Learn Hardcore Chinese: Gōngyuán fùjìn yǒu yínháng, ménkǒu chángcháng yǒu hěn duō rén. - There’s a bank near the park, and there are often many people at the entrance.

It’s the existential “there is/are” pattern: place + 有 + thing. It states existence or availability at a location. In Chinese you cannot say “公园附近是银行” to mean “There is a bank near the park.” Use 有 for existence: 公园附近有银行 = “Near the park, there is a bank.”

Do I need 在 before 公园附近? Is “在公园附近有银行” okay?

You don’t need 在. Both are acceptable:

公园附近有银行 (most common/basic existential pattern)
在公园附近有银行 (also used; slightly stronger focus on the location) Neither changes the basic meaning.

Should I add a number and classifier: “有一家银行”?

Optional:

公园附近有银行 = there is at least one bank (indefinite).
公园附近有一家银行 = there is one bank specifically (uses classifier 家 for companies/stores). Add a number + classifier when you want to be specific about quantity.

What exactly does 附近 do here? Can I say 附近的银行?

附近 is a location noun meaning “the nearby area.”

公园附近有银行 = “In the area near the park, there is a bank.”
附近的银行 = “the nearby bank(s)” (definite, as an attribute), e.g., 附近的银行几点关门？ “What time do the nearby banks close?”

What does 门口 mean here? Whose entrance is it?

门口 means “entrance/doorway/out front.” Unmodified 门口 refers to the most contextually relevant entrance just mentioned. Here it most naturally refers to the bank’s entrance, but it could be ambiguous (it might be the park gate). To make it clear, say:

银行门口常常有很多人。 (the bank entrance)
公园门口常常有很多人。 (the park gate)

Where should 常常 go? Could I use 经常 instead?

Frequency adverbs go before the verb:

门口常常有很多人。 (natural)
门口经常有很多人。 (equally natural) You wouldn’t put it at the end of the sentence. 常常 and 经常 are near-synonyms; 经常 feels slightly more colloquial/natural in many regions, but both are fine.

Why is 很 placed before 多 in 很多人? Does 很 mean “very” here?

In 很多人, 很 doesn’t strongly mean “very.” It’s part of a common collocation meaning simply “many.” Think of 很多 as a set phrase. Without a degree word, 多 directly before a noun (多人) sounds formal/literary; in everyday speech 很多人 is the norm.

Why “门口常常有很多人” instead of “门口常常人很多”? Are both correct?

Both are correct, with a slight nuance difference:

门口常常有很多人: existential—“at the entrance there are often many people” (introduces the presence of many people).
门口常常人很多: descriptive—“at the entrance, people are often numerous” (emphasizes crowdedness). Both are very natural in speech.

Can I drop 有 and say “门口常常很多人”?

Yes, that’s common in speech. It’s understood as shorthand for 门口(的)人常常很多. For careful/neutral writing, 门口常常有很多人 or 门口人常常很多 are a bit tidier.

Why not use a classifier with 人? Why not “很多个人”?

With quantity words like 很多, you usually don’t need a classifier: 很多人 is standard. 很多个 + noun can appear (e.g., 很多个学生) to stress countability, but 很多个人 is uncommon/awkward. With numerals you must use a classifier: 三个人, 十几个人.

How do I negate these clauses naturally?

Existence: 公园附近没有银行。 (“There isn’t a bank near the park.”)
Crowd at the entrance:
- If literally none: 门口常常没有人。
- If “not many”: prefer adjective negation: 门口通常人不多。 / 门口一般没什么人。

Can I combine everything into one smoother sentence?

Yes:

公园附近的银行门口常常有很多人。
Or keep the number: 在公园附近有一家银行，那家银行门口常常有很多人。

What if there are several banks? How do I say “There are a few/some banks near the park”?

Use 几家 or 一些:

公园附近有几家银行。 (“a few banks,” typically 2–9)
公园附近有一些银行。 (“some banks,” indefinite)

Pronunciation: any pitfalls in these words?

公园 gōngyuán (1–2)
附近 fùjìn (4–4)
有 yǒu (3)
银行 yínháng (2–2; note 行 is háng here, not xíng)
门口 ménkǒu (2–3)
常常 chángcháng (2–2)
很 hěn (3)
多 duō (1)
人 rén (2) Tone note: No 3–3 sandhi here; hěn duō stays 3–1. In running speech, third tones may be “half-3rd.”

Is the comma between the two parts normal? Could they be two sentences?

Yes. Chinese often links related statements with a comma. You could also write two sentences:

公园附近有银行。门口常常有很多人。 If you want to show a logical link (e.g., addition/cause), you can add 而且/所以/因此, depending on intent.

Can I say 门前 instead of 门口? Any difference?

Both can work, but they differ slightly:

门口: the doorway/entrance area (right at or by the door; very idiomatic for shops/banks).
门前: the area in front of the door (emphasizes “in front,” typically outside). For crowds at a business, 门口 is more common: 银行门口常常有很多人.

Is 公园 the subject? The word order confuses me.

Think “topic–comment”:

Topic: 公园附近 (“as for the area near the park”)
Comment: 有银行 (“there is a bank”) Then a new topic, 门口, with its comment, 常常有很多人. This is very typical in Chinese.

Can I say “公园附近里”? Does 附近 take 里?

No. 附近 already means “the nearby area,” so don’t add 里. Use 公园里 for “inside the park,” and 在公园附近 for “near the park.”

How do I ask yes/no questions based on these clauses?

Existence: 公园附近有没有银行？ / 公园附近有银行吗？
Crowd: 门口常常有很多人吗？ Avoid mixing 有没有 with 常常 in the same clause; use the 吗 question for frequency.