Mandarin Chinese: Expressing Possession with 有 (yǒu) for All Subjects
Learn to say what someone has in Mandarin using 有 (yǒu). Unlike English have/has, the verb never changes with the subject: 我有, 你有, 他有 all use 有.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In English, the verb 'have' changes to 'has' with he, she and it: I have a bike, she has a car. Mandarin works differently. The verb 有 (yǒu, 'to have') stays exactly the same for every subject. You simply put the subject first, then 有, then the thing that is owned. To make a negative sentence, add 没 (méi) before 有, giving 没有 (méiyǒu). This lesson focuses only on the verb 有 and how it expresses possession, not on possessive words like 我的 (wǒ de, 'my').
By the end, you can…
- say what I, you, he, she and we have using 有 (yǒu).
- make negative possession sentences with 没有 (méiyǒu).
- ask someone whether they have something using 吗 (ma).
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
我有自行车。
I have a bike.
wǒ yǒu zìxíngchē
Subject 我 + 有 + object. 自行车 (zìxíngchē) means bicycle.
她有一辆车。
She has a car.
tā yǒu yí liàng chē
有 does not change for 她. 一辆 (yí liàng) is the measure word phrase for one vehicle.
你有时间吗？
Do you have time?
nǐ yǒu shíjiān ma
Add 吗 (ma) at the end to turn a 有 statement into a yes/no question.
我们没有孩子。
We don't have children.
wǒmen méiyǒu háizi
Negation uses 没有 (méiyǒu), never 不有. 孩子 (háizi) means child or children.
他有兄弟姐妹吗？
Does he have siblings?
tā yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma
兄弟姐妹 (xiōngdì jiěmèi) is a set phrase for brothers and sisters.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is: Subject + 有 + object. For example, 我有自行车 (wǒ yǒu zìxíngchē, 'I have a bike'), 他有车 (tā yǒu chē, 'he has a car'), 我们有时间 (wǒmen yǒu shíjiān, 'we have time'). The verb 有 never changes form, so there is no separate 'has' word. To make it negative, put 没 before 有: 我没有车 (wǒ méiyǒu chē, 'I don't have a car'). To ask a question, add 吗 at the end: 你有车吗？ (nǐ yǒu chē ma, 'Do you have a car?').
When to use it
Use 有 when you state that a person or thing possesses something, owns something, or has something available. It is also used for family members and relationships: 我有一个哥哥 (wǒ yǒu yí gè gēge, 'I have an older brother'). Use 没有 for absence or lack: 她没有时间 (tā méiyǒu shíjiān, 'She doesn't have time'). Do not use 有 for 'there is / there are' in the same way as English; that is a separate pattern. In this lesson, keep 有 tied to a clear subject that owns or possesses something.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你有自行车吗？
Do you have a bike?nǐ yǒu zìxíngchē ma我有自行车。她有一辆车。
I have a bike. She has a car.wǒ yǒu zìxíngchē. tā yǒu yí liàng chē你们有孩子吗？
Do you (plural) have children?nǐmen yǒu háizi ma我们没有孩子。
We don't have children.wǒmen méiyǒu háiziA little context goes a long way
In Mandarin, 有 is extremely common in everyday conversation, and the negative 没有 is equally frequent. Unlike English, there is no polite or formal change to the verb when speaking to strangers or elders; the same 有 is used with 您 (nín, the polite 'you') and with 你 (nǐ, the casual 'you'). Politeness in Chinese is usually shown through pronouns, titles, and tone of voice, not by changing the verb 有.
One thing to watch for
Using 不有 (bù yǒu) to mean 'do not have'.
Try this instead: The correct negative is 没有 (méiyǒu). For example, say 我没有车 (wǒ méiyǒu chē, 'I don't have a car'), not 我不有车. In Mandarin, 有 is negated with 没, not 不.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'She has a car' in Mandarin?
Show a sample answer
她有一辆车。 (tā yǒu yí liàng chē)
The subject 她 is followed by 有, then the object 一辆车. The verb 有 does not change, so this is correct. You may also hear 她有车 (tā yǒu chē) in casual speech.
2Make this sentence negative: 我们有时间。 (wǒmen yǒu shíjiān)
Show a sample answer
我们没有时间。 (wǒmen méiyǒu shíjiān)
Add 没 before 有 to form 没有. 不有 is not used in Mandarin. The meaning becomes 'We don't have time.'
3Turn 你有孩子。 into a yes/no question.
Show a sample answer
你有孩子吗？ (nǐ yǒu háizi ma)
Add 吗 at the end of the statement. Word order stays the same: subject 你, verb 有, object 孩子, then 吗. This is the standard yes/no question pattern.
Use 有 (yǒu) for 'have' and 'has' with every subject. Negate it with 没有 (méiyǒu), and ask questions by adding 吗 (ma) at the end.
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