Breakdown of jīntiān bàngōngshì lǐ méi yǒu biérén, wǒ yí gè rén ānjìng de bǎ zuòyè dōu zuòwán le.
我wǒ
I
个gè
noun classifier
Used when counting nouns or when specifying a specific instance of a noun.
There are also classifiers for people, for bound items such as books and magazines, for cups/glasses, etc.
The classifier 个 is a general one that can be used for any of these.
人rén
person
Questions & Answers about jīntiān bàngōngshì lǐ méi yǒu biérén, wǒ yí gè rén ānjìng de bǎ zuòyè dōu zuòwán le.
Why is 没有 (méiyǒu) used instead of 不有 (bù yǒu) to mean “there was no one”?
In Mandarin, 有 is almost always negated with 没 / 没有, not with 不.
- 有 = “to have; there is/are”
- Its standard negative form: 没有 / 没
- 办公室里没有别人 = “There is no one else in the office.”
不有 is basically ungrammatical in modern Mandarin in this meaning.
So:
- ✅ 我没有钱。= I don’t have money.
- ❌ 我不有钱。 (incorrect)
What is the function of 里 (lǐ) in 办公室里, and can it be omitted?
里 means “inside”, so:
- 办公室里 = “inside the office / in the office”
You can sometimes omit 里 and just say 在办公室 for “at the office”, especially when the “inside” idea is not important.
In this sentence:
- 今天办公室里没有别人 emphasizes inside that physical space there was no one else.
- You could also say 今天在办公室没有别人, which is also natural.
With people and rooms, 里 is very common and sounds very natural.
Why isn’t there 在 (zài) before 办公室里? Could we say 今天在办公室里没有别人?