"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.
817
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!
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
757
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.
817
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.
To imply the negative, you can either use 'mei you' or 'bu shi' depending on sentence structure
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.
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.
1809
Please see KeZhiXin1987's response to ArchieCric. Although your response can also be accepted.
1075
"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.
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!!
71
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.
71
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?
1942
Please, what word is best, 'xi shou jian' or 'ce suo'? ( sorry, no chinese keyboard)
1809
Actually, "洗手间" literally means "washing hands room", because "洗手" means "wash/washing hands" and in this context, "间" means "room".
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.
@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.
817
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)
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.
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.
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"
817
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)。
817
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."
757
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.
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).
757
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.
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".