Expressing existence with "you"

有 (yǒu) can mean "to have," but it's also used to say "there is" or "there are."

Structure

The verb 有 (yǒu), which means "to have", can also be used to express existence. This is similar to saying "there is" or "there are" in English, and is sometimes expressed in other ways as well.

Place + 有 + Obj.

Examples

  • 我 家 很 多 小 狗。Wǒjiā yǒu hěnduō xiǎo gǒu.There are a lot of puppies in my home.
  • 我们 学校 很 多 帅哥 。Wǒmen xuéxiào yǒu hěnduō shuàigē.There are a lot of cute guys in our school.
  • 日本 很 多 中国人。 Rìběn yǒu hěnduō Zhōngguó rén.There are many Chinese people in Japan.
  • 这 个 酒吧 很 多 美女。Zhè ge jiǔbā yǒu hěnduō měinǚ.There are a lot of pretty girls in this bar.
  • 你家 啤酒 吗?Nǐjiā yǒu píjiǔ ma?Is there beer in your house?
  • 这里 一 个 问题。Zhèlǐ yǒu yī gè wèntí.There is a problem here.
  • 房间 里 人 吗?Fángjiān lǐ yǒu rén ma?Is there anyone in the room?
  • 杯子 里 水 吗?Bēizi lǐ yǒu shuǐ ma?Is there any water in the cup?
  • 我 的 手机 里 你 的 号码。Wǒ de shǒujī lǐ yǒu nǐ de hàomǎ.Your number is in my cell phone.
  • 现在 超市 里 人 吗?Xiànzài chāoshì lǐ yǒu rén ma?Is there anyone in the supermarket now?

See also

Sources and further reading