HSK1 Grammar: Two Uses of "有" (yǒu) — "Have" and "There Is / There Are"
Use this to: Say what someone has and what exists in a place.
1. Grammar Introduction
有 (yǒu) has two basic uses in HSK1 Chinese. It can show possession, meaning “have/has,” or existence, meaning “there is/there are.” The structure looks similar, but the first part tells you which meaning is intended: a person or owner comes first for possession, while a place comes first for existence.
① Possession — "Have / Has"
Subject / Ownerwho has it
+有have / has
+Objectwhat is owned
我有一个手机。(Wǒ yǒu yí gè shǒujī.) — I have a mobile phone.
Negative: 我没有电脑。(Wǒ méiyǒu diànnǎo.) — I don't have a computer.
② Existence — "There Is / There Are"
Placewhere
+有there is / are
+Nounwhat exists
桌子上有一本书。(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.) — There is a book on the table.
Negative: 桌子上没有书。(Zhuōzi shàng méiyǒu shū.) — There are no books on the table.
Key Points:
- Possession: Start with the owner or subject: 我有一个手机。(Wǒ yǒu yí gè shǒujī.)
- Existence: Start with the place: 桌子上有一本书。(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.)
- Both uses are negated with 没有, never 不有: 我没有电脑。(Wǒ méiyǒu diànnǎo.) / 家里没有人。(Jiā lǐ méiyǒu rén.)
- A positive sentence can include number + measure word: 她有两本中文书。(Tā yǒu liǎng běn Zhōngwén shū.) / 桌子上有一杯茶。(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì bēi chá.)
- Ask a yes/no question with 吗 or 有没有: 你有中文书吗？(Nǐ yǒu Zhōngwén shū ma?) / 学校附近有没有医院？(Xuéxiào fùjìn yǒu méiyǒu yīyuàn?)
🔍 Same 有, Two Different Meanings:
Possession
Owner + 有 + Object
我有一本书。
I have a book.
📌 Focus: what someone has.
Existence
Place + 有 + Noun
桌子上有一本书。
There is a book on the table.
📌 Focus: what exists somewhere.
Usage Scenarios:
- Say what you have: 我 + 有 + 一个手机 → 我有一个手机。 (Wǒ yǒu yí gè shǒujī.) — I have a mobile phone.
- Say what someone does not have: 她 + 没有 + 电脑 → 她没有电脑。 (Tā méiyǒu diànnǎo.) — She doesn't have a computer.
- Ask about possession: 你 + 有 + 中文书 + 吗 → 你有中文书吗？ (Nǐ yǒu Zhōngwén shū ma?) — Do you have Chinese books?
- Say what exists somewhere: 桌子上 + 有 + 一杯茶 → 桌子上有一杯茶。 (Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì bēi chá.) — There is a cup of tea on the table.
- Say what does not exist somewhere: 家里 + 没有 + 人 → 家里没有人。 (Jiā lǐ méiyǒu rén.) — There is nobody at home.
- Ask what exists somewhere: 教室里 + 有没有 + 学生 → 教室里有没有学生？ (Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu méiyǒu xuésheng?) — Are there students in the classroom?
2. Example Sentences
我有一个手机。
我I有have一个one手机mobile phone
I have a mobile phone.
我没有电脑。
我I没有do not have电脑computer
I don't have a computer.
她有两本中文书。
她she有has两本two (books)中文书Chinese books
She has two Chinese books.
你有中文书吗？
你you有have中文书Chinese books吗question particle
Do you have Chinese books?
你有没有手机？
你you有没有have or not手机mobile phone
Do you have a mobile phone?
家里有人。
家里at home有there is人person
There is someone at home.
桌子上有一杯茶。
桌子上on the table有there is一杯one cup of茶tea
There is a cup of tea on the table.
家里没有人。
家里at home没有there is no人person
There is nobody at home.
教室里有学生吗？
教室里in the classroom有are there学生students吗question particle
Are there students in the classroom?
学校附近有没有医院？
学校附近near the school有没有is there or not医院hospital
Is there a hospital near the school?
3. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Sentence Ordering
Click the word and punctuation cards to form correct sentences. Pinyin appears under each word.
1. There is a cup of tea on the table.
2. She has two Chinese books.
3. Is there a hospital near the school?
4. I have a mobile phone.
5. There is nobody at home.
6. Do you have a mobile phone?
Exercise 2: English to Chinese Translation
Translate the following sentences into Chinese. Use characters.
1. Are there students in the classroom?
2. I don't have a computer.
3. There is a cup of tea on the table.
4. Do you have Chinese books?
5. There is someone at home.
6. I have a mobile phone.
Exercise 3: Listening Practice
Listen to the audio. Questions 1–4: write in Chinese. Questions 5–8: translate to English.
1. Listen and write in Chinese:
2. Listen and write in Chinese:
3. Listen and write in Chinese:
4. Listen and write in Chinese:
5. Listen and translate to English:
6. Listen and translate to English:
7. Listen and translate to English:
8. Listen and translate to English:
4. Vocabulary List
🌟 Grammar Focus
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 有 | yǒu | have/has; there is/there are |
| 没有 | méiyǒu | do not have; there is/are no |
| 有没有 | yǒu méiyǒu | have or not?; is there or not? |
👤 People & Possession
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I / me |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 她 | tā | she / her |
| 手机 | shǒujī | mobile phone |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 中文书 | Zhōngwén shū | Chinese book |
📍 Places & Existence
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | at home |
| 桌子上 | zhuōzi shàng | on the table |
| 教室里 | jiàoshì lǐ | in the classroom |
| 学校附近 | xuéxiào fùjìn | near the school |
| 人 | rén | person / people |
| 学生 | xuésheng | student |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
🔢 Numbers, Measure Words & Questions
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一个 | yí gè | one (general measure word) |
| 两本 | liǎng běn | two (books) |
| 一杯 | yì bēi | one cup of |
| 吗 | ma | yes/no question particle |
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid:
❌ Wrong: 我不有手机。(Wǒ bù yǒu shǒujī.)
✅ Correct: 我没有手机。(Wǒ méiyǒu shǒujī.) — Use 没有, not 不有, to negate 有.
❌ Wrong: 有一本书桌子上。(Yǒu yì běn shū zhuōzi shàng.)
✅ Correct: 桌子上有一本书。(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.) — For existence, put the place first.
❌ Wrong: 你有手机吗有没有？(Nǐ yǒu shǒujī ma yǒu méiyǒu?)
✅ Correct: 你有手机吗？(Nǐ yǒu shǒujī ma?) / 你有没有手机？(Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shǒujī?) — Use either 吗 or 有没有, not both together.
💡 Compare: 我有一本书。(Wǒ yǒu yì běn shū.) — I have a book. / 桌子上有一本书。(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.) — There is a book on the table.
🎉 Great job on completing this lesson!
Practice both uses of 有: “have/has” and “there is/there are.”
加油！ (jiā yóu — Keep going!)