VERB IN CONTEXT

有

yǒu

to have; to possess (when a subject is present)

In context

我有两辆车。

Wǒ yǒu liǎng liàng chē.

I have two cars.

Time, aspect & negatives

有 across time & aspect

有 keeps the form yǒu in the present, past and future. These examples use its “have” meaning: time words locate the possession or state, while 过 and 了 add different meanings.

Mandarin uses time expressions and context for when, and aspect markers for how an event or state unfolds. There is no single set of verb endings equivalent to all English tenses.

For 有

有 describes possession here, so 正在有 is not the ordinary way to say “have right now”. Also, English “have” in “I have eaten” is a helping verb: it is not translated by adding 有.

Present · have

现在 + 有

现在 makes the present time explicit. 有 itself has no present-tense ending.

With 有

现在我有时间。

Xiànzài wǒ yǒu shíjiān.

I have time now.

Past · had

以前 + 有

以前 places this possession in the past. You do not need to add 了 just because English uses “had”.

With 有

以前我有一辆车。

Yǐqián wǒ yǒu yí liàng chē.

I used to have a car.

Future · will have

明天 + 会有

明天 gives the future time; 会 expresses an expectation in this sentence.

With 有

明天我会有时间。

Míngtiān wǒ huì yǒu shíjiān.

I will have time tomorrow.

New possession · 有了

有了 + something newly acquired

Here 有了 means coming to have something. It introduces a newly achieved state, not a general “completed possession” or past-tense form.

With 有

我终于有了自己的房间。

Wǒ zhōngyú yǒu le zìjǐ de fángjiān.

I finally have a room of my own.

Past experience · have had

有过 + an earlier experience or state

有过 says that this state or experience occurred before. Here it means having had a similar thought.

With 有

我以前有过这样的想法。

Wǒ yǐqián yǒu guo zhèyàng de xiǎngfǎ.

I have had this kind of thought before.

Progressive · not ordinary possession

An ongoing action uses 正在; possession uses 有

“Having” in English is not a reason to add 正在. Compare the action 吃 below. For present possession, say 现在有; for continuing possession, see 一直有.

General pattern · 吃

我正在吃早饭。

Wǒ zhèngzài chī zǎofàn.

I am eating breakfast right now.

Continuing possession

一直 + 有

一直 emphasizes that the possession continues over time. It describes a continuing state without turning 有 into an action in progress.

With 有

我一直有这本书。

Wǒ yìzhí yǒu zhè běn shū.

I have had this book all along.

Changed situation · now have

有 + object + 了

The final 了 signals a new situation: previously I did not have a job, and now I do.

With 有

现在我有工作了。

Xiànzài wǒ yǒu gōngzuò le.

Now I have a job.

Negative · do not have

没有 + object

Ordinary 有 is negated with 没有, not 不有. 没有 can refer to present or past possession; a time expression supplies the time.

With 有

我没有车。

Wǒ méiyǒu chē.

I do not have a car.

Continue with 了, 过, or actions in progress.

Grammar references & example notes

These are original teaching examples. Pinyin shows common spoken tone changes for 一 and 不; third-tone combinations keep their dictionary marks. The guide covers common contrasts, not every construction or every sense of a verb.

Try to recall it

Recall the verb meaning “to have; to possess (when a subject is present)”. Type its simplified characters without looking at the heading.

Meaning and word pinyin adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki. In-context examples are adapted from the same dictionary entry. Time-and-aspect examples are original teaching material. Dictionary adaptations and original teaching examples are available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Simplified script and display formatting may be normalized. Data and review notes.

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