Learn Hardcore Chinese: yīnwèi xiàyǔ, dìtiězhàn wàimiàn de gōngjiāozhàn yǒu hěn duō rén zài nàli děng gōngjiāochē. - Because it was raining, there were many people waiting for the bus at the bus stop outside the subway station.

Full pair:
- 因为…所以… = because … therefore …
- Example: 因为下雨，所以地铁站外面的公交站有很多人。
Only 因为-clause in front (as in your sentence):
- 因为下雨，地铁站外面的公交站有很多人…
- This is like saying in English: “Because it’s raining, at the bus stop outside the subway station there are many people…”
- The 所以 (“therefore/so”) is often omitted if the causal relationship is obvious.

Both are grammatical. Using both 因为 and 所以 sounds a bit more formal or explicit; using only 因为 is very common in speech and informal writing.

How is 地铁站外面的公交站 structured? What exactly is modifying what?

Break it down:

地铁站 – subway/metro station
外面 – outside
的 – marker that connects modifiers to a noun
公交站 – bus stop

地铁站外面的公交站 literally =
“[地铁站外面的] 公交站” = the bus stop that is outside the subway station.

So the whole chunk 地铁站外面的 modifies 公交站.

You cannot read it as “the outside subway station bus stop”; it’s “the bus stop (公交站) that is at the outside (外面) of the subway station (地铁站).”

Why is there a 的 after 外面? Why not just 地铁站外面公交站?

In Chinese, when you have a phrase that modifies a noun, you usually use 的 after the modifier:

地铁站外面 = “outside the subway station” (a location phrase)
When that location phrase is used to describe a noun (公交站), it becomes:
- 地铁站外面的公交站 = the bus stop that is outside the subway station.

Without 的, 地铁站外面公交站 sounds ungrammatical or at least very unnatural, because the modifier phrase is long/complex.

Short, tightly bound modifiers can sometimes drop 的 (e.g. 北京人, 中国菜), but here you need 的.

What does 有 do in this sentence? Why not just say 地铁站外面的公交站很多人…?

Here 有 is the “existence / possession” verb meaning “there is / there are”:

地铁站外面的公交站有很多人…
= At the bus stop outside the subway station, there are many people…

This pattern is very common:

在 + place + 有 + thing/people…
- 在图书馆有很多学生。 = There are many students in the library.
- 这个房间有三张桌子。 = This room has/there are three tables.

You can sometimes say:

地铁站外面的公交站很多人。

but that is more like a short, spoken, descriptive comment: “The bus stop outside the subway station (is) very crowded / has many people.”

Using 有 is clearer standard grammar for “there are many people at that place”.

Why is it 很多人 without a measure word like 个? Shouldn’t it be 很多个人?

很多人 is the normal phrase for “many people”. No measure word is needed.

For 人, when you talk about an indefinite quantity like “many / few / some people”, Chinese typically uses:
- 很多人 – many people
- 一些人 – some people
- 几个人 – a few people (this one does use 个, because 几 usually pairs with a classifier)

很多个人 is possible, but has a slight emphasis like “a whole lot of individuals” or can sound a bit redundant in many contexts. The neutral, everyday expression is 很多人.

In 在那里等公交车, what is 在 doing? Is it “at” or is it a progressive marker like “be doing”?

Here 在那(里) is a location phrase:

在 = at / in / on
那里 = there
在那(里) = at that place / there

So 在那里等公交车 = wait for the bus there.

在 can do two different jobs in Chinese:

Location preposition (as in this sentence):
- 我在学校学习。 – I study at school.
Progressive marker when placed right before a verb:
- 我在等公交车。 – I am waiting for the bus.

In your sentence, 在 is part of 在那里 (a place expression), not a progressive marker. If you wanted the progressive meaning explicitly, you might say:

有很多人在那里在等公交车。 – This double 在 is grammatically possible but stylistically awkward; usually one 在 is enough, and context & 等 already imply a current action.

Could the order be 有很多人在地铁站外面的公交站那里等公交车? Is that still correct?

Yes, that’s also grammatical:

有很多人在地铁站外面的公交站那里等公交车。

Here the structure is:

有很多人 – there are many people
在地铁站外面的公交站那里 – at the bus stop outside the subway station (there)
等公交车 – waiting for the bus

Both versions are OK:

地铁站外面的公交站有很多人在那里等公交车。
有很多人在地铁站外面的公交站那里等公交车。

Differences:

Version 1 puts “the bus stop outside the subway station” at the start as the topic.
Version 2 starts with an existential 有很多人 (“there are many people”), then adds the location.

Both sound natural; Chinese is flexible with this kind of word order.

What’s the difference between 等公交车 and 等车? Is saying 公交站…等公交车 repetitive?

公交车 – public bus
车 – vehicle, car, bus, etc.

等公交车 is more specific: “wait for the (public) bus.”
等车 is vaguer: “wait for a vehicle (probably a bus, but could be something else depending on context).”

Is it repetitive?

公交站 (bus stop) + 等公交车 (wait for the bus) is natural and not considered bad style.
Native speakers say things like:
- 在公交站等公交车。 – Wait for the bus at the bus stop.

So it’s fine and idiomatic.

Why use 那里, not just 那儿 or nothing at all?

那里 and 那儿 both mean “there”.
- 那里 – more common in southern speech and in writing.
- 那儿 – very common in northern speech (e.g. Beijing).

You can often drop the word for “there” entirely if the location is already clear:

地铁站外面的公交站有很多人在等公交车。
– At the bus stop outside the subway station, many people are waiting for the bus.

Adding 在那里 emphasizes the location a bit more, like “right there (at that spot) they are waiting…”, but it’s not compulsory.

Why is there no 了 in this sentence? Would 有了很多人 ever be correct?

In this sentence, we are describing a current situation, not a change that has just occurred:

有很多人 = there are many people (a simple state).

有了很多人 would emphasize a change of state: “(now) there have come to be many people / many people have appeared.” It might be used if you’re contrasting with a previous empty state, e.g.:

刚开始车站没有人，现在有了很多人。
– At first there was no one at the station; now there are many people.

In the original sentence, the focus is simply on the current fact (it’s crowded because of the rain), so 了 is not needed.

Could I say 因为在下雨 instead of 因为下雨?

Normally, you just say:

因为下雨… – because it’s raining / because of the rain.

Adding 在 in front of 下雨 to mark the progressive is not idiomatic here:

因为在下雨… – sounds unnatural in standard Mandarin.

If you want to emphasize the ongoing nature, you would more naturally say:

因为现在在下雨… / 因为现在下着雨…

But in most contexts, 因为下雨 is enough; the time/aspect is understood from context.

What’s the difference between 里 and 里面, and by extension 外 and 外面? Why use 外面 here?

里 and 里面 both mean “inside”.
外 and 外面 both mean “outside”.

Differences:

里面 / 外面 are a bit more explicit and common in everyday speech for physical locations.
- 在房子里面 – inside the house
- 在地铁站外面 – outside the subway station
里 / 外 can feel slightly shorter/more written, but are also used in speech.

In your sentence:

地铁站外面的公交站 – the bus stop outside the subway station

Using 外面 is very natural and standard here. 地铁站外的公交站 is also possible and more concise, often seen in writing.

Can I move 因为下雨 to the middle or end, like English “There are many people waiting… because it’s raining”?

Yes, you can, though the front position is the most natural:

因为下雨，地铁站外面的公交站有很多人在那里等公交车。
– Because it’s raining, …

You can also say:

地铁站外面的公交站因为下雨有很多人在那里等公交车。
– At the bus stop outside the subway station, because it’s raining, there are many people waiting there for the bus.
地铁站外面的公交站有很多人在那里等公交车，因为下雨。
– There are many people … because it’s raining.

(3) is acceptable in speech; it puts the reason at the end like English. (1) is the cleanest and most typical written form.