Existence with 有

有 (yǒu) means to have or there is.

Use it to say that someone has something, or that a place has something.

The negative is 没有 (méiyǒu), not 不有.

有 is how you say you own something or that something exists at all — a verb you will reach for constantly, in both statements and questions.

Structure

Subject + 有 + Object

我有茶。 (Wǒ yǒu chá.) I have tea.

Subject + 没有 + Object

我没有茶。 (Wǒ méiyǒu chá.) I do not have tea.

Examples

我有狗。 Wǒ yǒu gǒu.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 有 (have) · 狗 (dog)

→ I have a dog.

她有猫。 Tā yǒu māo.

Breakdown: 她 (she) · 有 (has) · 猫 (cat)

→ She has a cat.

我有书。 Wǒ yǒu shū.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 有 (have) · 书 (book)

→ I have a book.

他有电脑。 Tā yǒu diànnǎo.

Breakdown: 他 (he) · 有 (has) · 电脑 (computer)

→ He has a computer.

我有手机。 Wǒ yǒu shǒujī.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 有 (have) · 手机 (phone)

→ I have a phone.

我没有钱。 Wǒ méiyǒu qián.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 没有 (do not have) · 钱 (money)

→ I do not have money.

他有车。 Tā yǒu chē.

Breakdown: 他 (he) · 有 (has) · 车 (car)

→ He has a car.

我有朋友。 Wǒ yǒu péngyou.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 有 (have) · 朋友 (friends)

→ I have friends.

学校有学生。 Xuéxiào yǒu xuéshēng.

Breakdown: 学校 (school) · 有 (has) · 学生 (students)

→ The school has students.

Common Mistakes

Using 不 with 有

- Incorrect: 我不有茶。 (Wǒ bù yǒu chá.) - Correct: 我没有茶。 (Wǒ méiyǒu chá.) — I do not have tea.

Putting 有 first

- Incorrect: 有我茶。 (Yǒu wǒ chá.) - Correct: 我有茶。 (Wǒ yǒu chá.) — I have tea.

English "there is" fronts the verb (there IS tea) — carrying that construction over to a sentence with a named owner produces this mistake.

What Can You Say Now?

You can now say what you or someone else owns, or that a place has something — 我有手机 (I have a phone), 学校有学生 (The school has students) — and negate it correctly with 没有 instead of 不有. Try listing what is in your bag out loud using 我有...

Quick Summary

有 = have / there is. Negative: 没有.