やましたせんせいはこどもでしたか


hm.. does this mean "did he have children?" or "was he a child?" both seem
irrelevant to the context of the book I'm learning from :/




「山下先生は子供でしたか？」 literally means "Was Mr. Yamashita a child?" or "Was Mr.
Yamashita childish (at that time)?" 子供だ/子供です means _being_ a child, not
_having_ a child, of course. 子供だ sometimes can metaphorically mean "childish".

"Did Mr. Yamashita have a child?" is 「山下先生には子供がいましたか？」




「山下先生は子供でしたか？」 literally means "Was Mr. Yamashita a child?" or "Was Mr.
Yamashita childish (at that time)?" 子供だ/子供です means _being_ a child, not
_having_ a child, of course. 子供だ sometimes can metaphorically mean "childish".

"Did Mr. Yamashita have a child?" is 「山下先生には子供がいましたか？」

