Difference between revisions of "Negation of past actions with "meiyou""

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* 我 <em>没有</em> 去 酒吧。<span class="trans">I didn't go to a bar.</span>
 
* 我 <em>没有</em> 去 酒吧。<span class="trans">I didn't go to a bar.</span>
 
* 他们 <em>没有</em> 说话。<span class="trans">They didn't speak.</span>
 
* 他们 <em>没有</em> 说话。<span class="trans">They didn't speak.</span>
* 我 <em>没有</em> 喝 你的 啤酒。<span class="trans">I didn't drink your beer.</span>
+
* 我 <em>没有</em> 喝 你 的 啤酒。<span class="trans">I didn't drink your beer.</span>
 
* 她 <em>没有</em> 看到 你。<span class="trans">She didn't see you.</span>
 
* 她 <em>没有</em> 看到 你。<span class="trans">She didn't see you.</span>
 
* 我 <em>没有</em> 吃 早饭。<span class="trans">I didn't eat breakfast.</span>
 
* 我 <em>没有</em> 吃 早饭。<span class="trans">I didn't eat breakfast.</span>

Revision as of 09:40, 14 February 2014

Use 没有 (méiyǒu) to negate past actions (to say that someone didn't do something, or something didn't happen).

Structure

Usually verbs can be negated with 不, but that construction is used for habitual or present actions. If the verb is about an action in the past, though, 没有 should be used:

Subject + 没有 + Verb

Examples

  • 没有 去 酒吧。I didn't go to a bar.
  • 他们 没有 说话。They didn't speak.
  • 没有 喝 你 的 啤酒。I didn't drink your beer.
  • 没有 看到 你。She didn't see you.
  • 没有 吃 早饭。I didn't eat breakfast.
  • 昨天 我 没有 睡觉。Yesterday I didn't sleep.
  • 没有 买 水果。I didn't buy fruit.
  • 我 太太 没有 做 饭。My wife didn't cook.
  • 宝宝 没有 哭。The baby didn't cry.
  • 没有 生病。You didn't get sick.
  • 没有 学习 中文。I didn't study Chinese.

Note that you can shorten 没有 to just 没:

  • 去 酒吧。I didn't go to bar.
  • 他们 说话。They didn't speak.
  • 喝 你 的 啤酒。I didn't drink your beer.
  • 看到 你。She didn't see you.
  • 吃 早饭。I didn't eat breakfast.
  • 昨天 我 睡觉。Yesterday I didn't sleep.
  • 买 水果。I didn't buy fruit.
  • 我 太太 做 饭。My wife didn't cook.
  • 宝宝 哭。The baby didn't cry.
  • 生病。You didn't get sick.
  • 学习 中文。I didn't study Chinese.

Remember that 了 is not used with 没有. marks completed actions, while 没有 is used for actions that didn't happen. These two don't work together. This is a very common mistake for beginner learners of Chinese.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Videos