Existential sentences: 有/是/着 + location
Three types, all with structure Location + Verb + Thing:
| Type | Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 有-existential | 有 | Something exists at the location |
| 是-identificational | 是 | Something is identified at the location |
| 着-existential | V+着 | Something is in a state at the location |
- 桌子上有一本书。(There is a book on the desk.)
- 这里是图书馆。(This place is a library.)
- 墙上挂着一幅画。(A painting is hanging on the wall.)
Word order is fixed: Location FIRST, then verb, then the thing — opposite of English "A book is on the desk."
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 教室里有三十个学生。 | Jiào shì lǐ yǒu sān shí gè xué shēng. | There are thirty students in the classroom. | 有-existential: Location (教室里) + 有 + indefinite thing (三十个学生) |
| 楼下是一家咖啡厅，生意很好。 | Lóu xià shì yī jiā kā fēi tīng, shēng yì hěn hǎo. | Downstairs is a coffee shop; business is good. | 是-identificational: Location (楼下) + 是 + identified entity |
| 床上躺着一只小猫，睡得很香。 | Chuáng shàng tǎng zhe yī zhī xiǎo māo, shuì de hěn xiāng. | A little cat is lying on the bed, sleeping soundly. | 着-existential: Location + V着 + thing; 躺着 = in a lying state |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Existential sentences among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
The same pattern at other levels
- Existential Sentences with 着 — HSK 2
Existential sentences is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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