Grammar Point: Negative Sentences 否定句 fǒudìngjù
In Chinese, a negative sentence is usually made by putting a negative word before the predicate.
The most common negative words for beginners are:
不 bù — not
没 / 没有 méi / méiyǒu — did not; have not; there is not / do not have
The basic idea is simple:
Subject + negative word + predicate
But the important question is:
When should we use 不?
And when should we use 没 / 没有?
Let’s look at it clearly. 😊
1. Use 不 bù for present, future, habits, and opinions
不 is usually used to negate:
present situations
future plans
habits
opinions
adjectives
modal verbs
Sentence Pattern
Subject + 不 + predicate
Examples
我不去。
I am not going.
他不喜欢咖啡。
He does not like coffee.
明天我不上课。
I will not have class tomorrow.
这个菜不辣。
This dish is not spicy.
我每天不喝咖啡。
I do not drink coffee every day.
Pronunciation Note
When 不 bù comes before a 4th-tone word, it is pronounced as bú.
For example:
不是 → bú shì
不去 → bú qù
不要 → bú yào
不对 → bú duì
But the character is still written as 不.
2. Use 没 / 没有 méi / méiyǒu for actions that did not happen
Chinese does not have past tense like English.
Instead, we use 没 / 没有 to show that an action did not happen or has not happened.
Sentence Pattern
Subject + 没 / 没有 + verb phrase
Examples
我昨天没去学校。
I did not go to school yesterday.
他今天没有吃早饭。
He did not eat breakfast today.
我没看这个电影。
I have not watched this movie.
她还没来。
She has not come yet.
我们昨天没有上课。
We did not have class yesterday.
没 and 没有: What is the difference?
没 and 没有 are often the same before a verb.
我没去。
I did not go.
我没有去。
I did not go.
没有 sounds a little fuller and slightly more formal.
没 is very common in daily speech.
3. Use 没有 méiyǒu with 有 yǒu
The verb 有 yǒu means “to have” or “there is / there are.”
To make 有 negative, we do not say “不有.”
We say 没有.
Sentence Pattern
Subject + 没有 + noun
Examples
我没有钱。
I do not have money.
他没有手机。
He does not have a phone.
这里没有人。
There is no one here.
今天没有中文课。
There is no Chinese class today.
Important
With 有, always use 没有 / 没.
Correct: 我没有时间。
I do not have time.
Incorrect: 我不有时间。 ❌
4. Some verbs usually use 不, not 没
Some verbs describe a state, identity, knowledge, emotion, or attitude.
For beginner Chinese, these verbs are usually negated with 不.
For example:
是 shì — to be
在 zài — to be at / in
知道 zhīdào — to know
Examples
我不是老师。
I am not a teacher.
他不在家。
He is not at home.
我不知道。
I do not know.
她昨天不在学校。
She was not at school yesterday.
我以前不知道这件事。
I did not know about this before.
Note
Even when talking about the past, verbs like 是, 在, and 知道 often still use 不.
Do not simply think:
past = 没
present = 不
A better rule is:
没 / 没有 = an action did not happen
不 = negates a state, habit, opinion, or modal verb
5. With emotion and feeling verbs, use 不
Some verbs express emotions, feelings, or mental states.
These verbs usually use 不.
For example:
爱 ài — to love
恨 hèn — to hate
怕 pà — to be afraid of
Examples
我不爱他了。
I do not love him anymore.
他不恨你。
He does not hate you.
我不怕狗。
I am not afraid of dogs.
她小时候不怕黑。
When she was little, she was not afraid of the dark.
我以前不喜欢喝茶，现在很喜欢。
I did not like drinking tea before, but now I like it a lot.
6. With modal verbs, use 不
Modal verbs express ability, permission, willingness, necessity, or judgment.
For example:
可以 kěyǐ — can; may
要 yào — want; need; be going to
应该 yīnggāi — should
These verbs usually use 不, not 没.
Examples
你不可以在这里抽烟。
You cannot smoke here.
我今天不要喝咖啡。
I do not want to drink coffee today.
你不应该这样说。
You should not say it like this.
我明天不想出门。
I do not want to go out tomorrow.
他现在不能来。
He cannot come now.
Common Mistake
Incorrect: 我没可以去。 ❌
Correct: 我不可以去。
Wǒ bù kěyǐ qù.
I cannot go.
Incorrect: 你没应该这样做。 ❌
Correct: 你不应该这样做。
Nǐ bù yīnggāi zhèyàng zuò.
You should not do this.
7. 不 vs 没: The key difference
Here is the easiest way to remember:
不 = not; do not; will not; does not
It often talks about habits, opinions, future actions, states, and modal verbs.
没 / 没有 = did not; have not
It often talks about actions that did not happen.
Compare these sentences:
我不去。
I am not going. / I will not go.
我没去。
I did not go.
我不吃早饭。
I do not eat breakfast. / I will not eat breakfast.
我没吃早饭。
I did not eat breakfast.
他不买。
He will not buy it. / He does not buy it.
他没买。
He did not buy it.
8. Quick Practice
Choose 不 or 没 / 没有.
-
我今天 ___ 去学校。
I did not go to school today.
-
他 ___ 是中国人。
He is not Chinese.
-
我 ___ 有时间。
I do not have time.
-
她 ___ 喜欢咖啡。
She does not like coffee.
-
昨天我们 ___ 上课。
We did not have class yesterday.
Answers
-
没 / 没有
我今天没去学校。
Wǒ jīntiān méi qù xuéxiào.
I did not go to school today. -
不
他不是中国人。
Tā bú shì Zhōngguó rén.
He is not Chinese. -
没有
我没有时间。
Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.
I do not have time. -
不
她不喜欢咖啡。
Tā bù xǐhuan kāfēi.
She does not like coffee. -
没 / 没有
昨天我们没上课。
Zuótiān wǒmen méi shàngkè.
We did not have class yesterday.
Summary
To make negative sentences in Chinese, remember these three rules:
Use 不 before most verbs, adjectives, states, feelings, and modal verbs.
Use 没 / 没有 before action verbs when the action did not happen.
Use 没有 to say “do not have” or “there is not / there are not.”
The most important difference is not really “present tense vs past tense.”
The real difference is:
不 = not true, not willing, not going to happen, or not usually done
没 / 没有 = an action did not happen or has not happened
Once you understand this, Chinese negative sentences become much easier. 😊✨