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不 vs 没

HSK 1
  • Negation

Structure (结构 jiégòu)

General negation: Subject不Verb/Adjective. Past/possession negation: Subject没(有)Verb.

Meaning (意思 yìsi)

不 negates the present/future and habitual actions, while 没 negates past actions and possession (有).

Explanation (解释 jiěshì)

In Chinese, there are two main negative adverbs: 不 (bù) and 没 (méi).

  • Use 不 to negate the present, future, habitual actions, or general truths. It is equivalent to "not" in most cases.
  • Use 没 to negate actions that did not occur in the past (meaning "have not," "did not"). Notably, 没 is the only negative form of the verb 有 (yǒu), forming 没有 (to not have). When using 没 to negate a past verb, you must drop 了.

Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)

  1. 我不喝咖啡。
    Wǒ bù hē kāfēi.

    I don't drink coffee.

  2. 我昨天没去学校。
    繁: 我昨天沒去學校。Wǒ zuótiān méi qù xuéxiào.

    I did not go to school yesterday.

  3. 这个苹果不红。
    繁: 這個蘋果不紅。Zhège píngguǒ bù hóng.

    This apple is not red.

  4. 他没有女朋友。
    繁: 他沒有女朋友。Tā méiyǒu nǚpéngyou.

    He doesn't have a girlfriend.

  5. 我明天不去上班。
    Wǒ míngtiān bú qù shàngbān.

    Tomorrow I'm not going to work.