Standard negation with "bu"

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Level

A1 / HSK1
Level

A1
Level

HSK1
Similar to
- Connecting nouns with "shi" (A1)
- Negation of "you" with "mei" (A1)
- Negation of past actions with "meiyou" (A1)
- Comparing "bu" and "mei" (A2)
Similar to
- Comparing "bu" and "mei" (HSK1)
- Connecting nouns with "shi" (HSK1)
- Negation of "you" with "mei" (HSK1)
- Negation of past actions with "meiyou" (HSK1)
Used for

Negating, Describing actions, Denying and refusing, Referring to habitual actions, Referring to the present, Referring to the future
Keywords

不

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

Contents

1 Negating Verbs
- 1.1 Structure
- 1.2 Examples
2 Negating Adjectives
- 2.1 Structure
- 2.2 Examples
3 See also
4 Sources and Further Reading
- 4.1 Books
- 4.2 Videos

Negating Verbs

Structure

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

Subject + 不 + Verb + Object

Examples

我不是德国人。I am not a German.
他不喜欢你。He does not like you.
她不喝酒。She doesn't drink beer.

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

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.
这个不够。This is not enough.

See also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 31) →buy

Videos

Yoyo Chinese: Negation word 不

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