Negation of "you" with "mei"

Revision as of 06:58, 30 June 2015 by Luojie (talk | contribs)

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

  • 没有 工作 。 méiyǒu gōngzuò. I don't have a job.
  • 没有 朋友 。 méiyǒu péngyǒu. I don't have friends.
  • 没有 钱 。 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.
  • 没有 电脑 。 méiyǒu diànnǎo. I don't have a computer.
  • 没有 手机 。 méiyǒu shǒujī. I don't have a cell phone.
  • 没有 房子 。 méiyǒu fángzi. I don't have a house.
  • 没有 车 。 méiyǒu chē. I don't have a car.
  • 没有 女朋友 。 méiyǒu nǚpéngyou. I don't have a girlfriend.
  • 有 钱 。méi yǒu qián. He doesn't have money.
  • 爸爸 有 手机 。Bàba méi yǒu shǒujī. Dad doesn't have a cell phone.
  • 有 狗 。méi yǒu gǒu. I don't have a dog.
  • 在 上海, 我 有 朋友 。Zài Shànghǎi, wǒ méi yǒu péngyou. In Shanghai, I have no friends.
  • 这 个 星期 , 我 有 时间 。Zhè gè xīngqī, wǒ méi yǒu shíjiān. This week, I have no time.
  • 我们 有 房子 。Wǒmen méi yǒu fángzi. We don't have a house.
  • 我 太太 现在 有 工作 。Wǒ tàitai xiànzài méi yǒu gōngzùo. My wife doesn't have a job right now.
  • 我们 有 孩子 。Wǒmen méi yǒu háizi. We don't have children.
  • 有 房子 , 有 车 ,也 有 女 朋友。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 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:

  • 车。Never use 不 with 有! yǒu chē.
  • 车。Always use 没 with 有.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.

  • 工作 。 méi gōngzùo. I don't have a job.
  • 朋友 。 méi péngyǒu. I don't have friends.
  • 钱 。 méi qián. I don't have money.
  • 我 现在 时间 。 Wǒ xiànzài méi shíjiān. I don't have time right now.
  • 车 。 méi chē. I don't have a car.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Videos