"饭馆在那儿吗？"
Translation:Is the restaurant there?
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"那儿" only means "there" or "that place". "那个" or "那" on its own means "that".
How can you tell the difference if they sound they same in conversation?
They don't sound the same. "那儿" has a retroflex "R" sound on the end. "那" on its own doesn't.
But in conversation, context is another clue to what's being said.
(If you mean "那儿" and "哪儿" sound the same, they don't either, because of the tones. And Mandarin varieties where "儿" isn't used, "那里" and "哪里" are used for "there" and "where" respectively, as opposed to "那［个］" and "哪［个］" for "that" and "which".)
I translated it as "Where is the restaurant?" And I am still not sure if I am wrong and why.
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If you replaced 那 (nà) with 哪 (nǎ), and removed the yes/no question particle 吗, it would mean "where is the restaurant?". Very similar character and pronunciation makes it confusing at first, I made the same mistake.
But 吗 should tip you off anyway since "where is the restaurant?" isn't a yes/no question.
Thank you so much for this, I wish Duo would point these things out in the tip sections or in these types of exercises.
Yes, always. If you want a more detailed answer you can use 呢 ('ne') : "饭馆在那儿呢？" meaning 'then' or 'so', i.e. : "Is the restaurant over there, then?" or "So, is the restaurant over there?". If you want to ask "where is the restaurant?", you would write: "饭馆在哪儿" (northern dialects) or "饭馆在哪里" (southern dialects). In this case, you would use: 哪儿/哪里 (where?) instead of 那儿/那里 (that, those).
Yes, "吗" always signifies a yes/no question. However, your "呢" example is wrong.
Here's how "呢" is used:
《呢》
To soften a question or impart a quizzical tone:
- 饭馆在哪儿呢？Where is the restaurant, then? (You need a question word, "那儿" or "哪里", not "那儿" as in your example.)
To ask where something is (by implication):
- 饭馆呢？The restaurant, then?
To indicate an action in progress:
- 我（正）（在）吃饭呢。I'm in the middle of eating.
And here's another particle to consider:
《吧》
What I think you might be looking for is the suggestion particle "吧":
- 饭馆在那儿（，是）吧。The restaurant is over there, I guess. (This is an implied question.)
Ye-e, you are right when you are talking about Chinese, but this translation into English. In English, the questioning phrase about a location should begin from "Is there" and finished with "here", "there" or "over there' to specify a particular location
"Is there a restaurant?" doesn't work. I don't know why "is the restaurant there?" should work instead. Enlighten me.
"饭馆在那儿吗？" more accurately translates to "Is the restaurant in that area?" "Is there a restaurant?" asks whether the restaurant exists or not, whereas "Is the restaurant there?" assumes the restaurant exists, but asks the location of it. I can see how it's confusing, though.
Why isn't "Is the restaurant OVER there" correct? That's one of the translations when you hover over '那儿'.
no, yesterday the building just disappeared off the face of earth all of a sudden
Haha. You seem to answer all Yes / No questions with a No by default. 你的名字叫 learninghuman 吗? :-)
Can't 饭馆 be translated to a lot of things besides restaurant? Such as cafe, cafeteria, diner, or eatery.
How do you know when to put 那儿 or 这儿 at the beginning or at the end. Example: 饭馆在那儿 and 这儿没有洗手间 I would love someone to explain it for me. THANKS!!!!
Think of "那儿" or "这儿" as nouns, meaning "that place" and "this place" respectively.
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If you use "（没）有" ("to have"), put "这儿 / 那儿" in front of it.
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If you use "在" ("to be located in/at"), put "这儿 / 那儿" after it.
Examples:
- 有饭馆吗？ Is there a restaurant? (Has a restaurant? / Does a restaurant exist (in this/that place)? [The location is understood.])
- 这儿有饭馆吗？ Is there a restaurant here? (This place has a restaurant? / Does this place have a restaurant?)
- 那儿有饭馆吗？ Is there a restaurant there? (That place has a restaurant? / Does that place have a restaurant?)
- 饭馆在这儿吗？ Is the restaurant here? (The restaurant is located in this place? / Is the restaurant located here?)
- 饭馆在那儿吗？ Is the restaurant there? (The restaurant is located in that place? / Is the restaurant located in that place?)
Living dangerously! Sometimes I add extra words to see if it takes the translation. "Is the restaurant OVER there?" Accepted on 6/3/2020 :)
饭馆是出售饭菜供人食用的店铺。也叫饭铺、饭店，古时候称为客栈，旅馆。总之，就是在家外面，可以让人吃饭的地方。 why cant i say where is the hotel
Because native English speakers would interpret that word order to mean something like "Does the restaurant exist" (though it would be an unusual way to phrase it), but we want something that means "Is the restaurant at that location".
- 1656
Just guessing from playing around with a Chinese-English dictionary, but each of these phrases contain a character for food or meal — 餐 or 饭 — and a character denoting a (type of) building or room — 店 (shop or inn), 馆 (seems to be a bit less specific or more flexible word for a building) or 厅 (a hall). So, 饭馆 and 饭店 seem to be phrases meaning something like "food shop" while 餐厅 is more like "eating hall" or "meal hall."
(Using simplified characters rather than the traditional ones in your question.)
Practically speaking, which of these terms is/are generally used to refer to restaurants in any given location is largely a matter of regional preference.
What is the difference between "is there a restaurant?" and "is the restaurant there?"
- Is there a restaurant? Does a restaurant exist?
- Is there a restaurant there? Does a restaurant exist in that place?
- Is the restaurant there? Does the specific restaurant that I am asking about exist in that place?
"Is there a restaurant?" is a different question with a different meaning.
"Is there a restaurant?" means "Does a restaurant exist?" 有饭馆吗?
"Is the restaurant there?" means "Is the restaurant we are talking about at that location?" 饭馆在这儿吗? or 饭馆在这里吗?
Because the given sentence is a Yes / No question. Your sentence is not.
Also because 那 = "there"... not "where".
Hope this helps.