有 (yǒu): How to Say “Have” in Chinese

Why this trips learners up

The verb you'll reach for constantly is 有 (yǒu), “to have”. The structure couldn't be simpler — Subject + 有 + Object, just like English: 我有钱 (“I have money”), 你有时间吗？(“Do you have time?”). If you can build a basic sentence, you can already use 有.

There's just one quirk, and it's famous: 有 refuses 不. Every other verb negates with 不, but 有 alone takes 没 — “don't have” is 没有, never 不有. The other thing to keep straight is that 有 (to have something) is a different tool from 的 (to mark whose something is): 我有车 says you possess a car; 我的车 just means “my car”.

The structure

Subject 有 yǒu Object

Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Object Time Negation Adjective Measure word Question

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

wǒ 我 Subject yǒu 有 Pattern liǎng gè 两个 Measure word mèimei 妹妹 Object

I have two younger sisters.

nǐ 你 Subject yǒu 有 Pattern xiōngdì jiěmèi 兄弟姐妹 Object ma 吗 Question

Do you have any siblings?

tā 他 Subject méi 没 Negation yǒu 有 Pattern shíjiān 时间 Object

He doesn't have time.

zhège chéngshì 这个城市 Subject yǒu 有 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Adjective gōngyuán 公园 Object

This city has a lot of parks.

nǐmen 你们 Subject yǒu 有 Pattern huìyìshì 会议室 Object ma 吗 Question

Do you have a meeting room?

wǒ 我 Subject xià zhōu 下周 Time yǒu 有 Pattern yí gè 一个 Measure word zhòngyào de 重要的 Adjective miànshì 面试 Object

I have an important interview next week.

Common mistakes

Avoid: 我不有钱。 wǒ bù yǒu qián.

Say this: 我没有钱。 wǒ méiyǒu qián.

Why it happens: 有 is the one verb that won't take 不. To say you don't have something, switch to 没: 没有钱, never 不有钱. (It's such a common slip it has its own lesson.)

Avoid: 我有两妹妹。 wǒ yǒu liǎng mèimei.

Say this: 我有两个妹妹。 wǒ yǒu liǎng gè mèimei.

Why it happens: When you count something, Chinese needs a measure word between the number and the noun. “Two sisters” is 两个妹妹 (two-个-sisters), not 两妹妹. After 有 + a number, don't forget the 个 — or whatever measure word the noun takes.

Avoid: 我是一个问题。 wǒ shì yí gè wèntí.

Say this: 我有一个问题。 wǒ yǒu yí gè wèntí.

Why it happens: “Have” is 有, not 是. 是 means “to be”, so 我是一个问题 says “I am a question”. To say you have one, it's 我有一个问题. Keep 有 (have) and 是 (be) apart.

Compare & contrast

有 — “to have” (a verb)	的 — “'s / my” (a link)	The difference
我有一辆车。wǒ yǒu yí liàng chē.	我的车wǒ de chē	有 makes a whole sentence — you HAVE a car (我有车). 的 only links owner to thing inside a phrase — MY car (我的车).
他有三个孩子。tā yǒu sān gè háizi.	他的孩子tā de háizi	Use 有 to state that you possess something. Use 的 to label whose something is.

Rule of thumb有 is a verb: “Someone HAS something” (我有车). 的 is a link inside a noun phrase: “someone's something” (我的车). Stating that you possess it? 有. Labelling whose it is? 的.

Try it yourself

Say “I have a question” — tap the words into the right order.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

How to Say “Have” with 有 (yǒu) grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure

Subject + 有 + Object

Example

我有两个妹妹

I have two younger sisters.

Watch out

✗ 我不有钱。 → ✓ 我没有钱。