Learn the key pattern to ask if a store has something in stock
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| Let's take a closer look at the conversation. |
| Do you remember how Sasha asks, |
| "Hello. Is there any salt?" |
| 你好。有盐吗？ (Nǐhǎo. Yǒu yán ma?) |
| First is 你好 (nǐhǎo). "Hello." 你好. 你好. |
| In this case, the speaker uses this greeting to get the clerk's attention. |
| Next is 有 (yǒu), translating as "there is," in this case. 有. 有。 |
| Translation note, 有 can also translate as "to have." |
| After that is 盐 (yán), "salt" 盐. 盐。 |
| Together, 有盐 (yǒu yán) literally means "there is salt." |
| Last is the question marker 吗 (ma). 吗. 吗. |
| 吗 turns a statement into a yes-or-no question. |
| Together, 有盐吗, literally, "there is salt?" but translates as, "Is there any salt?" 有盐吗 |
| Translation note, this phrase can also translate as "Do [you] have any salt?" |
| All together, 你好。有盐吗？ (Nǐhǎo. Yǒu yán ma?) "Hello. Is there any salt?" |
| 你好。有盐吗？ |
| Let's take a closer look at the response. |
| Do you remember how the shop clerk says, |
| "Yes. It's here." |
| 有。在这里。(Yǒu. Zài zhèlǐ.) |
| The first part of the response is 有 (yǒu), which translates as "yes," in this context, as it answers the yes-or-no question containing the verb 有. |
| 有盐吗？"Is there any salt?" |
| 有。 "Yes, [there is salt]." |
| To answer a yes-or-no question in Chinese, always echo the verb or adjective that's used in the question. In this case, 有. |
| After this is 在这里 (Zài zhèlǐ) translating as, "It's here." 在这里. 在这里。 |
| This phrase has two parts: |
| First is 在 (zài) meaning "at." It's used to locate things in this context. 在. 在。 |
| Next is 这里 (zhèlǐ), "here." 这里. 这里。 |
| Together, 在这里 literally means "at here," but translates as "It's here." 在这里。 |
| Note, the subject is omitted as it's understood in the context. |
| All together, 有。在这里。"Yes. It's here." |
| 有。在这里。(Yǒu. Zài zhèlǐ.) |
| The pattern is: |
| 你好。有 {ITEM} 吗？ |
| "Hello. Is there any {ITEM}?" |
| 你好。有 {ITEM} 吗？ |
| To use this pattern, simply replace {ITEM} with something else you're looking for. |
| Imagine you're looking for milk. 牛奶 (niúnǎi). 牛奶. 牛奶。 |
| Say, "Hello. Is there any milk?" |
| Ready? |
| 你好。有牛奶吗？ (Nǐhǎo. Yǒu niúnǎi ma?) |
| "Is there any milk?" |
| 你好。有牛奶吗？ (Nǐhǎo. Yǒu niúnǎi ma?) |
| Besides using 你好, another polite way to get someone's attention and start a question is to use 请问 (qǐngwèn). |
| 请问 literally means "Please ask," but translates as "May I ask…" or "Excuse me," when asking a question. |
| 请问. |
| 请问 |
| For example, |
| 请问有盐吗？ (Qǐngwèn yǒu yán ma?) |
| "Excuse me, is there any salt?" |
| In most cases, Chinese doesn't make a distinction between singular and plural nouns. You'll use the same pattern when you're looking for salt, an apple, or a dozen apples. |
| For example, 有苹果吗？ (Yǒu píngguǒ ma?) can translate as |
| "Are there any apples?" |
| Or "Is there an apple?" depending on the context. |
| The English translation may alternate between singular and plural, but the Chinese pattern remains the same. |
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