Difference between revisions of "Standard negation with "bu""

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Revision as of 02:13, 21 September 2015

不 (bù) is generally used to negate an action that you do not want to do or do not intend to do (in the future). So expressing things like "I don't want to go" or "I'm not going" would be uses of 不 (bù).

Negating Verbs

Structure

The standard way to negate verbs in Chinese is with 不 (bù). To negate a verb, simply place 不 (bù) before it:

Subj. + 不 + Verb + Obj.

Examples

  • 他们 坏 孩子。Tāmen shì huài háizi.They are not bad kids.
  • 我们 都 酒。Wǒmen dōu jiǔ.We all don't drink alcohol.
  • 我 今天 想 工作Wǒ jīntiān xiǎng gōngzuò .I don't want to work today.
  • 喜欢 我 吗? xǐhuan wǒ ma?Do you not like me?
  • 为什么 你 喜欢 喝 咖啡?Wèishéme nǐ xǐhuan hē kāfēi?Why don't you like to drink coffee?

Almost all verbs can be negated with 不 (bù) (unless you're talking about the past). The only verb that can never be negated with 不 (bù) is 有 (yǒu).

  • 不有 时间。bù yǒu shíjiān.
  • 没有 时间。méiyǒu shíjiān.I don't have time.

Negating Adjectives

Turns out that the structure is basically the same.

Structure

Subj.+ 不 + Adj.

Examples

  • 饿 è .I'm not hungry.
  • .He is not hot.
  • 这 个 Zhè ge guì .This is not expensive.
  • 我们 学校 Wǒmen xuéxiào .Our school is not big.
  • 这里 的 咖啡 好喝Zhèlǐ de kāfēi hǎo hē .The coffee here is not good.
  • 我 觉得 那 个 女 孩子 漂亮Wǒ juédé nàge nǚ háizi piàoliang .I think that girl is not pretty.
  • 我 哥哥 ,但是 很 帅。Wǒ gēgē gāo , dànshì hěn shuài.My older brother is not tall, but he is very handsome.
  • 我 很 高兴Wǒ hěn gāoxìng .I am not happy.
  • 这 个 人 Zhè ge rén hǎo .This person is not good.
  • 吃 这 种 东西 健康Chī zhè zhǒng dōngxī jiànkāng .Eating this stuff is not healthy.

See also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Videos