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How to Say ‘Is anyone sitting here?’ in Simplified Chinese

这儿有人坐吗？

zhè ér yǒu rén zuò ma

[zhèr yoh rén dzwo ma]

🇨🇳 In China: This is the standard polite opener before taking a free seat at a bar or café. It's also a low-pressure way to start talking to someone.

Phrase Breakdown

这儿有人

zhè ér yǒu rén

Is there someone here

zhèr yǒu rén: 这儿 is 'here', with the northern 'r' sound. 有人 means 'someone'.

Example

这儿有人吗？

Is anyone here?

Words in this phrase

这儿

zhè ér

[zhèr]

here

Spoken word for 'this place', common in northern Chinese.

Example

这儿很热闹。

It's lively here.

有

yǒu

[yoh]

to have; there is/are

Used to ask whether something is available.

Example

晚上七点有位子吗？

Are there any seats available at 7 p.m.?

人

rén

[rén]

person

Refers to a human being.

Example

人剑合一是最高的境界。

The unity of man and sword is the highest level.

坐吗？

zuò ma

Sitting?

zuò ma: a falling 'zuò' followed by the light question particle 吗.

Example

你想坐吗？

Do you want to sit?

Words in this phrase

坐

zuò

[dzwo]

to sit

坐 means to sit, and in restaurant context it often refers to where you want to be seated.

Example

我想坐靠窗的位置。

I want to sit in a window-side seat.

吗

[ma]

question particle

A sentence-final particle used to turn a statement into a yes-no question.

Example

你是第一次来吗？这里的“吗”表示提问。

Is this your first time here? Here, 吗 marks a question.

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