Breakdown of chúle dānrénjiān yǐwài, zhè jiā jiǔdiàn hái yǒu shuāngrénjiān.
Questions & Answers about chúle dānrénjiān yǐwài, zhè jiā jiǔdiàn hái yǒu shuāngrénjiān.
What does 除了……以外 mean in this sentence?
In this sentence, 除了……以外 means besides, apart from, or in addition to.
So:
除了单人间以外,这家酒店还有双人间。
= Besides single rooms, this hotel also has double rooms.
A very important point: 除了……以外 can sometimes mean either:
- except for
- besides / in addition to
The rest of the sentence tells you which meaning is intended. Here, because we have 还 and 有, it clearly means in addition to.
Why is 还 used here?
还 here means also / in addition / furthermore.
In this pattern, it helps show that something extra exists beyond what was already mentioned:
- 除了单人间以外,这家酒店还有双人间。
- Besides single rooms, this hotel also has double rooms.
Without 还, the sentence would sound less natural in this context.
The combination 除了……以外,……还…… is a very common pattern for saying:
- Besides A, B also...
- In addition to A, B still/also...
So 还 is an important clue that the meaning is additive, not exclusive.
Could I use 也 instead of 还?
Usually, 还 is the more natural choice in this sentence.
Why?
- 也 means also too
- 还 often means also, in addition, furthermore
With 除了……以外, Mandarin often prefers 还 because it emphasizes adding another item to the list.
So this is natural:
- 除了单人间以外,这家酒店还有双人间。
Using 也 is not the standard choice here. A learner should remember this pattern as:
- 除了 A 以外,B 还 + verb/object
What does 家 mean in 这家酒店?
Here, 家 is a measure word for businesses and establishments such as:
- hotels
- restaurants
- stores
- companies
So:
- 这家酒店 = this hotel
Literally, it is:
- 这 = this
- 家 = measure word for businesses
- 酒店 = hotel
In English, we do not say this measure-word hotel, but in Chinese the measure word is required in this kind of phrase.
More examples:
- 这家饭店 = this restaurant
- 那家公司 = that company
- 一家商店 = a store
Why is the word order different from English?
Chinese often builds the sentence in a different order from English.
The structure here is:
- 除了 + A + 以外,B + 还 + 有 + C
Literally:
- Apart from A, B also has C
In this sentence:
- A = 单人间
- B = 这家酒店
- C = 双人间
So the full structure is:
- Besides single rooms, this hotel also has double rooms.
English might sometimes say:
- This hotel has double rooms besides single rooms.
But Chinese usually puts the 除了……以外 part first to set up the comparison or addition.
Is 以外 necessary? Can I just say 除了单人间,这家酒店还有双人间?
Yes, you often can omit 以外 in everyday speech.
So both are possible:
- 除了单人间以外,这家酒店还有双人间。
- 除了单人间,这家酒店还有双人间。
The version with 以外 sounds a little more complete or formal.
The version without it is more concise and very common in conversation.
For learners, it is safest to learn the full pattern first:
- 除了……以外,……还……
Then later you can get used to hearing 以外 dropped.
What do 单人间 and 双人间 literally mean?
They are hotel room types.
单人间
- 单人 = one person / single person
- 间 = room
- so: single room
双人间
- 双人 = two people
- 间 = room
- so: double room
A simple way to remember them:
- 单 = single
- 双 = double
- 间 = room
In hotels, these are very common words.
Why is 有 used here?
有 means to have or there is/are.
In this sentence:
- 这家酒店还有双人间
- This hotel also has double rooms
Chinese uses 有 to say that something exists or is available.
Why not 是?
Because 是 is used for identity or classification, like:
- 这是酒店。 = This is a hotel.
But here the sentence is talking about what the hotel has or what room types are available, so 有 is the correct verb.
Does this sentence mean the hotel has both single rooms and double rooms?
Yes. That is the normal meaning.
The sentence tells us:
- the hotel has single rooms
- and, in addition, it also has double rooms
So the implication is that both room types are available.
That is why English translations often say:
- This hotel has double rooms in addition to single rooms.
- Besides single rooms, this hotel also has double rooms.
Does 除了 always mean except?
No. This is a very common source of confusion.
除了 can mean either:
- except for
- besides / in addition to
You must look at the whole sentence.
If it means in addition to
You often see:
- 除了……以外,……还……
- Besides A, also B
Example:
- 除了单人间以外,这家酒店还有双人间。
- Besides single rooms, this hotel also has double rooms.
If it means except for
The sentence usually excludes something.
Example:
- 除了他以外,大家都来了。
- Except for him, everyone came.
So 除了 does not always mean just except.
How would I turn this into a yes-no question?
A natural way is to add 吗:
- 除了单人间以外,这家酒店还有双人间吗?
- Besides single rooms, does this hotel also have double rooms?
You could also ask more directly:
- 这家酒店除了单人间以外,还有双人间吗?
Both are understandable. The second version may sound a little more like a practical hotel question, because it starts with this hotel and then asks about the room types.
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