有 means “to have” or “there is/are.” Chinese verbs don’t change form for tense, so 有 can mean “have,” “has,” or “had” depending on context. This page covers using it to say what someone owns, saying what exists somewhere, and how to say “don’t have.”
一 Subject + 有 + Object
The simplest use — saying what someone has.
Subject + 有 + Object
我以前有一隻只狗
I had a dog before.
姊姊有iPhone手機手机
My sister has an iPhone.
你有500塊块錢钱嗎吗？
Do you have $500?
你有空嗎吗？
Do you have time? (a casual way to ask)
一個个星期星期有七天
One week has seven days.
你有病嗎吗？
Are you sick? (also used to mean “are you crazy?”)
Ever hear a Chinese-speaking friend say “你有病嗎你有病吗 (nǐ yǒu bìng ma)” or “你有事嗎你有事吗 (nǐ yǒu shì ma)” after you did something weird? They’re not actually asking about your health — it’s a playful way of saying “are you crazy?” or “what’s going on with you?” If a friend decides to learn three languages at once, that’s exactly when you’d hear it. It’s teasing, not an insult.
二 Place + 有 + Object
This works like English “there is” or “there are” — saying what exists in a place.
Place + 有 + Object
我家我家有4個口人
There are 4 people in my family.
桌上有兩两本書书
There are two books on the table.
你的學校学校有外國外国學生学生嗎吗？
Are there foreign students at your school?
(廁所厕所裡里)有人嗎吗？
Is there anyone in the bathroom?
三 Negation: Always 沒没
有 breaks the usual pattern — most verbs can be negated with either 不 or 沒没, but 有 only ever takes 沒没. Never 不.
Subject + 沒没 + 有 + Object
老師老师沒有没有男朋友
The teacher does not have a boyfriend.
咖啡店沒有没有人
No one is in the cafe.
我沒有没有時間时间
I don’t have time.
四 The Short Form: 沒有没有 → 沒没
沒有没有 can be shortened to just 沒没 — the meaning doesn’t change at all, spoken or written.
我沒没錢钱、沒没工作、沒没男朋友、沒没未來未来
I have no money, no job, no boyfriend, no future.
他沒没想法
He has no idea.
五 Common Mistakes
❌ 他不有中文書书
✅ 他沒没有中文書书
有 is always negated with 沒没 — never 不.
❌ 我不錢钱
✅ 我沒没錢钱
Even in the short form (without 有 spelled out), the negation word is still 沒没, never 不.
❌ 桌上兩两本書书
✅ 桌上有兩两本書书
有 can’t be dropped when saying “there is/are” — without it, the sentence isn’t complete.
六 Practice
Pick the correctly ordered sentence.
Question 1 of 10
“My brother has a bicycle.”
有 comes right after the subject, before the object — not at the end.
“Do you have a pen?”
有 goes before the object 筆笔, not after it.
“A year has twelve months.”
有 has to come before the object 十二個个月, not after it.
“There are three chairs in the classroom.”
有 can’t be dropped when saying “there is/are” — without it, the sentence isn’t complete.
“Is there a bathroom on this floor?”
有 goes before the object 廁所厕所, not after it.
“She doesn’t have a car.”
有 is always negated with 沒没, never 不.
“There’s no milk in the fridge.”
有 is always negated with 沒没, never 不 — even in a “there is/are” sentence.
“I have no plan, no ticket, and no idea.” (using the short form)
In this listing style, each item gets its own 沒没 — 有 is dropped, but 有 alone isn’t dropped from just the first item while leaving the rest bare.
“Does your cousin have a job?”
有 goes before the object 工作, not after it.
“There’s no wifi at this cafe.”
Even in the short form (without 有 spelled out), the negation word is still 沒没, never 不.
