有 (yǒu): How to Say “Have” in Chinese
In Chinese, the verb for “to have” is 有 (yǒu). The good news for English speakers: it never changes form. I have, she has, they have are all just 有 — no has, no had, no conjugation at all. And when you don’t have something, you negate it with 没(有) méi(yǒu) — never with 不 (bù). Get those two facts down and you can talk about almost anything you own.
- Character
- 有
- Pinyin
- yǒu (third tone)
- Meaning
- to have / to possess; also “there is / there are”
- Level
- Beginner — HSK 1
- Pattern
- Subject + 有 + noun
- Negation
- 没(有) méi(yǒu) — not 不
- Question
- …吗 (ma) or 有没有 (yǒu méiyǒu)
The basic pattern: Subject + 有 + noun
To say someone has something, name the owner, add 有, then name the thing. The verb sits in the same place an English verb would, and — this is the part that trips people up — it looks identical no matter who the subject is.
Māma yǒu yì zhī māo.
Mom has a cat.
Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè jiějie.
I have two older sisters.
Tā yǒu yí liàng chē.
He has a car.
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有 never conjugates. Whether the subject is 我 (wǒ), 你 (nǐ), 他 (tā) or 妈妈 (māma), the verb stays exactly 有. Anything you own or count as yours — pets, family, money, time, a phone — takes 有.
Saying “don’t have”: 没(有), and why never 不
To make 有 negative, swap it for 没(有) méi(yǒu). Nothing else in the sentence changes.
Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.
I don’t have time.
Here is the single most important rule for this word: 有 is the one common verb in Chinese that is never negated with 不 (bù). Every other beginner verb takes 不 in the present; 有 takes 没. Treat 没有 as one locked unit.
In everyday speech, native speakers often drop the 有 and just say 没:
Wǒ méi qián. ＝ Wǒ méiyǒu qián.
I don’t have (any) money.
Both are correct and natural. At the beginner stage, 没有 is always the safe choice in writing.
Asking “do you have…?”: 吗 and 有没有
There are two everyday ways to turn a 有 statement into a yes/no question.
1. Add 吗 (ma) to the end
Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?
Do you have any siblings?
2. Use the “have-not-have” form: 有没有
Chinese loves an “A-not-A” question, and 有没有 (yǒu méiyǒu) — literally have-not-have — is one of the most natural ways to ask. It means the same thing as the 吗 version.
Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi?
Do you have any siblings?
有 vs 是 vs 在: three verbs English speakers mix up
Because English leans on the verb “to be” for so many things, beginners often reach for the wrong Chinese verb. These three each do one job:
| Verb | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 有 yǒu | have / possess; there is | 我有一只狗。Wǒ yǒu yì zhī gǒu. I have a dog. |
| 是 shì | be (identity — X is Y) | 我是学生。Wǒ shì xuésheng. I am a student. |
| 在 zài | be located / be at | 我在家。Wǒ zài jiā. I’m at home. |
Quick test: if you can replace the verb with “possess,” use 有. If it defines what something is, use 是. If it says where something is, use 在.
Mistakes we see in class
These are the three errors our beginner students make most often with 有. Knowing them in advance saves you months of self-correction.
1. Using 不 to negate 有
有 has its own dedicated negator. It simply does not accept 不. Every time you say 有, its opposite is 没(有).
2. Adding 了 to mean “used to have”
有 doesn’t change for past time. To talk about the past, leave 有 alone and add a time word like 以前 (yǐqián, “before / in the past”). The time word does the work.
3. Using 有 for your age
If your first language is Spanish, French, or Portuguese, “to have years” feels right — but Chinese doesn’t use a verb here at all. The number + 岁 (suì) is enough: 我二十五岁 or 我今年二十五岁 (jīnnián, “this year”).
When you’ll actually use 有
有 is one of the most-used words in the whole language — you’ll reach for it in your first real conversation. Here are five moments you’ll hit almost immediately:
| Situation | What you say |
|---|---|
| Meeting someone new | 你有兄弟姐妹吗？Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma? Do you have siblings? |
| Shopping | 你们有大号吗？Nǐmen yǒu dà hào ma? Do you have it in large? |
| Making plans | 你周末有空吗？Nǐ zhōumò yǒu kòng ma? Are you free this weekend? (有空 = have free time) |
| Talking about home | 我有一只狗。Wǒ yǒu yì zhī gǒu. I have a dog. |
| At a restaurant | 有没有不辣的菜？Yǒu méiyǒu bú là de cài? Are there any non-spicy dishes? |
That last one shows 有’s second life: it also means there is / there are. More on that in the next lesson.
A quick note on the 有没有 question
You’ll hear the 有没有 pattern constantly, and it can feel strikingly direct to a new learner — 你有没有男朋友？ (Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu nán péngyou? — “Do you have a boyfriend?”) might land sooner in a conversation than you’d expect. In Chinese this kind of question usually signals friendly interest rather than prying. The easy, natural move is to answer briefly and ask the same question back. 有 is your way in.
Frequently asked questions
Does 有 change for he, she, or they?
No. 有 never conjugates. 我有 (I have), 她有 (she has), and 他们有 (they have) all use the identical verb 有. Chinese verbs don’t change for person, number, or tense.
How do you say “don’t have” in Chinese?
Use 没(有) méi(yǒu). For example, 我没有时间 (Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān) means “I don’t have time.” In casual speech you can drop the 有 and just say 没.
Can you say 不有 (bù yǒu)?
No — 不有 is ungrammatical. 有 is the one common Chinese verb that is never negated with 不. Its only negative is 没(有).
What’s the difference between 有 and 是?
有 (yǒu) means “to have / to possess”: 我有一只猫 (I have a cat). 是 (shì) means “to be” and defines identity: 我是老师 (I am a teacher). They are not interchangeable.
Does 有 also mean “there is” or “there are”?
Yes. Besides possession, 有 expresses existence: 桌子上有一本书 (Zhuōzi shang yǒu yì běn shū) means “There is a book on the table.” This existential use is covered in a separate lesson on location sentences.
Test yourself
Q1. 她 ___ 两个哥哥。 (She has two older brothers.)
A) 是 shì B) 有 yǒu C) 没有 méiyǒu D) 不有 bù yǒu
Show answer
B — 有 yǒu. It’s a possession sentence: 她有两个哥哥 (Tā yǒu liǎng gè gēge).
Q2. 我 ___ 时间。 (I don’t have time.)
A) 不有 bù yǒu B) 不 bù C) 没有 méiyǒu D) 有了 yǒu le
Show answer
C — 没有 méiyǒu. 有 is negated by 没(有), never by 不: 我没有时间 (Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān). In fast speech, 我没时间 works too.
Keep going
有 is one of three “state” verbs every beginner needs. Once it feels automatic, line it up next to its neighbours:
- Before this: 是 (shì) — your first linking verb
- You’re here: 有 (yǒu) — possession and “to have”
- Next up: 在 for “there is / there are” — location sentences
Drill 有 into muscle memory
Reading the rule is step one. In a free 25-minute trial class, a GoEast teacher gets you using 有 and 没有 out loud — and corrects you in real time.
