Ch 2 · Lesson 16Mandarin · Chapter 2 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
没有: 有 (yǒu) only ever takes 没
, never : possession is existence, and existence takes (méi), in every tense. Plus the cheatsheet for and .
The short version
。Wǒ méi yǒu kāfēi.
Why?Hide
(yǒu) never takes (bù). It takes (méi) everywhere, giving (méi yǒu), and (bù yǒu) is not rare or formal, it is simply not Mandarin. The reason is categorial rather than arbitrary: possession is existence, and (méi) is the negator of existence and completion.
有 (yǒu) only ever takes 没
(yǒu, to have / there is) never takes . Its negative is always (méi yǒu), in every tense and every context.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ méi yǒu kāfēi. | I have no coffee |
。 | Zhèlǐ méi yǒu rén. | There's nobody here |
。 | Wǒ míngtiān méi yǒu shíjiān. | I'm not free tomorrow |
The full bowl: 有 yǒu, there is some. The empty one: 没有 méi yǒu, there is none left. Never 不有.
(bù yǒu) does not exist: not rare, not formal, not regional. When shows up, the choice is already made for you. In speech, often shortens to bare before a noun: 。 (Wǒ méi shì.) - I'm fine, nothing's wrong. The full story of is in possession with 有.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | (yǒu) only takes (méi) |
。 | 。 | The future takes (bù) |
。 | 。 | (méi) already says it didn't happen |
。 | 。 | A plain adjective takes (bù) |
。 | 。 | (shì) only takes (bù) |
Most of these come from treating (bù) as "the" word for not. Ask one question first: did something fail to happen? If yes, (méi); if not, (bù).
(bù) and (méi) are on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Foundation and Higher tier.
The cheatsheet
| Situation | Negator | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Now or future | 。 (wǒ bú qù) | |
| Habit, liking | 。 (wǒ bù xǐhuan zhège) | |
| Adjective | 。 (zhège bù hǎo) | |
| With | 。 (tā bú shì lǎoshī) | |
| Didn't happen | 。 (tā méi lái) | |
| With | 。 (wǒ méi yǒu kāfēi) |
Going further: The two negators at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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Lesson 16 of 44 in this chapter