有 yǒu有 yǒu is one of the very first verbs learners meet, and it behaves a little differently from other verbs — most importantly, it’s never negated with 不 bù不 bù.
1 S + 有 yǒu + O
This simple structure expresses ownership. Since Chinese verbs don’t conjugate, it can be translated as “have,” “has,” or “had” depending on context.
我以前有一隻狗我以前有一只狗
I had a dog before.
姊姊有iPhone手機姐姐有iPhone手机
My sister has an iPhone.
你有500塊錢嗎？你有500块钱吗？
Do you have $500?
你有空嗎？你有空吗？
Do you have time? (A casual way to ask.)
一個星期有七天一个星期有七天
One week has seven days. = There are seven days in a week.
你有病嗎？你有病吗？
Are you sick? (= Are you crazy?)
FYI: 你有病嗎 nǐ yǒu bìng ma你有病吗 nǐ yǒu bìng ma
Have you heard a Chinese friend say 你有病嗎 nǐ yǒu bìng ma你有病吗 nǐ yǒu bìng ma or 你有事嗎 nǐ yǒu shì ma你有事吗 nǐ yǒu shì ma when you did something a little crazy? These are playful ways to express disbelief, not literal medical questions.
So if a friend decides to learn Chinese, Japanese, and Korean all at once, you could tease them with 你有病嗎 nǐ yǒu bìng ma你有病吗 nǐ yǒu bìng ma — “Are you crazy?” Don’t be offended if it’s said to you; it’s just friendly ribbing.
2 Place + 有 yǒu + O
This structure is similar to saying “there is” or “there are” in English — a location comes first, followed by 有 yǒu有 yǒu and what exists there.
我家有4個人我家有4口人
There are 4 members in my family.
桌上有兩本書桌上有两本书
There are two books on the table.
你的學校有外國學生嗎？你的学校有外国学生吗？
Are there foreign students at your school?
（廁所裡厕所里）有人嗎？有人吗？
Is there anyone in the toilet?
Cultural Note
Some Chinese aunties really don’t like knocking on doors — they’d rather just yell 有人嗎 yǒu rén ma有人吗 yǒu rén ma through the door when they need to use the toilet!
3 有 yǒu + (Number + MW) + N
Sometimes you want to introduce the existence of something without specifying where it is at all. Here, 有 yǒu有 yǒu simply opens the sentence, and what follows describes what the thing does or is like.
有一天有一天
One day…
有三隻狗有三只狗
There are three dogs.
有一個人來找你有一个人来找你
Someone is coming to see you.
有天你會知道我的好有天你会知道我的好
One day you will know my kindness.
有人住在這裡嗎？有人住在这里吗？
Is anyone living here?
有沒有人要喝咖啡？有没有人要喝咖啡？
Does anyone want coffee?
有沒有地方我可以帶狗去？有没有地方我可以带狗去？
Is there anywhere I can take my dog?
Compare: Structure 2 vs. Structure 3
有有 + N puts the focus on existence itself, while Place + 有有 puts the focus on the location.
有一本書在桌上有一本书在桌上 — “There is a book on the table” (focus: the book exists).
桌上有一本書桌上有一本书 — “On the table, there is a book” (focus: the table). If you plan to continue the sentence with an action on that book, this word order connects much more naturally.
4 Negation
To negate 有 yǒu有 yǒu, always use 沒 méi没 méi — never 不 bù不 bù. This applies to all three structures above.
老師沒有男朋友老师没有男朋友
The teacher does not have a boyfriend.
咖啡店沒有人咖啡店没有人
No one is in the cafe.
沒有人要跟你去日本没有人要跟你去日本
No one wants to go to Japan with you.
沒有學生喜歡你没有学生喜欢你
No students like you.
Short Form
沒有 méiyǒu没有 méiyǒu can be shortened to just 沒 méi没 méi with no change in meaning, in both speech and writing.
我沒錢、沒工作、沒男朋友、沒未來我没钱、没工作、没男朋友、没未来 — “I have no money, no job, no boyfriend, no future.”
5 Common Mistakes
The single most important rule: never negate 有 yǒu有 yǒu with 不 bù不 bù.
❌
他不有中文書他不有中文书
✅
他沒有中文書他没有中文书
He does not have Chinese books. 有 yǒu有 yǒu is one of the very few verbs that is never negated with 不 bù不 bù — always use 沒 méi没 méi instead.
6 Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
01I have a cat.
我有一隻貓我有一只猫
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02Does he have a car?
他有車嗎？他有车吗？
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03There are five people in my class.
我的班上有五個人我的班上有五个人
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04Is there a bank near here?
這附近有銀行嗎？这附近有银行吗？
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05There is a cup on the table.
桌上有一個杯子桌上有一个杯子
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06One day I want to go to Japan.
有一天我想去日本有一天我想去日本
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07Is anyone home?
有人在家嗎？有人在家吗？
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08I don’t have money.
我沒有錢我没有钱
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09There are no students in the classroom.
教室裡沒有學生教室里没有学生
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10Do you have brothers and sisters?
你有兄弟姐妹嗎？你有兄弟姐妹吗？
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