Traditional Chinese - Possession

我有 ___

Wǒ yǒu ___.

I have ___.

Meaning: 我有 ___ (Wǒ yǒu ___) means “I have ___.”

When to use: Use it to say you have something. Examples: 我有手機。 (Wǒ yǒu shǒujī.) — I have a phone. 我有水。 (Wǒ yǒu shuǐ.) — I have water.

Tip: Don’t add 是 (shì) here. Say 我有手機 (Wǒ yǒu shǒujī), not 我是有手機 (Wǒ shì yǒu shǒujī).

我沒有 ___

Wǒ méiyǒu ___.

I don't have ___.

Meaning: 我沒有 ___ (Wǒ méiyǒu ___) means “I don’t have ___.”

When to use: Use it to say you do not have something. Examples: 我沒有筆。 (Wǒ méiyǒu bǐ.) — I don’t have a pen. 我沒有鑰匙。 (Wǒ méiyǒu yàoshi.) — I don’t have keys.

Tip: For “don’t have,” use 沒有 (méiyǒu), not 不有 (bù yǒu).

你有 ___ 嗎

Nǐ yǒu ___ ma?

Do you have ___?

Meaning: 你有 ___ 嗎？ (Nǐ yǒu ___ ma?) means “Do you have ___?”

When to use: Use it to ask if someone has a specific thing. Examples: 你有手機嗎？ (Nǐ yǒu shǒujī ma?) — Do you have a phone? 你有護照嗎？ (Nǐ yǒu hùzhào ma?) — Do you have your passport?

Tip: Put 嗎 (ma) at the end of the question.

你有 ___ 嗎

Nǐ yǒu ___ ma?

Do you have any ___?

Meaning: 你有 ___ 嗎？ (Nǐ yǒu ___ ma?) can also mean “Do you have any ___?”

When to use: Use it when English would say “any,” but Mandarin usually does not need an extra word. Examples: 你有水嗎？ (Nǐ yǒu shuǐ ma?) — Do you have any water? 你有零錢嗎？ (Nǐ yǒu língqián ma?) — Do you have any change?

有，我有___。

Yǒu, wǒ yǒu ___.

Yes, I have ___.

Meaning: 有，我有___ (Yǒu, wǒ yǒu ___) means “Yes, I have ___.”

When to use: Use it as a natural short yes-answer to a 有 (yǒu) question. Examples: 有，我有筆。 (Yǒu, wǒ yǒu bǐ.) — Yes, I have a pen. 有，我有水。 (Yǒu, wǒ yǒu shuǐ.) — Yes, I have water.

Tip: In Mandarin, answer with 有 (yǒu) for “yes, have,” not just 是 (shì).

沒有，我沒有___。

Méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu ___.

No, I don't have ___.

Meaning: 沒有，我沒有___ (Méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu ___) means “No, I don’t have ___.”

When to use: Use it as a natural short no-answer to a 有 (yǒu) question. Examples: 沒有，我沒有手機。 (Méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu shǒujī.) — No, I don’t have a phone. 沒有，我沒有水。 (Méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu shuǐ.) — No, I don’t have water.

這是我的___。

Zhè shì wǒ de ___.

This is my ___.

Meaning: 這是我的___ (Zhè shì wǒ de ___) means “This is my ___.”

When to use: Use it to say a specific item belongs to you. Examples: 這是我的包包。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bāobāo.) — This is my bag. 這是我的手機。 (Zhè shì wǒ de shǒujī.) — This is my phone.

Tip: Remember 的 (de) after 我 (wǒ): 我的 (wǒ de) means “my.”

這是你的___嗎？

Zhè shì nǐ de ___ ma?

Is this your ___?

Meaning: 這是你的___嗎？ (Zhè shì nǐ de ___ ma?) means “Is this your ___?”

When to use: Use it when you think something may belong to the listener. Examples: 這是你的筆嗎？ (Zhè shì nǐ de bǐ ma?) — Is this your pen? 這是你的包包嗎？ (Zhè shì nǐ de bāobāo ma?) — Is this your bag?

那不是我的___。

Nà bú shì wǒ de ___.

That's not my ___.

Meaning: 那不是我的___ (Nà bú shì wǒ de ___) means “That’s not my ___.”

When to use: Use it to deny that something belongs to you. Examples: 那不是我的包包。 (Nà bú shì wǒ de bāobāo.) — That’s not my bag. 那不是我的手機。 (Nà bú shì wǒ de shǒujī.) — That’s not my phone.

我有帶___

Wǒ yǒu dài ___.

I have ___ with me.

Meaning: 我有帶___ (Wǒ yǒu dài ___) means “I have ___ with me.”

When to use: Use it when you brought something and have it with you now. Examples: 我有帶護照。 (Wǒ yǒu dài hùzhào.) — I have my passport with me. 我有帶水。 (Wǒ yǒu dài shuǐ.) — I have water with me.

Tip: 我有帶___ (Wǒ yǒu dài ___) is about having it with you now; 我有___ (Wǒ yǒu ___) is more general.

這是我的

Zhè shì wǒ de.

It's mine.

Meaning: 這是我的 (Zhè shì wǒ de) means “It’s mine.”

When to use: Use it when the object is already clear, so you don’t need to name it again. Examples: 這是我的。 (Zhè shì wǒ de.) — It’s mine. 對，這是我的。 (Duì, zhè shì wǒ de.) — Yes, it’s mine.

這是你的

Zhè shì nǐ de.

It's yours.

Meaning: 這是你的 (Zhè shì nǐ de) means “It’s yours.”

When to use: Use it to say the item belongs to the listener. Examples: 這是你的。 (Zhè shì nǐ de.) — It’s yours. 這是你的，不是我的。 (Zhè shì nǐ de, bú shì wǒ de.) — It’s yours, not mine.

這是我的嗎

Zhè shì wǒ de ma?

Is it mine?

Meaning: 這是我的嗎？ (Zhè shì wǒ de ma?) means “Is it mine?”

When to use: Use it when you are checking whether something belongs to you. Examples: 這是我的嗎？ (Zhè shì wǒ de ma?) — Is it mine? 這個是我的嗎？ (Zhège shì wǒ de ma?) — Is this one mine?