"这儿没有洗手间。"
Translation:There is no bathroom here.
221 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
that doesn't sound very natural. "there" isn't a place word here, it's part of the verb in English, no? 有 = there is, to exist, to have. many languages have a separate word (like Spanish "hay") but English is always weird.
English clauses always have a subject. English speakers use there as a dummy subject with part of the verb "to be" followed by a noun phrase:
• to introduce a new topic:
There has been an accident. I hope no one is hurt.
• with numbers or quantities:
There was a lot of rain last night.
• to say where something is/is not:
There used to be a playground at the end of the street. There are flowers in the garden. ---- There is no bathroom here.
This sounds awkward and unnatural.
Even without the contraction, "Here is no bathroom." sounds wrong. With omission, one could make the statement "No bathroom here!" and that would be natural sounding but I don't think it can be related to this Chinese sentence as a possible translation.
"No bathroom here" while understood would only be used by a person from disadvantaged backgrounds. Or in very rare context, but usually would be replaced with "There is no bathroom here"...
A more natural way to say it would be, "Here, there's no bathroom," but, "There's no bathroom here" would be better.
Doesn't it read as 'Here, no have bathroom' ? Most native English speakers would not have a problem understanding that phrasing. Similar to the way Spanish/Arabic-speaking might translate.
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Saying "Here, no have bathroom" is an awfully awkward and unnatural way of expressing it and it is most certainly not the proper word order. It's true that a native English speaker wouldn't misunderstand (like when dealing with a tourist) but it's not correct to assume that you can deliberately mangle it either!
The fact that someone would probably understand what you were trying to say doesn't mean Duolingo should have that listed as a valid answer. "Here is no bathroom" is grammatically incorrect, sounds very strange and no native speaker would ever say it like that, as far as I know. Unfortunately for us who are not native speakers it's sometimes hard to deal with our imperfect English in order to learn another language. But hey, we're improving our Chinese and our English at the same time!
@Funk - it is harder to find a bathroom in American buses. And British fighter planes. And German bookshops in the airports.
In some countries you have to be very specific with asking for a bathroom or toilet, because asking for a bathroom will find you toilet-less
In the Netherlands, ask for a wc if you need to pee, and a bathroom if you want to bathe.
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It's the same in Germany - WC for the toilet or Badezimmer for bathing. Usually there are toilets in the bathrooms as well, at least in houses. When I lived in Germany we had a washroom (toilet and sink) on the ground floor and a bathroom (shower, bathtub, toilet and sink) upstairs where the bedrooms were.
Soo.. if i go to a restaurant or bookstore, will i be at risk to suddenly find my self in front of a bath tub?
Or is this rather a thing of hospitality sector?
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Well, in Japan for example a "bathroom" is likely to be literally a room with a bathtub - the Japanese generally keep the toilet separate. Even in North American usage, a "bathroom" is more likely to be used in a home setting (where there's traditionally a bathtub) whereas outside people call it a "restroom" in the USA and in Canada, a "washroom". Calling it a "toilet" is normal in most other parts of the world, although it sounds somewhat rude to North Americans but you wouldn't be misunderstood.
The translations for "yes" and "no" really depend on the question being asked. In this case, "yes" would be "有" and "no" would be "没有".
Here / there is no bathroom, toilet, loo, WC, washroom etc should all be good. At the end: it is about studying Chinese and not English... being corrected on my English when I study Chinese is very annoying
I find it difficult to not use the word there in this sentence talking about here.
That is because English clauses always have a subject. English speakers use "there" as a dummy subject with part of the verb "to be" followed by a noun phrase.
As I understand it, 没 is used with 有, while 不 is used with all other verbs, adjectives, etc.
To imply the negative, you can either use 'mei you' or 'bu shi' depending on sentence structure
没有 is talking about possession, and literally means something like "doesnt have" and 不 means something like "not"
I saw a video about exactly this. "Mei" is gentler, and can mean "not yet". "Bu" is stronger, and can potentially have a bit of attitude behind it. So if you wanted to say, "I didn't bring any cash with me," you'd use "mei" but if you wanted to say, "I don't carry cash," you'd use "bu".
From my understanding, 没 is used to negate existences (something doesn't exist/ not have something). It implies an absence. That is why in this sentences and in other sentences like "I don't have any younger brothers" 没 is used and paired with 有. 没 is also used to negate actions in the past (didn't do something).
不 means not, or just simply No if it is alone. For example, "I don't know", "I am not happy" "I don't want..", "No, this is incorrect" , etc.
I think there are other cases in which one is used and preferred over the other. I am rather new to Chinese, but I would advise those who are confused to look deeper into the meanings of the two.
In British and Australian English - and in Indian English - a bathroom is, controversially, a room with a bath in it. The word should be "Toilet" or "Loo".
True, but of all the Americanisms I've ended up using on Duo in case my native dialect isn't accepted this one grates the least, because while in British English and other related dialects "toilet" and "loo" can mean both the thing you sit on and the room it is located in, both "bathroom" and "洗手间" refer just to the room.
I live in Australia (Melbourne) and every single person I know calls the toilet the "bathroom"
From what I understand, toilet is actually a better translation than bathroom or whatever.
Yes they are. If you are in a shopping centre, you do (should?) not need a bath or a wash. You need the toilet or the loo.
It depends on what country you're in! These words mean different things in American and British English!
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Please see KeZhiXin1987's response to ArchieCric. Although your response can also be accepted.
"This place doesn't have a Toilet." Perfectly typical statement and near word for word translation.
My translation:
There aren't any bathrooms here.
I feel like plural sounds more natural than singular here.
I said "There are no bathrooms here" and it was unfortunately marked wrong
Why is The bathroom is not here not correct
It is almost the same as 'there is no bathroom here'
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"The bathroom is not here" implies there's a bathroom somewhere, it just isn't here. "There is no bathroom here" does not say anything about the existence of a bathroom somewhere else.
The bathroom is not here. = 洗手间不在这儿。
- 1809
That isn't a grammatically correct sentence in English though. Maybe you'd find that on a sign, but that's not how it would be spoken.
the correct way in English is " there is not ( there isn´t ) a bathroom here.
Because "There is no bathroom here" is already correct. We don't need to correct it any further.
As to the seventeen dozen other ways of saying toilet, lavatory, over here, at this place, in this present location, etc etc etc etc etc, everyone is welcome to do those mental gymnastics in their own time... it's a great pastime!!
What is the effect of "er"? It was used in "(over) there" too, but the tip says that both characters mean the same thing.
'er' is simply an accent that many cities in China have. It should flow when you speak so rather than “一点儿” being pronounced as yi dian er, it should be pronounced yi diar. Same with “玩儿” being pronounced war rather than wan er
Isn't 玩意儿 the 儿话 of 玩意 (noun - "toy, gadget" etc) and 玩儿 the 儿话 of 玩 (verb - "play, have fun")?
I said there is no bathroom and it wasnt accepted? The word here wasnt even an option?
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It is more accurate with a "here" to translate 这儿. Otherwise it is more of 没有洗手间。 which is a little abrupt, or short. Likewise, "this place has no bathroom" would not be the best answer, since that would translate to more of 这个地方没有洗手间.
@Bebang - because that is not the meaning of the Chinese sentence. Hence it is not accepted.
The correct answer is "There is no bathroom here".
Hope this helps.
I´m really struggling with word order. Could someone explain to me, why it´s "这儿没有洗手间" and not "洗手间没有这儿", please. All the other sentences seem to have the opposite word order.
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The latter would have to have a 在, i.e. 洗手间没有在这儿, which is colloquial and less formal than the former.
Which other sentences are you referring to?
I agree. I am a native English speaker from the US and we would use either of those sentences to convey the same idea.
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Please, what word is best, 'xi shou jian' or 'ce suo'? ( sorry, no chinese keyboard)
This is not bathroom, it's toilet. I know that in US/UK people often call it bathroom, but for others it's not interchangeable.
If I want to take a bath, I go to bathroom. If I want to pee, I go to toilet.
In Chinese this means literally toilet, not bathroom.
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Actually, "洗手间" literally means "washing hands room", because "洗手" means "wash/washing hands" and in this context, "间" means "room".
Thank you. The mobile app doesn't have definitions, but i find them super helpful.
If you're referring to the tips and notes, then they're now available on the phone
Yes, but you don't get in a bath to wash your hands. You wash your hands when you go to the toilet. Pretty sure "toilet" is a much better translation.
I'm still struggling to find a single comment where they explain how "here" is implied here..
@Hsn - 这儿 = "here". The sentence is literally "Here has no bathroom", which is more legible in English as "There is no bathroom here". Hope it helps.
Literally - The word 'there' seems to be implied in the translation, but this is: 'Here not have bathroom.' Words like computer 电脑 - electric brain; sweater 毛衣 - hairy clothes; B.O. 腋臭 - stinky armpit are not really translated literally. There should be more flexibility in the interpretation since language evolves through the ages with slang and technology - flow with the Zeitgeist.
There is no bathroom here, doesn't really make sense. I'm lrettu sure it'd be, "There ARE no bathroomS here."
I've never heard or read "Here is no [something]". I always hear "There's no [something] here". Not sure if it's grammatically correct, but you don't seem to be the only one asking about it. Is your expression specific to any region or dialect?
"They don't have a bathroom here?"
Also, what's the difference between 不 and 没 ?
Look above in the discussion. Other people have discussed this.
没 is always used with 有.
Also there is a subtle difference in the meaning between 不 and 没. 不 is a bit stronger.
Litte bit confused with when to use 不 or 没. They seem to have the same function within a sentence but are interchangable? Would 不 make sense here or not?
Again, the word "there" is not present. Why use both "there" and "here" in the translation?
@alina - Because "Is no bathroom here" sounds very odd and incorrect.
The 'there' in the English translation is not a location marker but is a part of 'there is..', which is an existence marker. e.g. when you say "There is a reason..", you don't mean that the reason is at a particular location, you mean that the reason exists.
This is the same kind of 'there'. Hope this helps.
How necessary is it to use the '儿'??? I'm not quite clear on what it does nor when to use it...
@Satvik - because "the bathroom" is not the subject of the given sentence.
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Because it's not a reply to a question asking about the location of a (the) bathroom; where is the bathroom?
It's an answer to whether or not a (the) place has a bathroom; is there a bathroom here?
You need to look at the verb:
有 (to be/have/exist) 没有 (to not be/not have/not exist)
It's short for "Water Closet" and is another term for bathroom. We don't say that where I'm from (Canada)... I think it's mostly used in Europe??
Just a "by the way", in America, we use and prefer the words "bathroom", "restroom", or "washroom" to describe public toilets. Having someone say, "Where is the toilet?" Sounds kind of gross and inappropriate to many of us. Even if it may be technically correct to say this publicly. If you have guests in your home, you would still say, "The bathroom is here", for instance. To Americans, "the toilet", just refers to the actual toilet, not to the room it is in. Yes, I know that technically, most public restrooms do not have a shower or tub, nor, are they places to "rest" in, but, we Americans still call them "bathrooms" and "restrooms" anyway. Just saying.
Technically yes but in spoken English (at least in the UK) they are often used interchangeably. If I was out I would use toilet, bathroom, washroom and WC all to describe the same thing.
There is NO bathroom = There is not a bathroom here. I am tired from the Duoling Englsih...
@Oleg - "There is no bathroom" does not indicate that you've understood the meaning of 这儿.
If you don't include here in your sentence, then you cannot complain about being marked wrong. Simple.
Please review the correct answer again. "There is no bathroom HERE."
Correction does NOT say 'there'. The 'there' at the beginning of the sentence is an existential 'there'. Like when you say "There is a reason for.." etc. In such a sentence the reason is not in any particular location because 'there' is not referring to any location for the reason, but is referring to the existence of the reason.
Similarly the 'there' which you are complaining about, is referring to the existence of the bathroom. The 'here' at the end of the sentence is referring to its location.
Hope this helps.
Here doesn't have bathroom . English wise, is the above grammatically incorrect?
See @RajasDaithankar's answer above for why "here" is not the subject of this sentence. Also, English demands an article in front of "bathroom." In this sentence, it would be "doesn't have a bathroom."
I typed "The bathroom is not here." DuoLingo says "There is no bathroom here." It's the same thing. I am a native English speaker from the US.
@R7NH4 - The bathroom is not here = 洗手间不在这儿.
This Chinese sentence is as different from the given Chinese sentence, as is yours from the correct English response for the given Chinese.
Hope this helps.
You're fast with that delete button, however, at least this reply, though convoluted, is not insulting like your last reply was. As I replied before, I don't want or need your help and I'll get assistance elsewhere. Thanks and have a blessed day.
Being given a different point of view is not "insulting" or "convoluted" in my opinion.. particularly given that this is a discussion forum.
But that's okay. I can live with your comments mate.
"The bathroom is not here" implies that there is a bathroom, but it's somewhere else. "There is no bathroom here" does not carry the implication that the bathroom exists.
"Here doesn't have a washroom" should be fine. We're not here for good English grammar.
Why does "没" have a different pronunciation when it is by itself than with "没有"? I can't find anything online. The pinyin appears to be the same.
I'm having a huge problem with this one: If you translate it directly , it would sound like this: Here is no bathroom. Where is the option of " There is"? So everytime I get it wrong. I'm English speaking and I use this sentence in everyday speech, "Here is no bathroom" or for short "Here's no bathroom"
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Because the sentence doesn't speak about where the bathroom is located - you would need the word 在 (where something/one is located) to change it to this meaning - In this question, it is only talking about the (non)existence 有 of a bathroom in that particular location. The reply of 没有 implies that a prior question was asking for the existence of a certain thing. Basically it is like if someone asked in English "do you have a bathroom here?" so it needs to be answered as "No, there is no bathroom here." and not as "the bathroom is not here."
For context you need to look at it like this:
Q: Is there a bathroom here [existence]?
这儿有没有洗手间？
A: There is no bathroom here. 这儿没有洗手间。
Q: Where is the bathroom? 洗手间在哪儿？
A: The bathroom is not here [location] (it is over there) 洗手间不在这儿 （它在那儿)。
Could "Here be no bathroom" accepted, even if it sounds a bit pedantic? (I'm not a native English-speaker, so I' not sure)
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As a native English speaker, I just had to laugh as that sounds like "pirate talk." Personally, I'd totally understand the meaning if someone said that but I highly doubt that Duo would accept it because it isn't exactly "correct speech."
I have a question: Why does this sentence need "儿" ? Doesn't it make sense to say "这没有洗手间"?
"Here has no bathroom" I think would have been a reasonable option when considering the alternative meaning of 没有 (does not have). Just my opinion.
Is 这儿 pronounced like "jar" sound like "car" or is it pronounced more similar to "jer" sound like "her"?
It's confusing. Mei yuo indicates a possession, but there is no person to posess the subject, the bathroom. So then we must assume unless a person is given in Chinese, then the sentence will be structured without any personal pronoun.
It's confusing. Mei yuo indicates a possession, but there is no person to posess the subject, the bathroom. So then we must assume unless a person is given in Chinese, then the sentence will be structured without any personal pronoun.
The translation is kinda weird , is more natural to say : "The bathroom isn't here" or "There isn't any bathroom here".
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If you say 'the bathroom is not here', to me that implies that a bathroom exists but it is somewhere else, for example, the bathroom is not on the ground floor, but on the second floor of a house, whereas 'there is no bathroom here' implies that there is no bathroom at all, for example at an outdoor market.
That would grammatically incorrect in English. You could say "The bathroom is not here", but in Chinese that would be “洗手间不在这儿”.
The pattern "place +（没）有 + object" is translated as "there is/isn't/is no [object] in/at/on/... [place]".
Este es el curso de Chino, en Inglés. Lamentablemente todavía no hay curso de Chino en Español. La expresión "there is" básicamente es el equivalente en español de "hay". El "there" no indica el lugar, nomás es parte de la expresión "there is" que significa "hay". Por eso dice "There is no bathroom here", que significa "No hay baño aquí". La estructura en Chino es lugar+有+objeto (literalmente "[lugar] tiene [objeto]"), pero traducido bien al español sería "hay [objecto] en [lugar]".
This is Chinese from English. I know, there's unfortunately no Chinese from Spanish course yet. The phrase "there is" in English means "exists" usually translated into Chinese as place+有+object (literally the place+"has"+object).
I think "here has no bathroom" should be acceptable. Otherwise there is unnecessary confusion over the target words "here and there", because your forcing us to say "there is no br here" using both.
The English sentence, "Here has no bathroom" is not grammatically correct. In my experience, Duolingo does not accept grammatically incorrect English sentences as correct answers.
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You could say 'this place has no bathroom', but sorry, your suggestion is not correct. There isn't actually any confusion between 'there' and 'here' because in this case 'there' is not a place but a kind of subject. like 'il y a' in French, 'hay' in Spanish, or 'es gibt' in German.
Because your question implies that you know that there is a bathroom, just not sure where exactly it is. In the DL sentence, however, you want to know whether there is a toilet or not.
- 1809
First, it's a statement and not a question. Second, your sentence would be translated as "洗手间不在这儿吗?". However, if the question mark inside the quotation mark was a typo, then your sentence would be translated as "洗手间不在这儿".
another strange phrase in english, and I don't understand why is it "...a bathroom" rather than "...the bathroom".
"The" is the definite article. "A" is the indefinite article. If you don't know if there are zero, one, or many of something (as in this sentence), use the indefinite article.