有 is 'to have'
The core use of 有 is possession: a subject has a thing.
- 我有一本书。 (Wǒ yǒu yì běn shū.) - I have a book.
- 他有钱。 (Tā yǒu qián.) - He has money. (i.e. he is well-off.)
- 我有两个孩子。 (Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge hái zi.) - I have two children.
- 她有一个问题。 (Tā yǒu yí ge wèn tí.) - She has a question.
When you count the thing possessed, the shape is 有 + number + measure word + noun: 两个孩子 (two children), 一本书 (one book). Mandarin requires a measure word between the number and the noun; see the measure words page.
The hard rule: 没有, never 不有
This is the one fact to drill until it is automatic. 有 is negated with 没 (méi), and only 没. There is no 不有 in the language.
- 我没有钱。 (Wǒ méi yǒu qián.) - I do not have money.
- 他没有时间。 (Tā méi yǒu shí jiān.) - He does not have time.
- 我们没有车。 (Wǒ men méi yǒu chē.) - We do not have a car.
Most Mandarin verbs split their negation: 不 for the present or general, 没 for the completed past. 有 does not play that game - it takes 没 across the board. If you ever write or say 不有, it is wrong, with no exceptions.
有 also means 'there is / there are'
The same verb expresses existence. A place or time word goes in front, then 有, then the thing that exists.
- 桌子上有一本书。 (Zhuō zi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.) - There is a book on the table.
- 这里有很多人。 (Zhè lǐ yǒu hěn duō rén.) - There are a lot of people here.
- 今天有雨。 (Jīn tiān yǒu yǔ.) - There is rain today.
The negation rule is identical: 桌子上没有书 (there is no book on the table). The fuller treatment of this "there is" pattern is on the existential sentences page.
Questions: 吗 and 有没有
As with every Mandarin verb, the word order stays put and you question it one of two ways.
- 吗 at the end: 你有时间吗? (Nǐ yǒu shí jiān ma?) - Do you have time?
- A-not-A: 你有没有时间? (Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu shí jiān?) - Do you have time (or not)?
Note the A-not-A form is 有没有, not 有不有 - it is built on the only negator 有 accepts. This is a useful sanity check: if you find yourself wanting to write 有不有, the rule has slipped.
What to internalise
- 有 is 'to have' for possession and 'there is' for existence.
- Negate with 没有, never 不有. This is exceptionless.
- 有 + number + measure word + noun when counting: 我有两个孩子.
- A-not-A is 有没有, never 有不有.
For the rest of the grammar inventory, see the Mandarin grammar cheatsheet.