Standard negation with "bu"

Use 不 (bù) to negate verbs in the present or future.

Negating Verbs

Structure

The standard way to negate verbs in Chinese is with 不 (bù). To negate a verb, simply place 不 (bù) before it:

Subject + 不 + Verb + Object

Examples

• 我 不 是 德国人。I am not German.
• 他 不 喜欢 你。He does not like you.
• 她 不 喝 酒。She doesn't drink beer.
• 我 不 是 好 学生。I am not a good student.
• 我 不 想 工作。I don't want to work.
• 很多 年轻 人 不 运动。Many young people don't exercise.
• 今天 我 不 去 上课。Today I am not going to class.
• 我 不 喜欢 这 个 派对。I don't like this party.
• 这么 贵，我 不 买。How expensive! I'm not buying it.
• 为什么 你 不 喜欢 喝 咖啡？Why don't you like to drink coffee?

Almost all verbs can be negated with 不 (bù) (unless you're talking about the past). The only verb that can never be negated with 不 (bù) is 有 (yǒu).

• 我 不有 时间。
• 我 没有 时间。I don't have time.

Negating Adjectives

Surprise! The structure is basically the same.

Structure

Subject + 不 + Adjective

Examples

• 我 不 饿。I'm not hungry.
• 他 不 热。He is not hot.
• 这 个 不 贵。This is not expensive.
• 我们 学校 不 大。Our school is not big.
• 这里 的 咖啡 不 好喝。The coffee here is not good.
• 我 觉得 那 个 女 孩子 不 漂亮。I think that girl is not pretty.
• 我 哥哥 不 高，但是 很 帅。My older brother is not tall, but he is very handsome.
• 我 很 不 高兴。I am not happy.
• 这 个 人 不 好。This person is not good.
• 吃 这 种 东西 不 健康。Eating this stuff is not healthy.

See also

• Negation of "you"
• Negation of past actions

Sources and Further Reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 31) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 45) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 146-150) →buy

Videos

• Yoyo Chinese: Negation word 不