Difference between revisions of "Standard negation with "bu""

Revision as of 07:57, 31 December 2014

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

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

我不是德国人。Wǒ bù shì Déguó rén.I am not German.
他不喜欢你。Tā bù xǐhuān nǐ.He does not like you.
她不喝酒。Tā bù hē jiǔ.She doesn't drink beer.
我不是好学生。Wǒ bù shì hǎo xuéshēng.I am not a good student.
我不 想工作。Wǒ bù xiǎng gōngzuò .I don't want to work.
很多年轻人不运动。Hěnduō niánqīng rén bù yùndòng .Many young people don't exercise.
今天我不 去上课。Jīntiān wǒ bù qù shàngkè .Today I am not going to class.
我不喜欢这个派对。Wǒ bù xǐhuān zhè gè pàiduì.I don't like this party.
这么贵，我不买。Zhème guì, wǒ bù mǎi .How expensive! I'm not buying it.
为什么你不 喜欢喝 咖啡？Wèishéme nǐ bù xǐhuān hē kāfēi?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).

Surprise! The structure is basically the same.

Subject + 不 + Adjective

我不饿。Wǒ bù è .I'm not hungry.
他不热。Tā bù rè .He is not hot.
这个不贵。Zhè gè bù guì .This is not expensive.
我们学校不大。Wǒmen xuéxiào bù dà .Our school is not big.
这里的咖啡不好喝。Zhèlǐ de kāfēi bù hǎo hē .The coffee here is not good.
我觉得那个女孩子不漂亮。Wǒ juédé nàgè nǚ háizi bù piàoliang .I think that girl is not pretty.
我哥哥不高，但是很帅。Wǒ gēgē bù gāo , dànshì hěn shuài.My older brother is not tall, but he is very handsome.
我很不高兴。Wǒ hěn bù gāoxìng .I am not happy.
这个人不好。Zhè gè rén bù hǎo .This person is not good.
吃这种东西不健康。Chī zhè zhǒng dōngxī bù jiànkāng .Eating this stuff is not healthy.

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 * 他 <em>不</em> <strong>喜欢</strong> 你。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bù </em> <strong>xǐhuān </strong> nǐ.</span><span class="trans">He does not like you.</span>
 * 她 <em>不</em> <strong>喝</strong> 酒。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bù </em> <strong>hē </strong> jiǔ.</span><span class="trans">She doesn't drink beer.</span>
-* 我 <em>不</em> <strong>是</strong> 好 学生。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù </em> <strong>shì </strong> hào xuéshēng.</span><span class="trans">I am not a good student.</span>
+* 我 <em>不</em> <strong>是</strong> 好 学生。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù </em> <strong>shì </strong> hǎo xuéshēng.</span><span class="trans">I am not a good student.</span>
 * 我 <em>不</em> <strong>想 工作</strong>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù </em> <strong>xiǎng gōngzuò </strong>.</span><span class="trans">I don't want to work.</span>
 * 很多 年轻 人 <em>不</em> <strong>运动</strong>。<span class="pinyin">Hěnduō niánqīng rén <em>bù </em> <strong>yùndòng </strong>.</span><span class="trans">Many young people don't exercise.</span>