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

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<li class="x">我 <em>不有</em> 时间。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù yǒu</em> shíjiān.</span></li>
 
<li class="x">我 <em>不有</em> 时间。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù yǒu</em> shíjiān.</span></li>
<li class="o">我 <em>没有</em> 时间。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>méiyǒu</em> shíjiān.</span><span class="trans">I don't have time.</span>
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<li class="o">我 <em>没有</em> 时间。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>méiyǒu</em> shíjiān.</span><span class="trans">I don't have time.</span></li>
 
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Revision as of 15:43, 12 February 2016

不 (bù) is generally used to negate a verb in the present or future, or to talk about what you do not do, as a habit. So expressing things like "I don't want to go" or "I'm not going" or "I don't eat meat" would be typical 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

As it turns out, the structure with an adjective is basically the same as the one with a verb.

Structure

Subj.+ 不 + Adj.

Examples

  • 饿 è.I'm not hungry.
  • 这 个 Zhè ge guì.This is not expensive.
  • 我们 公司 Wǒmen gōngsī .Our company is not big.
  • 老板 今天 很 高兴Lǎobǎn jīntiān hěn gāoxìng .The boss is very unhappy today.
  • 我 哥哥 ,但是 很 帅。Wǒ gēge gāo , dànshì hěn shuài.My older brother is not tall, but he is very handsome.

See also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Videos