Sentences Without a Subject: 下雨了, 上课了, 有人吗
Say complete sentences that have no subject at all, like 下雨了, 上课了, 有人找你 and 请进, without adding an English-style “it”.
Pattern
verb (+ object) + 了: 下雨了, 上课了; 有 + person + verb: 有人找你; single words: 谢谢！小心！
When nobody is doing the action, Chinese starts straight with the verb: 下雨了, never 它下雨了.
下雨了，我们回家吧。
When to use Sentences Without a Subject: 下雨了, 上课了, 有人吗
A 非主谓句 is a complete sentence with no subject, because nobody is doing the action or the subject doesn’t matter. Weather and announcements start straight with the verb, usually with 了 to show a new situation: 下雨了 “it’s raining”, 上课了 “class is starting”. Unlike English, Chinese adds no empty “it”: never say 它下雨了.
上课了！
Class is starting!
有人吗？
Is anyone there?
谢谢！
Thanks!
有人找你。
Someone’s looking for you.
Common traps
- Don’t add “it” for weather: say 下雨了, not 它下雨了.
- Start with 有 for an unknown person: 有人找你, not 一个人找你.
- To say rain has just started, add 了: 下雨了！ Plain 下雨 only names the weather, as in 明天下雨.
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