Expressing possession with "you"

Chinese-grammar-wiki-you.jpg

有 (yǒu) can be used in various ways, but the most basic meaning of this verb you need to know is "to have."

Structure

Subj. + 有 + Noun

Examples

  • 钱。yǒu qián.I have money.
  • 房子 吗?yǒu fángzi ma?Do you have a house?
  • 她 没 车。Tā méi yǒu chē.She doesn't have a car.
  • 女 朋友 吗? yǒu nǚpéngyou ma?Does he have a girlfriend?
  • 苹果 手机 吗?yǒu Píngguǒ shǒujī ma?Do you have an iPhone?
  • 我们 三 个 女儿 。Wǒmenyǒu sān gè nǚ'ér.We have three daughters.
  • 我们 家 两 个 公司 。Wǒmen jiā yǒu liǎng gè gōngsī.Our family has two companies.
  • 一百 块 钱 吗?yǒu yī bǎi kuài qián ma?Do you have 100 kuai RMB?
  • 你 的 老师 iPad 吗?Nǐ de lǎoshīyǒu iPad ma?Does your teacher have an iPad?
  • 我爸爸 没 工作。Wǒ bàba méi yǒu gōngzuò.My dad doesn't have a job.

Negating 有

The verb 有 (yǒu) is negated in a special way. It is not negated with 不 (bù), like most verbs; it is negated with 没 (méi). The negative form of 有 (yǒu) is 没有 (méiyǒu). For more on that topic, see our article on negation of "you".

See also

Sources and further reading