# What does the dog have?



## SimonTsai

[Moderator's Note: Split from this thread]


sb70012 said:


> What does the dog have?


By the way, what do you mean by asking so?


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## sb70012

I was showing kids a picture of a dog holding some toys in its hands.


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## philchinamusical

Then you need to be more specific as:
这只/条狗的手(hand)/爪子(paw)里(in)拿着(holding)什么？


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## retert

sb70012 said:


> I was showing kids a picture of a dog holding some toys in its hands.


In this case, you can simply say “狗的手上有什么？”。


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## Broccolee

Sb70012’s way of saying this is already very good. I can understand in his context.


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## SimonTsai

I do not have any pets, so I can hardly imagine a dog holding a toy in places other than its mouth.

這隻狗有甚麼 is understandable given the picture, but allows ambiguity, and could be confusing if there were no context.

I am uncertain whether English natives might ask, 'What does the dog have'; if any might, then 這隻狗有甚麼 could be a satisfactory translation.


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## fyl

I don't think 这*只*狗有什么 is a correct translation. With a picture and explanation, I may understand what you are trying to say, but it's clearly a translation from a foreign language and it is not idiomatic.
有 usually indicates ownership. You won't ask "what does the dog own" when you try to say "what's in the dog's mouth", will you? Whatever in the dog's mouth is not necessary owned by the dog. Even if you want to ask what the dog owns, 这只狗有什么 is still way to confusing. I will understand it as 这只狗有什么了不起 by default.

You should use a more concrete verb: Either 这只狗叼着什么 or 这只狗拿着什么 would work.
Or you should replace 这只狗 with a location: Either 这只狗嘴里有什么 or 这只狗爪子里有什么.

Never 这只狗有什么.


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## yuechu

fyl said:


> Or you should replace 这只狗 with a location: Either 这只狗嘴里有什么 or 这只狗爪子里有什么.


In English, I would also be more likely to include a more specific location, as in: "What does the dog have in its mouth?" or "What is the dog holding with its paws?"


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## Skatinginbc

sb70012 said:


> I was showing kids a picture of a dog holding some toys in its hands.


I think it would be good enough to just ask: "What is the dog holding?" (狗拿著什麼？)


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## sb70012

Hello,
Suppose I have a little child and he is watching cartoon. In the cartoon there is a dog which has an apple.
Suppose that in this context I want to ask my little child what the dog has:

I want to say this in Chinese => What does the dog have?

1. 这条狗有什么？
Zhè tiáo gǒu yǒu shé me?

2. 这只狗有什么？
 Zhè zhǐ gǒu yǒu shé me?

Are both natural to you?

Thank you.


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## SuperXW

You Pinyin are not correct. Check 什么 and 只.
1. 这条狗有什么？
Zhè tiáo gǒu yǒu shén me?
2. 这只狗有什么？
Zhè zhī gǒu yǒu shén me? 
只 has two sounds. zhī is correct here.

Both 条 and 只 can be the classifier (measure word) for "dog".
只 is suitable for most animals,
条 is for long and thin objects.
So 只 is more common and universal for a dog.


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## yuechu

As SuperXW said, the standard pronunciations for the words in this context are 只 zhī and 什么 shén me. However, despite *shén me* being the dictionary pronunciation, I think that in the word 什么, the "n" is never completely pronounced for phonological reasons (because of the "m" right after). (Could 京剧 or poetry be an exception?)
Would Chinese native speakers agree with this?


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## SuperXW

yuechu said:


> However, despite *shén me* being the dictionary pronunciation, I think that in the word 什么, the "n" is never completely pronounced for phonological reasons (because of the "m" right after). (Could 京剧 or poetry be an exception?)
> Would Chinese native speakers agree with this?


My amateur opinion:
In English, your tongue SHOULD touch your upper jaw for "n".
In Pinyin, however, "n" in Pinyin is not exactly the same to "n" in English. In Pinyin, your tongue IS NOT REQUIRED to touch your upper jaw for "n". So 天安门 "ti*an* *an* men" will never become "ti*a* *nan* men". Liaison is forbidden.
But your tongue SHOULD still move to the "n" position. So if we pronounce carefully, sh*en* me will be clearly different to sh*e* me.
By the way, if you pronounce Norther*nm*ost carefully, will it become Norther*m*ost? I don't think so.


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## forgoodorill

Actually, both are unnatural to me.
Because firstly, it's not clear to say 有什么. Is you say this dog has something in his tiny hands, or this dog has something else?
Secondly, your 'audience' is a little kid, you need to use a more kind and cute wayto say this.
This is my opinion:
这条小狗狗(手里)拿的是什么呢？
Or
这条小狗狗在玩什么东西呢？
Let me explain:
First, 小狗狗 is a cute way to say 狗 or 小狗, this is specially way say to kid. You could could say this to your girlfriend to flirt, don't blame me if she slap you. The similar words like this: 吃饭饭, 洗手手
Secondly, 拿 or 玩 let the kid more easy to understand, because he or she definitely know 玩 and 拿. He heard them so many times. And in cartoon, it's like this, because kids need happiness and health, the cartoon will use easy and happy way to let kids watch.


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## yuechu

SuperXW said:


> My amateur opinion:
> In English, your tongue SHOULD touch your upper jaw for "n".
> In Pinyin, however, "n" in Pinyin is not exactly the same to "n" in English. In Pinyin, your tongue IS NOT REQUIRED to touch your upper jaw for "n". So 天安门 "ti*an* *an* men" will never become "ti*a* *nan* men". Liaison is forbidden.
> But your tongue SHOULD still move to the "n" position. So if we pronounce carefully, sh*en* me will be clearly different to sh*e* me.
> By the way, if you pronounce Norther*nm*ost carefully, will it become Norther*m*ost? I don't think so.


Thank for your letting me know about that!  I didn't know that and hadn't thought of it before... (whether a pinyin syllable ending in -n involves the tongue touching the upper jaw).
I see what you mean about "shen me" and "she me" sounding different. It's true! But is it because of the "n" or is it the vowel itself? (I think the vowel also changes, right?) In any case, I will let the native speakers explain it, since I do not understand it 100%...


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