The 有-Sentence: Possession and Existence

Q: How do you use 有字句 (The 有-Sentence) in a sentence?

我有一本书。 — Wǒ yǒu yī běn shū. — I have a book. Possession: Subject 我 + 有 + Object 一本书.

Q: What is the difference between 有 and 在 for 'there is'?

有 puts the place first and says what is there: 桌子上有书。 在 puts the thing first: 书在桌子上。

Chinese grammar · HSK 1 · 有字句 · By Carson 木林森 · Updated October 2026

The 有 (yǒu) sentence says someone has something, as in 我有一本书, or that something exists somewhere. Its negative is 没有, never 不有.

有 (yǒu) has two uses:

1. Possession: Subject + 有 + Object
- 我有一本书。(I have a book.)
- 她有朋友。(She has friends.)

2. Existence: Location + 有 + Thing
- 桌子上有水。(There is water on the table.)
- 学校里有老师。(There are teachers in the school.)

Negation: Use 没有 — NEVER 不有.
- 我没有书。(I don't have a book.)
- 桌子上没有水。(There is no water on the table.)

Question: Add 吗 or use 有没有.
- 你有书吗？(Do you have a book?)

Worked examples

Chinese	Pinyin	English	What it shows
我有一本书。	Wǒ yǒu yī běn shū.	I have a book.	Possession: Subject 我 + 有 + Object 一本书.
桌子上有水。	Zhuō zi shàng yǒu shuǐ.	There is water on the table.	Existence: Location 桌子上 + 有 + Thing 水.
我没有电话。	Wǒ méi yǒu diàn huà.	I don't have a phone.	Negation: 没有 replaces 有. Never say 不有.
你有朋友吗？	Nǐ yǒu péng yǒu ma?	Do you have friends?	Question: statement + 吗 at the end.

Word by word

Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.

有 (yǒu)

Says someone has something, or that something exists in a place.

Structure: Subject + 有 + Object / Place + 有 + Thing

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我家有四口人。	Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén.	There are four people in my family.
教室里有很多椅子。	Jiào shì lǐ yǒu hěn duō yǐ zi.	There are many chairs in the classroom.
你有哥哥或者姐姐吗？	Nǐ yǒu gē ge huò zhě jiě jie ma?	Do you have an older brother or sister?

Not: ~~我有三十岁。~~ Age does not use 有 in Chinese: 我三十岁。

有 is also explained in: Existential Sentences with 着: 桌子上放着书 (HSK 2) · Existential sentences: 有/是/着 + location (HSK 4).

没有 (méi yǒu)

The negative of 有: someone does not have it, or nothing is there.

Structure: Subject + 没有 + Object

Chinese	Pinyin	English
冰箱里没有鸡蛋。	Bīng xiāng lǐ méi yǒu jī dàn.	There are no eggs in the fridge.
他没有兄弟姐妹。	Tā méi yǒu xiōng dì jiě mèi.	He has no brothers or sisters.
我今天没有时间。	Wǒ jīn tiān méi yǒu shí jiān.	I have no time today.

Not: ~~桌子上不有书。~~ Never use 不 with 有; say 桌子上没有书。

没有 is also explained in: Comparison Sentences with 比 and 没有 (HSK 1) · 比 extended: degree & verb phrases (HSK 4) · 没有/不如: negative comparisons (HSK 4).

Compared side by side: 在 vs 有.

Produce this pattern without stopping to think about it. GraphChinese drills The 有-Sentence across 12 exercises and schedules the review that keeps it.

The same pattern at other levels

'有' Sentences — HSK 5

Questions about The 有-Sentence

What does 有字句 (The 有-Sentence) mean in Chinese?

The 有 (yǒu) sentence says someone has something, as in 我有一本书, or that something exists somewhere. Its negative is 没有, never 不有. It is an HSK 1 grammar point.

How do you use 有字句 (The 有-Sentence) in a sentence?

我有一本书。 — Wǒ yǒu yī běn shū. — I have a book. Possession: Subject 我 + 有 + Object 一本书.

Where does 有字句 (The 有-Sentence) come in the HSK sequence?

HSK 1, and none of its prerequisites are grammar points — nothing else on this reference has to come first, so you can start here.

How do I say 'I don't have' in Chinese?

Use 没有: 我没有手机。 The form 不有 does not exist.

What is the difference between 有 and 在 for 'there is'?

有 puts the place first and says what is there: 桌子上有书。在 puts the thing first: 书在桌子上。

The 有-Sentence is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.

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