Having things: 有, 没有 and 几
Chinese Foundations · Lesson 8 of 11 · About 15 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can say what you have and do not have, count people and things with 个, and ask how many with 几.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 八 mean?
That is 大 (dà).
That is 小 (xiǎo).
Show the answer
Answer: C, eight.
八 (bā) means eight.
Characters
Which word means “to be called”?
口 (kǒu) means mouth.
小 (xiǎo) means small.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 叫.
“to be called” is 叫 (jiào).
New words
有 and 没有
有 (yǒu) means to have. The negative is 没有 (méiyǒu), never 不有.
我有手机。
Wǒ yǒu shǒujī.
I have a mobile phone.
我没有狗。
Wǒ méiyǒu gǒu.
I don't have a dog.
你有书吗？
Nǐ yǒu shū ma?
Do you have a book?
Not:
我不有狗。But: 我没有狗。 Wǒ méiyǒu gǒu.
有 is negated with 没, never with 不.
Counting with 个
Between a number and a noun, Chinese puts a measure word. 个 (gè) is the most common one: 三个人, three people. In everyday conversation say 三个人; the shorter 三人 exists too, but it sounds compact and formal, as in writing, signs or set phrases.
Before a measure word, two is 两 (liǎng), not 二. You will meet 两 in HSK 1; for now, count with 一, 三, 四 and up.
我家有四个人。
Wǒ jiā yǒu sì gè rén.
There are four people in my family.
他有三个手机。
Tā yǒu sān gè shǒujī.
He has three phones.
几 (jǐ) asks how many when you expect a small number. It takes a measure word too, and it already makes the sentence a question, so no 吗.
你家有几个人？
Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?
How many people are in your family?
Not:
你家有几个人吗？But: 你家有几个人？ Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?
几 already asks the question: no 吗.
Characters
- 家 = 宀 + 豕
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
How many people?
Anna and Li Ming chat about their families.
Listen first
Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.
Listening
Listen first. How many people are in Li Ming's family?
Show the answer
Answer: C, four.
李明 says 我家有四个人: four people.
Listening
Who has a dog?
李明 says 我没有狗: he doesn't have one.
Show the answer
Answer: A, Anna.
安娜 says 我有狗. 李明 says 我没有狗.
Show the transcript
安娜
李明，你家有几个人？
Li Ming, how many people are in your family?
李明
我家有四个人。你家有几个人？
There are four people in my family. How many in yours?
安娜
我家有三个人。我有狗！
Three. And I have a dog!
李明
我没有狗。
I don't have a dog.
Speak: listen, record, compare
Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.
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Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
李明，你家有几个人？
Lǐ Míng, nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?
Li Ming, how many people are in your family?
我家有三个人。我有狗！
Wǒ jiā yǒu sān gè rén. Wǒ yǒu gǒu!
Three. And I have a dog!
我家有四个人。你家有几个人？
Wǒ jiā yǒu sì gè rén. Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?
There are four people in my family. How many in yours?
Practice
Meaning
What does 有 mean?
That is 叫 (jiào).
That is 四 (sì).
Show the answer
Answer: A, to have.
有 (yǒu) means to have.
Characters
Which word means “not to have”?
我们 (wǒmen) means we, us.
老师 (lǎoshī) means teacher.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 没有.
“not to have” is 没有 (méiyǒu).
Pinyin
How do you read 个 ((general measure word))?
Show the answer
Answer: C, gè.
个 is read gè. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
几 jǐ
That would be 喝 (hē).
That would be 十 (shí).
Show the answer
Answer: A, how many (small numbers).
You heard 几 (jǐ): how many (small numbers).
Pinyin
Type the pinyin of 家 (family, home). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.
Show the answer
Answer: jiā
家 is jiā in pinyin.
Grammar
Which sentence means I don't have a book?
有 is never negated with 不.
The negative goes before the verb: 没有书.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 我没有书。.
我没有书。 有 takes 没: 没有.
Fill the gap
Complete: There are three people in my family.
我家有三＿＿人。
Show the answer
Answer: A, 个.
我家有三个人。 个 is the measure word between the number and 人.
Word order
Put the words in order: How many people are in your family?
- 人
- 个
- 你
- 家
- 几
- 有
Show the answer
你家有几个人 Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?
How many people are in your family?
你家有几个人？ 几 takes the place of the number.
Count your people and things
Describe your home in Chinese, out loud, in four sentences.
- Say how many people are in your family: 我家有…个人。
- Say one thing you have and one you don't have, with 有 and 没有.
- Ask a friend 你家有几个人？
Sentence frames
我家有＿＿个人。
Wǒ jiā yǒu ＿＿ gè rén.
There are ... people in my family.
我有＿＿，我没有＿＿。
Wǒ yǒu ＿＿, wǒ méiyǒu ＿＿.
I have ..., I don't have ...
Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:
Review and finish
Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.
- I say 没有, never 不有.
- I put 个 between a number and a noun.
- I can ask 你家有几个人？
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