Negation of "you" with "mei"

Level

A1 / HSK1
Level

A1
Level

HSK1
Similar to
Similar to
- Comparing "bu" and "mei" (HSK1)
- Expressing existence with "you" (HSK1)
- Expressing possession with "you" (HSK1)
- Negation of past actions with "meiyou" (HSK1)
- Standard negation with "bu" (HSK1)
- Basic comparisons with "meiyou" (HSK3)
- Expressing "no" (noun) "to" (verb) with "wu... ke..." (HSK5)
Used for

Negating, Denying and refusing
Keywords

没有, 没, 有

The verb 有 (yǒu) is negated differently from ordinary verbs. Rather than placing 不 (bù) before it as with other verbs, you must use 没 (méi) to negate the verb 有 (yǒu).

Structure

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

Subject + 没 + 有 + Object

Examples

我没有工作。 Wǒ méiyǒu gōngzuò. I don't have a job.
我没有朋友。 Wǒ méiyǒu péngyǒu. I don't have friends.
我没有钱。 Wǒ méiyǒu qián. I don't have money.
我现在没有时间。 Wǒ xiànzài méiyǒu shíjiān. I don't have time right now.
我没有电脑。 Wǒ méiyǒu diànnǎo. I don't have a computer.
我没有手机。 Wǒ méiyǒu shǒujī. I don't have a cell phone.
我没有房子。 Wǒ méiyǒu fángzi. I don't have a house.
我没有车。 Wǒ méiyǒu chē. I don't have a car.
我没有女朋友。 Wǒ méiyǒu nǚpéngyou. I don't have a girlfriend.
他没有钱。Tā méi yǒu qián. He doesn't have money.
爸爸没有手机。Bàba méi yǒu shǒujī. Dad doesn't have a cell phone.
我没有狗。Wǒ méi yǒu gǒu. I don't have a dog.
在上海，我没有朋友。Zài Shànghǎi, wǒ méi yǒu péngyou. In Shanghai, I have no friends.
这个星期，我没有时间。Zhè gè xīngqī, wǒ méi yǒu shíjiān. This week, I have no time.
我们没有房子。Wǒmen méi yǒu fángzi. We don't have a house.
我太太现在没有工作。Wǒ tàitai xiànzài méi yǒu gōngzùo. My wife doesn't have a job right now.
我们没有孩子。Wǒmen méi yǒu háizi. We don't have children.
我没有房子，没有车，也没有女朋友。Wǒ méi yǒu fángzǐ, méi yǒu chē, yě méi yǒu nǚpéngyou. I don't have a house, a car, or a girlfriend.
我们公司没有电脑。Wǒmen gōngsī méi yǒu diànnǎo. Our company doesn't have computers.

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

我不有车。Never use 不 with 有!Wǒ bù yǒu chē.
我没有车。Always use 没 with 有.Wǒ méi yǒu chē.I don't have a car.

Never use 不 (bù) with 有 (yǒu).

The Short Form of 没有 is 没

没有 (méiyǒu) can be shortened to 没 (méi) without altering its meaning.

我没工作。 Wǒ méi gōngzùo. I don't have a job.
我没朋友。 Wǒ méi péngyǒu. I don't have friends.
我没钱。 Wǒ méi qián. I don't have money.
我现在没时间。 Wǒ xiànzài méi shíjiān. I don't have time right now.
我没车。 Wǒ méi chē. I don't have a car.

Sources and further reading

Books

Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 51) →buy
现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 382) →buy
A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 35) →buy

Videos

Yoyo Chinese: Negation word 没