Languages 1001

Ready to unleash the power of “有” (yǒu)? This tiny word is the Swiss army knife of Chinese! You’ll use it to talk about what you have, what exists somewhere, and even what you don’t have (sorry, money not included).

So, let’s see what “有” (yǒu) can do!

1. Talking About What You Have (Possession)
To say that someone has something, just use:
Subject + 有 (yǒu) + Object
(Subject + have + thing)

• 我有很多书。
  Wǒ yǒu hěn duō shū. – I have many books.
• 他没有哥哥。
  Tā méiyǒu gēge. – He doesn’t have an older brother.
• 一个星期有七天。
  Yí ge xīngqī yǒu qī tiān. – There are seven days in a week. (Literally: A week has seven days.)

Did you spot 没有 (méiyǒu)? That’s how you say “not have” or “don’t have.”

2. Talking About What Exists Somewhere (Existence)
To say something exists in a place, use:
Place + 有 (yǒu) + Something

• 房间里有两张桌子。
  Fángjiān li yǒu liǎng zhāng zhuōzi. – There are two tables in the room.
• 房间里没有桌子。
  Fángjiān li méiyǒu zhuōzi. – There are no tables in the room.

Pro tip: “有” never means “to be” (am, is, are)! For that, we need 是 (shì), but that’s another adventure.

Now, let’s see if you can use ‘yǒu’ like a pro! Remember – it’s all about what you HAVE or what EXISTS somewhere!

Lili 一个妹妹。(Lili has a younger sister.)

王建国 哥哥。(Jianguo doesn’t have an older brother.)

房间里 一只猫。(There is a cat in the room!)

你的家 电脑吗？(Does your home have a computer?)

超市 苹果了。(The supermarket doesn’t have apples anymore!)

桌子上 一本书。(There is a book on the table.)

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Bonus: What do YOU have? Try to write your own “有” sentence below! 我有____。 (I have _____.)
Or tell us what’s in your room: 房间里有____。 (There is/are _____ in the room!)
And remember: If you don’t have it, just stick a “没” in front of “有” – easy!