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 important exception to this rule, and must be negated with 没 (méi).

没 + 有 (+ Obj.)

Note: because of the special relationship between 没 (méi) and 有 (yǒu), the pinyin for 没有 is normally written without a space: "méiyǒu."

Examples

我没有问题。 Wǒ méiyǒu wèntí.I don't have any questions.
我们现在没有钱。Wǒmen xiànzài méiyǒu qián. We don't have money now.
他没有工作吗？ Tā méiyǒu gōngzuò ma? Does he not have a job?
他们没有爸爸妈妈。Tāmen méiyǒu bàba māma.They don't have parents.
我们在北京没有房子。Wǒmen zài Běijīng méiyǒu fángzi. We don't have a house in Beijing.
你爸爸没有手机吗？Nǐ bàba méiyǒu shǒujī ma? Does your dad not have a cell phone?
你们在上海没有朋友吗？Nǐmen zài Shànghǎi méiyǒu péngyou ma?Do you not have friends in Shanghai?
我的老师现在没有男朋友。 Wǒ de lǎoshī xiànzài méiyǒu nánpéngyou.My teacher doesn't have a boyfriend now.
他们都没有电脑吗？Tāmen dōu méiyǒu diànnǎo ma?Do they all not have computers?
这个周末你们都没有时间吗？Zhège zhōumò nǐmen dōu méiyǒu shíjiān ma?Do you all not have time this weekend?

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 méiyǒu chē.I don't have a car.

Never use 不 (bù) with 有 (yǒu).

The Short Form of 没有 (méiyǒu) Is 没 (méi)

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

我没钱。 Wǒ méi qián.I don't have money.
你没男朋友吗？ Nǐ méi nánpéngyou ma?Do you not have a boyfriend?
你们没车吗？ Nǐmen méi chē ma?You don't have a car?
老板现在没时间。 Lǎobǎn xiànzài méi shíjiān.The boss doesn't have time right now.
我没工作，我老公也没工作。 Wǒ méi gōngzuò, wǒ lǎogōng yě méi gōngzuò.I don't have a job. My husband doesn't have a job either.

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