Learn Hardcore Chinese: Jīntiān yínháng ménkǒu méi shénme rén. - There aren’t many people at the bank entrance today.

In existential sentences, the place phrase can directly precede the predicate: [Place] + (没/没有) + [NP]. So 今天银行门口没什么人 is natural. You can also say 今天在银行门口没什么人, but the version without 在 is very common. Use 在 when locating a specific subject: 我在银行门口。

What does 什么 mean here? Isn’t it a question word?

Under negation, 什么 acts like an “any”-word (a negative polarity item). 没什么人 literally “not any people,” idiomatically “hardly anyone / not many people.” Common patterns:

没/没有 + 什么 + N: 没什么事, 没什么人
什么 + 都/也 + 不/没: 什么都没有, 什么也看不见

How strong is 没什么人 compared with similar phrases?

Strength from mild to strong (roughly):

人不多 = not many (neutral, mild)
没什么人 = hardly anyone / not many (a bit stronger)
人很少 = very few people
没几个人 = only a few people (stronger emphasis on small number)
几乎没有人 = almost nobody (very strong)
没有人 = nobody at all (absolute)

Should it be 银行的门口 instead of 银行门口?

Both are possible. 银行门口 is a tight noun–noun compound that’s very idiomatic for places (学校门口, 公司门口). 银行的门口 also works, with a slightly more “possessive” feel.

Why isn’t there a sentence-final 了 to show past time?

Chinese doesn’t require a past marker. 今天 already sets the time frame. Adding sentence-final 了 would express a change of state, e.g., 今天银行门口没什么人了 = “there aren’t many people anymore (now),” implying contrast with before.

What’s the preferred word order for time and place? Can 今天 go later?

Typical order: Time > Place > Predicate.

Default: 今天银行门口没什么人。
Also fine: 银行门口今天没什么人。 (slightly different focus)
Odd: 银行门口没什么人今天。

Why is there no measure word with 人? Doesn’t Chinese need 个?

Measure words are needed with numerals and many determiners, but 什么人 is not counting; it’s an indefinite “what/any kind of people,” so no measure word. If you quantify, you add one:

没有几个人
有三个人
Not: 什么个人

Can I say the same idea in other natural ways?

Yes, common alternatives:

今天银行门口人不多。
今天银行门口人很少。
今天银行门口没几个人。
今天银行门口几乎没有人。 Each varies in strength (see the scale above).

Is 门口 the same as 入口 or 门外/门前?

门口: the doorway/entrance area (often where people wait or gather).
入口: the entry point (as on signs; the designated entrance).
门外: outside the door.
门前: in front of the door/front area. So 银行门口 ≈ at the bank’s entrance area; 银行入口 is the official entry point; 银行门外 stresses outside; 银行门前 is the area in front.

Is this a topic–comment sentence?

Yes. 今天银行门口 sets the topic (time + place), and the comment is 没什么人. It corresponds to “As for the bank entrance today, (there) weren’t many people.”

Can I rephrase as 今天没有人在银行门口? Any difference?

Yes. 今天银行门口没有人/没什么人 foregrounds the location. 今天没有人在银行门口 foregrounds the absence of people, then specifies the location. Both are grammatical; the focus shifts slightly.

Pronunciation and tones?

今天 jīntiān (1–1)
银行 yínháng (2–2)
门口 ménkǒu (2–3)
没 méi (2)
什么 shénme (2 + neutral; the 么 is neutral tone)
人 rén (2) No third-tone sandhi is triggered here because there aren’t adjacent third tones that require it.

Why don’t we use 是?

是 links equivalents (X is Y); it doesn’t express existence/quantity at a place. For existence, use 有/没有 or the 没什么 + N pattern:

✔ 银行门口没有人。/ 银行门口没什么人。
✘ 银行门口不是人。(This would mean “The bank entrance is not a person,” which is nonsensical here.)

Is 今天 required? What happens if we drop it?

It’s optional. 银行门口没什么人 then describes the current or general situation; context supplies the time. Add a time word like 今天/刚才/早上 if you want to anchor it more clearly.

Can I use 不怎么 to mean “not very,” e.g., 银行门口不怎么有人?

Colloquially you might hear 不怎么有人, but more standard and natural are:

银行门口人不多。
银行门口没什么人。 Use 不怎么 mainly with adjectives/adverbs or with verbs:
不怎么好 (not very good)
这里不怎么来人 (people don’t really come here)