 衬衫。Xǐyījī lǐ shì yīxiē chènshān.Inside the washing machine are some shirts.
  • 桌 上 一 个 手机。Zhuō shàng yǒu yī gè shǒujī.There is a cell phone on the desk.

Note when using existential sentences, you are describing an object's existence in some place or location. Also, when using 有 and 是, note that 是 is used to describe a singular, or one object existing somewhere while 有 can refer to multiple objects/ people.

See Also

Sources and Further Reading

Books