MANDARIN SENTENCE PATTERN

Negation with 不 and 没

Distinguish a general negative from not having or not having done something.

不 + verb/adjective · 没(有) + verb · 没有 + noun

不 commonly negates habits, intentions, and descriptions. 没 or 没有 commonly negates an event that has not happened or a possession that does not exist.

有 is negated with 没有. These are useful starting rules; aspect and context matter more than a simple English past/present split.

Examples

我不喝咖啡。

Wǒ bù hē kāfēi.

I do not drink coffee.

我没有车。

Wǒ méiyǒu chē.

I do not have a car.

我今天没吃早饭。

Wǒ jīntiān méi chī zǎofàn.

I have not had breakfast today.

Use 没有 for not having something, not 不有.