Subject + 没有 + Object
The default way to say someone doesn't have something. 没有 is the negation of 有 ('to have'), and the pair behaves like a single unit — never 不有. Use it for possession (no money, no time), existence (there isn't a problem), and a few set phrases (没有意思 = 'not interesting'). In speech, 没 alone often replaces 没有 when followed by a noun: 我没钱.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 没有 [OBJECT]
[SUBJECT] méi yǒu [OBJECT]
How to Think About It
有 covers both 'possess' and 'there exists'. 没有 negates both at once. The key thing to keep separate: 没有 + noun (no money) is not the same as 没 + verb (didn't do it). Same word 没, totally different jobs. If what comes after is a thing, 没有 means 'doesn't have'; if what comes after is an action, 没 means 'didn't / hasn't'.
Examples
我没有钱。
Wǒ méi yǒu qián.
I don't have money.
今天我没有时间。
Jīntiān wǒ méi yǒu shíjiān.
I don't have time today.
她没有手机。
Tā méi yǒu shǒujī.
She doesn't have a phone.
Common Mistake
Learners try to negate 有 with 不, producing 不有. 有 is the one verb in Chinese that's permanently incompatible with 不 — it's always negated with 没. Beginners almost universally get this wrong before being corrected.
我不有钱。
我没有钱。
Don't Confuse With
Subject + 没 + Verb
When 没 is followed by a verb, it negates a completed action ('didn't do', 'hasn't done'). 我没有钱 = 'I don't have money'; 我没吃饭 = 'I haven't eaten'.
Subject + 不是 + Object
不是 negates identity or category ('isn't'). 我没有学生 = 'I don't have a student'; 我不是学生 = 'I'm not a student'. Don't swap them.
Place + 没有 + Object
Same word 没有, but now it means 'there isn't' at a location: 桌子上没有书 = 'there's no book on the table'. The subject is a place, not a person.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 我___有车。 (I don't have a car.)
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没
Fill in the blank: 他没有___。 (He doesn't have an older brother.)
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哥哥
Arrange: 钱 / 我 / 没有 / 今天 (I don't have money today.)
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我今天没有钱。
Translate to Chinese: My friend doesn't have a dog.
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我朋友没有狗。
Write a sentence saying you don't have something common (a pet, a car, time, etc.).
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我家很小，所以我没有狗，也没有猫。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear Subject + 没有 + Object in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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