没有 (negation of past)

• Pinyin: méiyǒu
• Formation: Subject + 没有 / 没 + Verb (+ Object)
• Hanzi breakdown: 没 = 氵(water) + 殳 (weapon); 有 = 月 (moon/flesh) + 又 (again)

Meaning

Use 没有 (méiyǒu) or its shortened form 没 (méi) to negate past actions or deny that something has happened. Unlike 不 which negates habits or intentions, 没有 specifically indicates that an action did not occur or has not been completed.

没有 is the standard way to negate completed actions in Mandarin, functioning similarly to 'did not' in English. It is important to note that 没有 cannot be used with 了 at the end of a sentence, because 了 signals completion while 没有 denies it — they contradict each other. In casual speech, 没有 is often shortened to just 没. A common mistake learners make is using 不 to negate past events; 不 is reserved for habitual negation, future intentions, or subjective unwillingness, while 没有 handles factual past negation.

Examples

1. 我昨天没有去超市买东西。 I didn't go to the supermarket to buy things yesterday.
2. 她没吃早饭就出门了。 She left without eating breakfast.
3. 我们没有看那部新电影。 We didn't watch that new movie.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 我今天没有喝咖啡。
• 他们没去公园散步。
• 我没有收到你的消息。
• 小王没有参加昨天的会议。

Don't Say

• 我昨天不去学校。(Using 不 to negate a past action — 不 is for habitual or future negation, use 没有 for past events) → 我昨天没有去学校。
• 我没有吃了饭。(没有 and 了 contradict each other — 没有 denies completion while 了 marks it) → 我没有吃饭。
• 她没有会游泳。(没有 cannot negate ability — use 不会 instead) → 她不会游泳。

Origin & History

The character 没 originally meant 'to sink' or 'to submerge,' and over time it developed a grammatical function as a negation marker for completed actions, pairing with 有 to form the past-tense negator 没有.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal