HSK 2 grammar · pattern
存现句
存现句 — existential "there is …" (place + verb + noun)
Pattern
+ +
+ + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
To say something exists at a place, Chinese puts the place first, then a verb (often 有, 是, or a verb + 着), then the thing — the reverse of English order. The existing thing is usually new information and comes last.
Examples
桌子上有一本书。
Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.
There is a book on the table.
墙上挂着一张画。
Qiáng shàng guà zhe yì zhāng huà.
A picture is hanging on the wall.
前面是一家商店。
Qiánmiàn shì yì jiā shāngdiàn.
Up ahead is a shop.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 存现句 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.