1. Home
  2. Grammar Points
  3. Negation of past actions with 没 ("meiyou")

Negation of past actions with 没 ("meiyou")

méiyǒu

Verb
HSK 1

Structure

Subj. + 没有 / 没 + Verb

Definition

(有)”用于否定过去发生的动作或状态,表示动作或状态未发生或未完成。

(有)” is used to negate past actions or states, indicating that the action or state did not happen or is not yet completed.

Usage

”或“有”放在动词前,否定该动作在过去发生。不能使用“不”来否定过去动作。如果有时间词,常置于句首或动词前。

” or “有” is placed before the verb to negate that the action occurred in the past. “不” cannot be used to negate past actions. If there is a time word, it is often placed at the beginning of the sentence or before the verb.

Examples

  • 1 昨天我去学校。(Yesterday I didn't go to school.)
  • 2 吃饭。(He didn't eat.)
  • 3 看过那部电影。(I haven't seen that movie.)
  • 4 上个月我们去旅行。(Last month we didn't travel.)
  • 5 收到你的邮件。(I didn't receive your email.)

Put it into practice

Exam-style HSK drills with instant scoring and explanations.

Find my HSK level

Free · about 3 minutes · no account needed