Difference between revisions of "Negation of "you" with "mei""

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Revision as of 03:40, 30 July 2013

The verb 有 (yǒu) is negated differently from ordinary verbs.

Structure

Nearly all verbs can be negated with 不. The verb 有 (yǒu) is an exception, and must be negated with 没 (méi).

Subject + 没 + 有 + Object

Examples

  • 有 手机。I don't have a mobile phone.
  • 有 多少 钱。He doesn't have any money.
  • 我们 有 自己的 房子。We don't have our own house.

Remember that trying to negate 有 with 不 is a classic mistake that many people make in the early stages of studying Chinese:

  • 汽车。
  • 汽车。

Never use 不 with 有.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Videos