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HSK 1Sentence Structure

有(yǒu)

To Have / There Is

Structure Pattern

Subject+有+Object

Explanation

有 (yǒu) means "to have" or "there is/are." It's negated with 没 (méi), never with 不 (bù). This is one of the few rules in Chinese with no exceptions — 有 always uses 没 for negation.

Example Sentences

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1
我有两个孩子。

Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè háizi.

I have two children.

2
这里有很多书。

Zhèlǐ yǒu hěn duō shū.

There are many books here.

3
你有时间吗？

Nǐ yǒu shíjiān ma?

Do you have time?

4
桌子上有一杯水。

Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì bēi shuǐ.

There is a glass of water on the table.

Common Mistakes

❌
❌

Common Mistake

我不有钱。

✅
✅

Correct Usage

我没有钱。

info

The most common mistake is negating 有 (yǒu) with 不 (bù). Remember, 有 is always negated with 没 (méi), never with 不 (bù).

verbbasicpossessionexistence

Related Grammar Points

没有HSK 1

Don't Have / Didn't

méi yǒu

没有 (méi yǒu) serves two purposes: (1) to negate 有, meaning "don't have," and (2) to negate past actions, meaning "didn't." When negating past actions, the 有 can often be dropped, leaving just 没 (méi) before the verb.

Negation4 examples

Master 有

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