Using 有 (Yǒu): “There Is/Are” And “To Have” In Chinese
Chinese Topic: 有（yǒu）
Two jobs. One tiny character. 有（yǒu） helps you say “there is/are” and “to have”—without doing weird English-style “is/are” gymnastics.
By the end, you’ll be able to describe what exists somewhere (桌上有咖啡) and what you possess (我有錢)—plus ask questions, make negatives, and sound natural in Taiwan Mandarin.
Key idea: 有（yǒu） is not “to be.” It’s closer to “to exist” and “to have.”
Yak Snark Box 🦬
Stop trying to say “There is…” with 是（shì）. That’s like using a spoon to cut steak. Could work… but why suffer?
What 有 (Yǒu) Means: The Two Big Uses
1) “There Is/Are” (Exist)
Pattern: Place + 有（yǒu）+ Thing
Example
這裡有洗手間。
Zhèlǐ yǒu xǐshǒujiān.
There is a restroom here.
2) “To Have” (Possess)
Pattern: Subject + 有（yǒu）+ Thing
Example
我有時間。
Wǒ yǒu shíjiān.
I have time.
Core Patterns You’ll Use Every Day
| Pattern | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place + 有 + N | There is/are… (exist) | 桌上有一杯咖啡。 | Zhuō shàng yǒu yì bēi kāfēi. | There’s a cup of coffee on the table. |
| Subject + 有 + N | To have… (possess) | 她有兩個妹妹。 | Tā yǒu liǎng gè mèimei. | She has two younger sisters. |
| Time + 有 + Event | There is… (scheduled/available) | 明天有會議。 | Míngtiān yǒu huìyì. | There’s a meeting tomorrow. |
| 誰 + 有 + N？ | Who has…? | 誰有充電器？ | Shéi yǒu chōngdiànqì? | Who has a charger? |
Numbers And Measure Words With 有
In real Chinese, you’ll often put a number + measure word after 有. Yes, it’s extra. Yes, you’ll get used to it.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 有一個… | yǒu yí gè… | there is/has one… | 我有一個問題。 | Wǒ yǒu yí gè wèntí. | I have a question. |
| 有兩本… | yǒu liǎng běn… | there are/has two (books)… | 書包裡有兩本書。 | Shūbāo lǐ yǒu liǎng běn shū. | There are two books in the backpack. |
| 有一杯… | yǒu yì bēi… | there is/has a cup of… | 這裡有一杯水。 | Zhèlǐ yǒu yì bēi shuǐ. | There’s a cup of water here. |
| 有一張… | yǒu yì zhāng… | there is/has one (flat thing)… | 桌上有一張紙。 | Zhuō shàng yǒu yì zhāng zhǐ. | There’s a sheet of paper on the table. |
| 有一台… | yǒu yì tái… | there is/has one (machine)… | 我們家有一台車。 | Wǒmen jiā yǒu yì tái chē. | Our family has a car. |
| 有一隻… | yǒu yì zhī… | there is/has one (animal)… | 隔壁有一隻貓。 | Gébì yǒu yì zhī māo. | There’s a cat next door. |
| 有一間… | yǒu yì jiān… | there is/has one (room/store)… | 附近有一間咖啡店。 | Fùjìn yǒu yì jiān kāfēidiàn. | There’s a café nearby. |
Negatives And Questions: 沒有, 有沒有, 沒
沒有 (Méiyǒu) = “Don’t Have / There Isn’t”
沒有（méiyǒu） — not have; there isn’t/aren’t
Example
我沒有時間。
Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.
I don’t have time.
Example
冰箱裡沒有牛奶。
Bīngxiāng lǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi.
There isn’t any milk in the fridge.
有沒有 (Yǒu Méiyǒu) = “Is There / Do You Have…?”
有沒有（yǒu méiyǒu） — is there…? do you have…?
Example
你有沒有護照？
Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu hùzhào?
Do you have a passport?
Example
這附近有沒有便利商店？
Zhè fùjìn yǒu méiyǒu biànlì shāngdiàn?
Is there a convenience store nearby?
沒（méi） is a shorter, casual version of 沒有（méiyǒu） in speech.
沒（méi） — not; don’t have (casual)
Example
我沒錢。
Wǒ méi qián.
I don’t have money.
Useful Add-Ons With 有 (Quick, Real-Life)
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 還有 | hái yǒu | also; still have; and there’s more | 我還有一件事要說。 | Wǒ hái yǒu yí jiàn shì yào shuō. | I still have one more thing to say. |
| 也有 | yě yǒu | also have; there is also | 那家店也有素食。 | Nà jiā diàn yě yǒu sùshí. | That shop also has vegetarian food. |
| 只有 | zhǐ yǒu | only have; there is only | 我只有十分鐘。 | Wǒ zhǐ yǒu shí fēnzhōng. | I only have ten minutes. |
| 才有 | cái yǒu | only then have | 要訂位才有位子。 | Yào dìngwèi cái yǒu wèizi. | Only if you reserve will you have a seat. |
| 有空 | yǒu kòng | to be free (have time) | 你明天有空嗎？ | Nǐ míngtiān yǒu kòng ma? | Are you free tomorrow? |
| 有用 | yǒu yòng | useful | 這個方法很有用。 | Zhège fāngfǎ hěn yǒu yòng. | This method is very useful. |
| 有名 | yǒu míng | famous (well-known) | 那間店很有名。 | Nà jiān diàn hěn yǒu míng. | That shop is very famous. |
| 有了 | yǒu le | got it; have it now | 不用買了，我有了。 | Búyòng mǎi le, wǒ yǒu le. | No need to buy it—I’ve got it now. |
Taiwan Bonus: 有 + Verb (Informal “Did / Have Done”)
In Taiwan Mandarin, you’ll often hear 有（yǒu） + Verb to mean “did / have done” (informal). It’s super common in speech.
有看（yǒu kàn） — (I) did watch / have watched
Example
我有看你的訊息。
Wǒ yǒu kàn nǐ de xùnxí.
I did see your message.
有去過（yǒu qù guò） — have been (to someplace)
Example
我有去過台南。
Wǒ yǒu qù guò Táinán.
I’ve been to Tainan.
Note: This “有 + V” is conversational. In more formal writing, you’ll often use other structures (like just the verb, or 了/le, or 過/guò) depending on context.
Practice: Turn The Sentence 3 Ways
Take each sentence and make: (1) negative with 沒有（méiyǒu）, (2) a yes/no question with 有沒有（yǒu méiyǒu）, and (3) a “there is/are” version by adding a place.
- Base: 我有車。
Wǒ yǒu chē.
I have a car. - Base: 這裡有Wi-Fi。
Zhèlǐ yǒu Wi-Fi.
There is Wi-Fi here. - Base: 他有時間。
Tā yǒu shíjiān.
He has time. - Base: 包包裡有雨傘。
Bāobāo lǐ yǒu yǔsǎn.
There’s an umbrella in the bag.
Show Sample Answers
1) 我有車。
Negative: 我沒有車。
Wǒ méiyǒu chē.
Question: 你有沒有車？
Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu chē?
Place version: 停車場有車。
Tíngchēchǎng yǒu chē.
(There are cars in the parking lot.)
2) 這裡有Wi-Fi。
Negative: 這裡沒有Wi-Fi。
Zhèlǐ méiyǒu Wi-Fi.
Question: 這裡有沒有Wi-Fi？
Zhèlǐ yǒu méiyǒu Wi-Fi?
Have version: 我有Wi-Fi。
Wǒ yǒu Wi-Fi.
(I have Wi-Fi.)
3) 他有時間。
Negative: 他沒有時間。
Tā méiyǒu shíjiān.
Question: 他有沒有時間？
Tā yǒu méiyǒu shíjiān?
Place version: 今天有時間。
Jīntiān yǒu shíjiān.
(There’s time today / time is available today.)
4) 包包裡有雨傘。
Negative: 包包裡沒有雨傘。
Bāobāo lǐ méiyǒu yǔsǎn.
Question: 包包裡有沒有雨傘？
Bāobāo lǐ yǒu méiyǒu yǔsǎn?
Have version: 我有雨傘。
Wǒ yǒu yǔsǎn.
(I have an umbrella.)
Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes
- Mistake: 用「是」說存在：這裡是洗手間。
Fix: 這裡有洗手間。
Zhèlǐ yǒu xǐshǒujiān.
There’s a restroom here. - Mistake: 用「不有」當否定：我不有錢。
Fix: 我沒有錢。 / 我沒錢。
Wǒ méiyǒu qián. / Wǒ méi qián.
I don’t have money. - Mistake: 英文式倒裝：有在桌上咖啡。
Fix: 桌上有咖啡。
Zhuō shàng yǒu kāfēi.
There’s coffee on the table. - Mistake: 忘記數量很怪：我有問題兩個。
Fix: 我有兩個問題。
Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè wèntí.
I have two questions.
Quick Reference Summary
| What You Want To Say | Use This | Mini Example (ZH) | Pinyin | EN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| There is/are… somewhere | Place + 有 + N | 房間裡有兩張椅子。 | Fángjiān lǐ yǒu liǎng zhāng yǐzi. | There are two chairs in the room. |
| I/you/he/she has… | Subject + 有 + N | 我有一支筆。 | Wǒ yǒu yì zhī bǐ. | I have a pen. |
| Don’t have / there isn’t | 沒有 | 這裡沒有座位。 | Zhèlǐ méiyǒu zuòwèi. | There aren’t seats here. |
| Is there…? / Do you have…? | 有沒有 | 你有沒有零錢？ | Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu língqián? | Do you have change? |
| Taiwan casual “did/have done” | 有 + V | 我有聽到。 | Wǒ yǒu tīngdào. | I did hear it. |
Final Yak Box 🦬
If you remember just one thing: place + 有 = “it exists there,” and person + 有 = “they have it.” Everything else is just you getting dangerously fluent.
If you want, pick 5 things around you right now and say them both ways: 桌上有… (zhuō shàng yǒu…) and 我有… (wǒ yǒu…). Instant real-life Chinese.
