Standard negation with "bu"

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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:

Subject + 不 + Verb + Object

Examples

  • 德国人。 shì Déguó rén.I am not German.
  • 喜欢 你。 xǐhuan nǐ.He does not like you.
  • 酒。 jiǔ.She doesn't drink beer.
  • 好 学生。 shì hǎo xuéshēng.I am not a good student.
  • 想 工作 xiǎng gōngzuò .I don't want to work.
  • 很多 年轻 人 运动Hěnduō niánqīng rén yùndòng .Many young people don't exercise.
  • 今天 我 去 上课Jīntiān wǒ qù shàngkè .Today I am not going to class.
  • 喜欢 这 个 派对。 xǐhuan zhè ge pàiduì.I don't like this party.
  • 这么 贵,我 Zhème guì, wǒ mǎi .How expensive! I'm not buying it.
  • 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

Subject + 不 + Adjective

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

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