Skip main navigation

New offer! Get 30% off one whole year of Unlimited learning. Subscribe for just £249.99 £174.99. New subscribers only. T&Cs apply

Find out more

Introducing Forms of Existential with“有”

In this video, Dr Li will introduce Forms of Existential with“有”

In this video we learn to use sentences with “有yǒu” to show existence. Put simply, it expresses “something is present in a specific location”。

This kind of sentence is similar to the sentence structure “There is/are …” in English.

We use the word “有yǒu” as the main verb of the predicate to indicate “something exists or is present in a certain place”.

The structure is: location+有+object.

Some examples:

桌子上有苹果。Zhuōzi shang yǒu píngguǒ. There are apples on the table.

苹果旁边有香蕉。Píngguǒ pángbiān yǒu xiāngjiāo. There are bananas next to the apples.

学校里边有图书馆。Xuéxiào lǐbian yǒu túshūguǎn. There is a library in the school.

图书馆里有学生。Túshūguǎn lǐ yǒu xuésheng. There are students in the library.

The negative form of the “有字句”(sentences with “有”)is:

location+没+有+object

For example:

教室里没有学生. Jiàoshì lǐ méi yǒu xuésheng. There are no students in the classroom.

Can you try to use “有字句”(sentences with “有”)to answer the question“教室里有什么?Are there anything in our classroom?”

The following is Chinese and English Version of Situational Dialogue in the Video:

王小宝:西西,这是我的教室。

西西:哦,你们的教室有桌子、有椅子。

王小宝:对,桌子上有电脑,电脑旁边有书。

西西:哇,我可以看看吗?

王小宝:可以。

西西:谢谢。

Wáng xiǎo bǎo: Xixi , this is my classroom.

Xīxī: Oh, there are desks and chairs in your classroom.

Wáng xiǎo bǎo:Yes, there’s a computer on the desk and books are next to it.

Xīxī: Wow, can I have a look?

Wáng xiǎo bǎo:Sure.

Xīxī:Thanks.

This article is from the free online

Learn Chinese: Introduction to Chinese Grammar

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now