Lesson 11: 有 (yǒu) for Expressing Existence in Chinese
有 (yǒu) is surely a useful word in Chinese! Besides using it for ‘possession’, we can use it to express ‘there is’ or ‘there are’ – the existence of someone or something in a particular place.
POSITIVE SENTENCE
The structure to express existence using 有 (yǒu):
Location + 有 + Object
Location There is/There are Object
桌子上 有 一杯咖啡。
Zhuō zi shàng yǒu yībēi kāfēi.
on the table there is a cup of coffee
There is a cup of coffee on the table.
Location There is/There are Object
我家里 有 一只狗。
Wǒ jiā lǐ yǒu yī zhǐ gǒu.
in my house there is a dog
There is a dog in my house.
NEGATIVE SENTENCE
For expressing ‘there is no’ or ‘there are no’, use 没 (méi) as the negative determiners. Read: Understanding the Difference Between「不」Bù and「没」Méi – Chinese No or Not.
Structure: Location + 没有 + Object
Location There is no/There are no Object
桌子上 没有 咖啡。
Zhuō zi shàng méi yǒu kā fēi.
on the table there is no coffee
There is no coffee on the table.
Location There is no/There are no Object
我家里 没有 狗。
Wǒ jiā lǐ méi yǒu gǒu.
in my house there is no dog
There is no dog in my house.
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE
For asking whether someone/something is in a particular place, use the following structure:
Location + 有 + Object + 吗?
Location Is there/Are there Object?
桌子上 有 咖啡吗？
Zhuō zi shàng yǒu kā fēi ma?
on the table is there coffee?
Is there any coffee on the table?
Location Is there/Are there Object?
你家里 有 狗吗？
Nǐ jiā lǐ yǒu gǒu ma?
in your house is there dog?
Is there any dog in your house?
