Use of 有 to express 'there is/there are'
有 literally means 'to have' and is used to indicate possession, but it can also be used by extension to express 'there is/are' when followed by some undetermined object.
1. There is...at...place. → place + 有 + undetermined object
The sentence therefore needs to start with the place setting immediately followed by 有 (to have) and what occupies it.
这里有各式各样的产品。There are all kinds of products here. (lit. Here | have | all kinds of products.)
镜头上有划痕。There is a scratch on the lens. (lit. On the lens | have | scratch.)
我们去看看有没有喜欢的口味。Let's go and see if there are flavours that we like. (lit. Let's go and see | have or not | flavours that we like.) [Note that in this sentence the place is omitted.]
2. There is...at...time. → time + 有 + undetermined object
Alternatively the place setting can be replaced by the time setting.
那天有特价促销。There was a special promotion on that day. (lit. That day | have | special promotion.)
周末的时候只有我们几个游客。There were only us few tourists over the weekend. (lit. Over the weekend | only | have | us few tourists.)
今天晚上有好看的电视节目吗?Are there any good TV programmes this evening? (lit. This evening | have | good TV programmes | question marker?)
Jumbled sentences
These Chinese translations have been jumbled up. Put the words into the correct order so that the sentences make sense again. Use the audios to check your answers.
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