不…了 / 没…了: How to Say “Not Anymore” / “No Longer”
To say “not anymore”, add the change particle 了 to a negative: 不 + verb (不喝了 = “not drinking anymore”) or 没 + noun (没钱了 = “out of money”). 已经 can add emphasis. Drop the 了 and you lose the “anymore”.
Why this trips learners up
Chinese has no single word for “not anymore” — it builds the meaning by adding the change-of-state 了 to a negative sentence. The 了 is the part that means “anymore”: it marks a change away from how things were. 我不喝酒 is “I don't drink”; add 了 and 我不喝酒了 becomes “I don't drink anymore” — I used to, and now I've stopped.
Which negator you use depends on what follows. 不 + [verb phrase] + 了 covers actions, wants and states: 他不想学了 (“he doesn't want to study anymore”), 我不饿了 (“I'm not hungry anymore”). 没(有) + [noun] + 了 covers running out or no longer having something: 没时间了 (“out of time”), 手机没电了 (“the phone's died”). For extra weight you can lead with 已经 (“already”): 我已经不上班了, 冰箱里已经没菜了 — but the closing 了 stays required. This is the negative face of the change-of-state 了; for the positive “new situation now”, see that page.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
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 bù 不 Negation è 饿 Adjective le 了 Pattern
I'm not hungry anymore.
méiyǒu 没有 Negation shíjiān 时间 Object le 了 Pattern
We're out of time.
shǒujī 手机 Subject méi 没 Negation xìnhào 信号 Object le 了 Pattern
My phone has no signal anymore.
tā 他 Subject bù 不 Negation xiǎng 想 Function word xué 学 Verb le 了 Pattern
He doesn't want to study anymore.
nǐmen 你们 Subject bù 不 Negation liánxì 联系 Verb le 了 Pattern ma 吗 Question
You two aren't in contact anymore?
wǒ 我 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Adverb bù 不 Negation shàngbān 上班 Verb le 了 Pattern
I don't go to work anymore.
bīngxiāng lǐ 冰箱里 Place yǐjīng 已经 Adverb méi 没 Negation cài 菜 Object le 了 Pattern
There's no food left in the fridge anymore.
háizi 孩子 Subject dà 大 Adjective le 了 Pattern bù 不 Negation tīng 听 Verb wǒ de 我的 Object le 了 Pattern
The kids have grown up — they don't listen to me anymore.
Common mistakes
Why it happens: The 了 is what means “anymore”. 我不喝酒 is a timeless “I don't drink”; it's the final 了 that adds the change — 我不喝酒了 = “I don't drink anymore (I quit)”. Drop it and you've lost the whole point.
Why it happens: “No longer have / run out” is 没(有) + noun, never 不有. 有 always negates with 没, so “out of money” is 没钱了 / 没有钱了, not 不有钱了. (不 is for verbs and states; 没 for having and completion.)
Why it happens: 已经 (“already”) marks an accomplished change, so it needs the closing 了. “I don't live here anymore” is 我已经不住这儿了 — dropping the 了 leaves 已经 hanging.
Compare & contrast
| With 了 — “not anymore” (a change) | Without 了 — a general “not” (no change) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 我不喝酒了。wǒ bù hē jiǔ le. = I don't drink anymore (quit) | 我不喝酒。wǒ bù hē jiǔ. = I don't drink (in general) | 我不喝酒了 = “I don't drink anymore” — a change, I quit. 我不喝酒 = “I don't drink” — a standing fact, no change implied. |
| 没钱了。méi qián le. = (we've) run out of money | 没钱。méi qián. = (I) have no money (a standing fact) | 没钱了 = “(we've) run out of money” — it's gone now. 没钱 = “(I) have no money” — just a state, with no “used to have”. |
Try it yourself
Say “I don't want to go anymore” — tap the words into order.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
不…了 / 没…了: How to Say “Not Anymore” / “No Longer” grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.