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koreigai ni situmon ga arimasu ka?

これ以外いがい　に　質問しつもん　が　あります　か？koreigai ni situmon ga arimasu ka?
Do you have any questions besides this?
FromLesson 21inHardcore Japanese
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Questions & Answers about koreigai ni situmon ga arimasu ka?

Why is it あります and not います?

Because 質問 (question) is not a living thing. In Japanese:

  • ある/あります is used for inanimate or abstract things (books, time, problems, questions).
  • いる/います is used for living beings (people, animals). Examples:
  • 本があります。 (There is a book.)
  • 子どもがいます。 (There is a child.)
  • 質問があります。 (I have a question.)
What does the に after 以外 do?

Noun + 以外に means “besides/other than [Noun], …” and the whole phrase modifies the verb that follows.

  • これ以外に質問がありますか。 = “Besides this, are there (any) questions?” Related patterns:
  • Noun + 以外の + Noun: “Noun other than X.” Example: これ以外の質問 (questions other than this).
  • Noun + 以外は: “Except for X, …” sets a contrastive topic, often followed by a negative. Example: これ以外は質問はありません。 (Except for this, there are no questions.)
Can I say これ以外の instead? As in これ以外の質問はありますか？

Yes. これ以外の質問はありますか？ is perfectly natural. Nuance:

  • これ以外に質問は/がありますか？: adverbial “apart from this, are there questions?”
  • これ以外の質問はありますか？: directly modifies “questions” as a set “questions other than this.” In practice both are common.
Should it be 質問が or 質問は here?

Both work, but the nuance differs:

  • 質問がありますか: neutral “Are there (any) questions?” (pure existence).
  • 質問はありますか: topical/contrastive, commonly used in this kind of “any questions?” prompt. When combined with 他に/これ以外に, は is very common: 他に質問はありますか？
Is 他に more natural than これ以外に here?

Often, yes. 他に質問はありますか？ (ほかに) is the go-to phrase for “Any other questions?”
Use これ以外に when you’re explicitly contrasting with a specific “this” (e.g., this question/topic/option you’ve just discussed). 他に doesn’t need a specific antecedent and feels smoother in general Q&A.

Should I add ご and say ご質問?

In polite or customer-facing contexts, yes. ご質問 is the honorific form referring to someone else’s questions.

  • Neutral: 質問はありますか？
  • Polite: ご質問はありますか？
  • Very polite: 何かご質問はございますか？
Can I use ございます instead of あります?

Yes, to raise politeness:

  • ご質問はございますか？ or 何かご質問はございますか？ Pairing ございます with the honorific ご質問 is standard in formal/business settings.
Why is there both か and a question mark?

In modern writing, you’ll often see both. Options:

  • Formal/written: …ありますか。 (no question mark necessary)
  • Common modern style: …ありますか？ (both)
  • Casual speech (no か, rising intonation): …ある？ (often with just ？ in text)
Are spaces usually written between words like this?

No. Japanese normally doesn’t use spaces between words. The standard writing is:

  • これ以外に質問がありますか？
How do I read 以外, and how do I avoid confusing it with 意外?

Both 以外 (other than) and 意外 (unexpectedly) are read いがい (igai). You distinguish them by kanji and context:

  • 以外: exclusion/“other than”
  • 意外: “unexpectedly/to one’s surprise” Example: 意外に難しい (surprisingly difficult) vs これ以外に (other than this).
Can I add も and say これ以外にも質問はありますか?

Yes. も adds the sense of “also/too”: “Besides this, are there also (any) questions?”
It’s especially natural after one question has just been asked/answered:

  • Very common variant: 他にも質問はありますか？
Can I change the word order, like 質問はこれ以外にありますか？
Yes. 質問はこれ以外にありますか？ is fine and slightly foregrounds “questions” as the topic. Word order is flexible as long as particles are correct.
Can I shorten it in casual speech?

Yes. Common casual/elliptical forms:

  • 他に質問ある？
  • 質問ある？
  • 他に質問は？ (trailing topic, inviting response)
  • To a group: 質問ある人？
Why not use 持つ (to have) for “have a question”?

For possession of abstract things like questions, time, problems, the natural verb is ある:

  • Natural: 質問があります。 (I have a question.)
  • Unnatural: 質問を持っています。 (sounds like physically holding a question)
What’s the difference between 以外に, 以外は, and 以外で?
  • 以外に: besides/other than X, used adverbially.
    Example: 日本料理以外に何が好きですか。 (Besides Japanese cuisine, what do you like?)
  • 以外は: everything except X (contrastive topic), often with negative statements.
    Example: 彼以外は来ませんでした。 (No one except him came.)
  • 以外で: “in settings/ways other than X.”
    Example: 授業以外で日本語を使いますか。 (Do you use Japanese outside of class?)
What exactly does これ refer to?

これ is a context-dependent pointer. In this sentence it typically refers to:

  • the question/topic just addressed,
  • the item/option currently on the screen/handout,
  • the example you just discussed. If it’s not clear from context, you can name it: このトピック以外に, この問題以外に, etc.
Is there a common negative-question version to invite questions?

Yes. これ以外に質問はありませんか？ or more commonly 他に質問はありませんか？
Negative questions here feel gently encouraging, like “Any questions at all?”

Which is more common overall when wrapping up a talk?

Most presenters say:

  • 他に質問はありますか？
  • or the more formal 何かご質問はございますか？ Your original これ以外に質問がありますか？ is fine when contrasting with a specific “this,” but the two above are the most universal.

More from this lesson

youzikyou ha youzi ga aru node, hayaku kaerimasu.mukouasita, kanozyo ha youzi de mukou no mati ni ikimasu.kaizyounoniyoyakuninki no resutoran ha yoyaku ga hituyou desu.
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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".

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