Negate 有 (yǒu) with 没 (méi)

To talk about “not having” something, you negate the word 有 (yǒu)  with 没 (méi). Remember this important point: if you negate 有, always use  没. The two words go together.

Examples:

我没有车。

Wǒ méiyǒu chē.

I don't have a car.

他们没有钱。

Tāmen méiyǒu qián.

They don't have money.

他没有学位。

Tā méiyǒu xuéwèi.

He doesn't have a degree.

That's how you negate 有. But there's a different word for everything else!

Negate everything else with 不 (bù)

Every other verb apart from 有 is negated with 不 (bù). 不 is pretty  much equivalent to “not” or “don't” in English. It goes before a verb  and negates it.

Some examples:

我不喜欢啤酒。

Wǒ bù xǐhuan píjiǔ.

I don't like beer.

我不要去纽约。

Wǒ búyào qù Niǔyuē.

I'm not going to New York.

我不想念他们。

Wǒ bù xiǎngniàn tāmen.

I don't miss them.

Remember to negate 有 with 没, and everything else with 不.

Mark possession with 的 (de)

The most common character in Chinese is 的 (de). That's because 的 is used all the time to mark possession. That means that it's used to talk about things belonging to other things, or to attach qualities to things.

的 is extremely versatile in Chinese. Pretty much any relationship  where one thing belongs to another, or is the property of another, can  be described with 的.

的 is kind of equivalent to ‘s (apostrophe s) in  English. It goes between two things to indicate possession. But it's  used very widely to attach any kind of quality or possession.

Some examples:

这是你的。

Zhè shì nǐde.

This is yours.

那是小李的书。

Nà shì Xiǎo Lǐ de shū.

That is Xiao Li's book.

这是我的电话号码。

Zhè shì wǒde diànhuà hàomǎ.

This is my phone number.

这是他们的房子。

Zhè shì tāmende fángzi.

This is their house.

这条裤子是黑色的。

Zhè tiáo kùzi shì hēisè de.

These trousers are black.

她是一个很重要的人。

Tā shì yīgè hěn zhòngyào de rén.

She is a very important person.

You might want to have a look at a more challenging example sentence  for 的. Don't worry if this is beyond your ability at the moment, though:

我今天学的东西很有意思。

Wǒ jīntiān xué de dōngxi hěn yǒuyìsi.

The things I have learnt today are very interesting.

The main point to remember is that 的 can attach pretty much anything  to anything else. You'll get more used to it the more you read and  listen to Chinese.

Link nouns with 和 (hé)

The most common way to express “and” in Chinese is probably 和 (hé).  Remember, though, that 和 can only be used to link nouns. You can't link  verbs together with 和.

和 is used to link nouns in the same way “and” is used in English. Some examples:

我和我哥哥要去北京。

Wǒ hé wǒ gēgē yào qù Běijīng.

My brother and I are going to Beijing.

我喜欢米饭和面条。

Wǒ xǐhuan mǐfàn hé miàntiáo.

I like rice and noodles.

我和你一样。

Wǒ hé nǐ yīyàng.

You and I are the same.

Link nouns with 和 but not verbs. Linking verbs in Chinese is a bit more complicated so we won't look at it here.

Ask yes/no questions with 吗 (ma)

Finally, use 吗 (ma) to ask yes / no questions in Chinese. These  questions are also known as polar questions or binary questions. You can  turn any statement into a yes / no question simply by putting 吗 at the  end.

Some examples:

你喜欢他吗？

Nǐ xǐhuan tā ma?

Do you like him?

这是你的吗？

Zhè shì nǐde ma?

Is this yours?

你要去上海吗？

Nǐ yào qù Shànghǎi ma?

Are you going to go to Shanghai?