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- Topic: Russian >
- "Здесь есть туалет?"
13 Comments
263
"Is the toilet here?" does not translate this sentence correctly. actually it means, if the toilet is HERE or somewhere else? On the other hand "Здесь есть туалет?" means if there IS a toilet here or NOT?
15
Why this sentence must be a question in russian? Could it be also a declaration? (Normal sentence?) How we make sentence in russian to a question?
476
I said is the bathroom here but it says it's wrong and must be "is there". How do you get that with no это in the original sentence?
It's kind of odd but where I live people say half-bath or half bathroom for a bathroom with only a toilet and sink. We also refer to bathrooms as a bathroom, men's room, ladies' room, restroom, etc because toilet comes across as a little impolite or mildly crude. I really only hear children say toilet and that's still pretty rare.
TLDR: Americans are weird and think the word toilet is gross. (At least where I live.)
Where are you from exactly? I live in England and toilet is the normal word, however saying 'going to the bathroom' in the toilet context is more for children and rather strange. I say it often as a calque from Polish "need bathroom", however if you just want to wash your hands, you say that, and not mention where you're going exactly.
The English translation feels odd.
If I want to know if something or someplace is 'here', at the location I am - 'I ask : Is here a toilet' (more likely 'do you have a toilet here)
If I want to know if something is at a certain location I am not at the moment, I ask 'Is there a toilet?' or 'Do they have a toilet there'
I am not a native speaker - but the structure : Is there - here sounds pretty awkward. Am I right or do I miss something?