Expressing possession with "you"

有 (yǒu) can be used in various ways, but the most basic meaning of this verb you need to know is "to have."

Structure

Subj. + 有 + Obj.

Examples

• 我 有 钱。Wǒ yǒu qián.I have money.
• 你 有 房子 吗？Nǐ yǒu fángzi ma?Do you have a house?
• 她 没 有 车。Tā méi yǒu chē.She doesn't have a car.
• 他 有 女 朋友 吗？ Tā yǒu nǚpéngyou ma?Does he have a girlfriend?
• 我们 有 三 个 女儿 。Wǒmen yǒu sān gè nǚ'ér.We have three daughters.
• 我们 家 有 两 个 公司 。Wǒmen jiā yǒu liǎng gè gōngsī.Our family has two companies.
• 你 有 一百 块 钱 吗？Nǐ yǒu yī bǎi kuài qián ma?Do you have 100 kuài RMB?
• 你 的 老师 有 iPad 吗？Nǐ de lǎoshī yǒu iPad ma?Does your teacher have an iPad?
• 我爸爸 没 有 工作。Wǒ bàba méi yǒu gōngzuò.My dad doesn't have a job.
• 今天 你 有 课 吗？Jīntiān nǐ yǒu kè ma?Do you have classes today?

Negating 有

The verb 有 (yǒu) is negated in a special way. It is not negated with 不 (bù), like most verbs; it is negated with 没 (méi). The negative form of 有 (yǒu) is 没有 (méiyǒu). For more on that topic, see our article on negation of "you".

See also

• Expressing existence with "zai"
• Negation of "you" with "mei"

Sources and further reading

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 87-8) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 53) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 105) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 122-3) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (p. 155) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 300-1)→buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 62, 73)→buy