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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 :/
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2016-05-24T13:58:15.643
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question
translation syntax
やましたせんせいはこどもでしたか
「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？」
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answer
Judging from the all-kana sentence, I'm guessing that this is a beginner
question, and as naruto answered, it means "Was Mr. Yamashita a child?"
without any other context.

That said, and just for the fun of scaring beginners, this sentence **can also
mean** "Does Mr. Yamashita have children?", specifically "You, Mr. Yamashita,
have children, right?"

田中先生：「この間の話の続きですが、私が持っているものは車でしたが、山下先生は子供でしたか。」

山下先生：「そうです。持っているものは子供でした。」

This is variation on the 僕はうなぎです scenario, for those familiar with it.
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answer