Language/Mandarin-chinese/Grammar/不-(bù)
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The traditional way to have negative verbs in Chinese is to use 不 ‹ bù ›.
不 can be used for the negative form of verbs in the present or future.
Structure[edit | edit source]
To make a negative verb, you just have to put 不 in front of it:
Subject + 不 + Verb (+ Object)
- 不 is in the 4th tone, but in front of a verb also in the 4th tone, it turns into 2nd tone.
- 不 is used almost in all cases, except for the verb “to desire” 要 ‹ yào ›. Actually in Chinese, 要 ‹ yào › is used as a modal verb to show one’s thoughts or desires. But when expressing the negative of 要, we generally say 不想 ‹ bù xiǎng ›. 不要 ‹ bú yào › is just for colloquial use.
Examples[edit | edit source]
- 我不是德國人。/我不是德国人。‹ Wǒ bú shì Déguórén. ›
I am not German.
- 他不喜歡你。/他不喜欢你。‹ Tā bù xǐhuān nǐ. ›
He does not like you.
- 她不喝酒。/她不喝酒。‹ Tā bù hē jiǔ. ›
She does not drink alchohol.
- 我不是个好學生。/我不是个好学生。‹ Wǒ bú shì hǎo xuéshēng. ›
I am not a good student.
Sources[edit | edit source]
https://chine.in/mandarin/grammaire/ASGIPYFV
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
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