不是说有烤鸡吗？

[billykid]

Does this sentence translate to, "They didn't say there was roast chicken?"

If not, what does it actually tanslate to?

Thanks.

[Shi Tong]

It's more like "Didn't it say they had roast chicken?", but it's missing the front of the sentence to contextualise it.

"他们不是说有烤鸡吗" (Didn't they say they had roast chicken?)

To say "They didn't say there was roast chicken?" you'd probably want something like:

"他们没有说这边有烤鸡"

[billykid]

Thanks!

Subtle difference there but it makes for a big difference overall.

Can you put 吗 at the end of this sentence though: 他们没有说这边有烤鸡?

[Lu]

他们没有说这边有烤鸡 doesn't sound like a question, it's a statement: They didn't say there was roast chicken here.

Add a 吗 and it becomes a question: Didn't they say there was roast chicken here?

[billykid]

So in other words, the sentence I asked about can mean, "Didn't it say they had roast chicken?", "They didn't say there was roast chicken?" and "Didn't they say there was roast chicken here?" also considering that the original sentence doesn't confirm what subject it's talking about?

Also, when it comes down to it, is there much difference between 不是说 and 没有说?

[creamyhorror]

So in other words, the sentence I asked about can mean, "Didn't it say they had roast chicken?", "They didn't say there was roast chicken?" and "Didn't they say there was roast chicken here?"

No, it only means the first and third sentence - not the second.

To say "They didn't say there was roast chicken?", Shi Tong said it already:

"他们没有说这边有烤鸡吗?"