The Verb 有: Having and Existing

有 (yǒu) is one of the most useful verbs in Chinese. It covers two ideas that English keeps separate: having something ("I have a car") and something existing there ("there is a car"). Same verb for both. It's easy to use, with just one quirk about how it goes negative that you'll want to nail down early.

有 for having

The first job is straightforward possession: A has B. The pattern is A + 有 + B.

• 我有一个弟弟。 (I have a younger brother.)
• 他有很多朋友。 (He has a lot of friends.)
• 我们有时间。 (We have time.)
• 这个城市有地铁。 (This city has a subway.)

Just like English "have," but cleaner. No conjugation, no tense to worry about.

有 for existing

The second job is to say something exists somewhere, which English handles with "there is/there are." In Chinese the pattern flips to put the place first: Place + 有 + Thing.

• 桌子上有一本书。 (There's a book on the table.) Literally: table-on / has / one book.
• 附近有一家银行。 (There's a bank nearby.)
• 房间里有很多人。 (There are a lot of people in the room.)

Notice the place comes at the front, then 有, then the thing that exists. This is a really common way to describe what's around you, so it's worth getting comfortable with the "place 有 thing" order.

The big quirk: negate with 没, never 不

Here's the one thing that trips people up. Almost every verb in Chinese goes negative with 不. But 有 is the exception. You negate it with 没 (méi), giving 没有.

• 我没有车。 (I don't have a car.) Not 我不有车.
• 我没有时间。 (I don't have time.)
• 冰箱里没有牛奶。 (There's no milk in the fridge.)

Say it to yourself a few times: 没有, 没有, 没有. The form 不有 simply doesn't exist in Chinese. This is probably the single most important fact about 有, so let it stick.

Asking questions with 有

The usual two methods both work.

Add 吗 at the end:

• 你有问题吗? (Do you have a question?)

Or use the A-not-A pattern, which for 有 is 有没有:

• 你有没有时间? (Do you have time?)
• 附近有没有超市? (Is there a supermarket nearby?)

To answer, you say 有 (yes, there is / I do) or 没有 (no, there isn't / I don't). Quick and clean.

有 plus an amount

有 pairs naturally with numbers and measure words to say how much or how many of something there is:

• 我有两个孩子。 (I have two kids.)
• 桌子上有三本书。 (There are three books on the table.)

And it works with 很多 (a lot) and similar quantity words:

• 他有很多钱。 (He has a lot of money.)

A quick preview

有 also shows up in some bigger structures you'll meet later: making comparisons with 没有 ("not as ... as"), as in 我没有他高 (I'm not as tall as him), and in the existential sentences article alongside 是 and 着. Those build on the basic 有 you're learning now, so a solid grip here pays off down the line.

Quick recap

• 有 = both "have" and "there is/are."
• Possession: A 有 B (我有一个弟弟).
• Existence: Place 有 Thing (桌子上有一本书).
• Negate with 没有, never 不有. This is the key rule.
• Question with 吗 or 有没有; answer with 有 or 没有.

One verb, two meanings, one special negative. Get the 没有 part down and you're set.