How to use 有
Place + 有 + Obj.
有 can introduce something that exists in a place as well as describe what someone possesses. For the existence meaning, begin with the location and follow it with 有 and the people or objects found there. This corresponds to an English sentence beginning with “there is” or “there are.”
The phrase after 有 often introduces new information, including a number or an indefinite quantity. When the listener already knows the subject and you want to identify its location, a subject followed by 在 is usually the more suitable pattern. The distinction is about what information the sentence presents first, not simply about translating one English word at a time.
Examples with pinyin and English
我家有很多小狗。
There are a lot of puppies in my home.
我们学校有很多帅哥。
There are a lot of cute guys in our school.
日本有很多中国人。
There are many Chinese people in Japan.
这个酒吧有很多美女。
There are a lot of pretty girls in this bar.
What to remember
- Start with the place being described.
- Introduce the existing things after 有.
- Use 在 to locate an identified subject.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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