Negation of "you" with "mei"

Revision as of 08:55, 14 February 2014 by Yucui (talk | contribs)

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 钱。He doesn't have money.
  • 爸爸 有 手机。Dad doesn't have a mobile phone.
  • 有 狗。I don't have a dog.
  • 在 上海, 我 有 朋友。In Shanghai, I have no friends.
  • 这 个 星期,我 有 时间。This week, I have no time.
  • 我们 有 房子。We don't have house.
  • 我 太太 现在 有 工作。My wife doesn't have a job.
  • 我们 有 孩子。We don't have children.
  • 有 房子, 有 车 ,也 有 女 朋友。I don't have a house, a car, or a girlfriend.
  • 我们 公司 有 电脑。Our company doesn't have computers.

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。Never use 不 with 有!
  • 汽车。Always use 没 with 有.I don't have a car.

Never use 不 with 有.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

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