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A1 Beginner Negation

Negating with 不 (bù): “Don't” & “Isn't”

不 (bù) is the all-purpose negator: put it before almost any verb or adjective to say you don't, won't, or aren't. (The one verb it can't touch is 有.)

Why this trips learners up

不 (bù) is the first negation most learners meet, and it looks gloriously simple: put 不 before a verb to say you don't do something. And mostly it is — negating with 不 in Chinese really is just “subject + 不 + verb”. But two small details ambush beginners.

First, 不 changes its own tone. It's normally bù (falling), but right before another falling-tone syllable it flips to bú — 不是 is bú shì, not bù shì. Second, when you negate an adjective, Chinese drops “to be” entirely: “I'm not busy” is 我不忙 — three words, no 是 anywhere. Build those two reflexes and 不 becomes effortless.

The structure

Subject 不 bù VerbObject
Colour key

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

Pattern Subject Verb Object Time Adverb Function word Adjective 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 bù 不 Pattern chī 吃 Verb là 辣 Object

I don't eat spicy food.

zhè 这 Subject bú 不 Pattern shì 是 Verb wǒ de 我的 Object

This isn't mine.

jīntiān 今天 Time bù 不 Pattern lěng 冷 Adjective

It's not cold today.

wǒ 我 Subject zhōumò 周末 Time bù 不 Pattern xiǎng 想 Function word chūmén 出门 Verb

I don't feel like going out on weekends.

nǐ 你 Subject jīntiān 今天 Time bú 不 Pattern shàngbān 上班 Verb ma 吗 Question

You're not working today?

nǐmen de fángjiān 你们的房间 Subject bú 不 Pattern gòu 够 Adverb dà 大 Adjective

Your room isn't big enough.

Common mistakes

Avoid: 我不有时间。 wǒ bù yǒu shíjiān.
Say this: 我没有时间。 wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.

Why it happens: 不 negates almost everything — but not 有. “I don't have time” is 没有时间, never 不有. 有 is the single verb that always takes 没 instead, so it's worth burning that exception into memory early.

Avoid: 我不是忙。 wǒ bú shì máng.
Say this: 我不忙。 wǒ bù máng.

Why it happens: English forces an “am not”, so learners tuck in a 是: 我不是忙. But Chinese adjectives already behave like verbs — 忙 means “to be busy” — so 是 isn't just unnecessary, it's wrong. Simply 我不忙.

Avoid: 我想不去。 wǒ xiǎng bú qù.
Say this: 我不想去。 wǒ bù xiǎng qù.

Why it happens: Put 不 in front of the whole verb phrase, auxiliary included. “I don't want to go” negates the wanting, so 不 sits before 想: 我不想去. Slipping it between 想 and 去 (想不去) breaks the meaning.

Compare & contrast

不 — now, future, habits没 — the pastThe difference
我不喝酒。wǒ bù hē jiǔ.我没喝酒。wǒ méi hē jiǔ.“I don't drink” as a general habit is 不喝. “I didn't drink” on one occasion is 没喝 — a specific event that didn't happen.
他明天不来。tā míngtiān bù lái.他昨天没来。tā zuótiān méi lái.A future plan or refusal takes 不 (不来 — not coming). Something that already didn't happen takes 没 (没来 — didn't come).
Rule of thumb不 is for now, the future and habits — what you don't or won't do. 没 is for the past — what didn't happen. And whatever the time frame, 有 always takes 没, never 不.

Try it yourself

Say “I don't want to work today” — tap the words into the right order.

Related patterns

没有How to Say “Don't Have” (没有)

The big exception to the 不 rule — 有 takes 没 instead.

 会能可以会 vs 能 vs 可以: Three Ways to Say “Can”

Negating the modals: 不会 (don't know how) / 不能 (not allowed) / 不可以 (not permitted).

 都How to Say “All” & “Both” with 都 (dōu)

都 + 不 means “none” — once 不 clicks, this combo is easy.

 也How to Say “Also” / “Too” with 也 (yě)

也不 — saying you don't either keeps 也 before 不.

 我吃饭How to Build a Basic Chinese Sentence

不 negates the verb inside the basic sentence frame.
Quick reference card
Merry Mandarin Negating with 不 (bù): “Don't” & “Isn't” grammar.merrymandarin.com

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

Structure
Subject + 不 + Verb + Object
Example
我不吃辣
I don't eat spicy food.
Watch out
✗ 我不有时间。  →  ✓ 我没有时间。