The common uses in sentences
没
Talking about the past with 没
没 (méi) is used when talking about the past. Adverbials related to time, such as yesterday, last month, before, or once long ago, can be used with 没 to indicate when something didn’t happen in the past. Keep in mind that in Chinese you need to add the negation, in this case 没, to the main verb for it to make sense.
e.g.
A：你早上吃东西了吗？ (Nǐ zǎoshang chī dōngxi le ma?) Have you eaten anything this morning?
B：我没吃呢。(Wǒ méi chī ne.) No, I haven’t.
A：你昨天去学校了吗？(Nǐ zuótiān qù xuéxiàole ma?) Did you go to school yesterday?
B：我没去。(Wǒ méi qù.) No, I didn’t.
Talking about the present with 没有
Since 有 (yŏu) by itself means “have”, 没有 (méiyŏu) means “to not have”. 没有 can be used to say that you have not done something in the past, but it is also used to talk about the present or future to say that you don’t have something according to the context, Such as:
A: 给我100块钱吧！(Gěi wǒ 100 kuài qián ba!) Give me 100 kuai!
B：我没有钱。(Wǒ méiyǒu qián.) I don’t have money.
A：明天你有时间和我吃饭吗？(Míngtiān nǐ yǒu shíjiān hé wǒ chīfàn ma?) Do you have time to eat with me tomorrow?
B：明天我没有时间。(Míngtiān wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.) I don’t have time tomorrow.
不
Responding to yes-no questions with 不
Yes-No questions are formed by placing the word “吗” at the end of a sentence, For example someone might ask you 你学中文吗? (Do you study Chinese?) If someone asks you a yes-no question，and you want to say “no” in reply, you just need to add 不 to the main verb or adjective.
不是
A: 你是他的女朋友吗？(Nǐ shì tā de nǚ péngyǒu ma?) Are you his girlfriend?
B：不是。(Búshì.) No, I’m not.
不要
A：你要吃东西吗？(Nǐ yào chī dōngxi ma?) Do you want to eat something?
B：不要。(Bú yào.) No, I don’t want to.
不想
A: 你想睡觉吗？(Nǐ xiǎng shuìjiào ma?) Do you want to sleep?
B：不想。(Bù xiǎng.) No, I don’t want to.
不能
A: 你能快一点吗？(Nǐ néng kuài yīdiǎn ma?) Could you go faster?
B: 不能。(Bù néng.) No, I can’t.
不会
A: 你会游泳吗？(Nǐ huì yóuyǒng ma?) Can you swim?
B: 不会。(Bú huì.) No, I can’t.
不可以
A: 你可以帮我吗？(Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?) Can you help me?
B: 不可以。(Bù kěyǐ .) No, I can’t.
Responding to affirmative-negative questions with 不
Similar to yes-no questions, when we expect someone to give a simple direct answer, we often use this affirmative-negative question structure, which looks like this:
Adj. + 不 + Adj.
Verb + 不 + Verb
So if you’d like to just reply “no” to a question like this, it’s very simple, you can just say
不 + Adj. / Verb
e.g.
A: 你们今天累不累？ (Nǐmen jīntiān lèi bú lèi? ) Are you tired or not today?
B: 不累。(Bú lèi.) Not tired.
A: 你家离公园远不远？(Nǐ jiā lí gōngyuán yuǎn bù yuǎn?) Is your home far away from the park or not?
B：不远。(Bù yuǎn) No, not far.
A: 我这么走，对不对？(Wǒ zhème zǒu, duì búduì?) I go in this way, right?
B: 不对。(Bú duì) Not right.
A: 我不学习汉语了，行不行？(Wǒ bù xuéxí hànyǔ le, xíng bùxíng?) Is it okay if I don’t learn Chinese?
B: 不行. (Bù xíng.) No, it’s not okay.
A: 我不去上班了，好不好？(Wǒ bú qù shàngbān le, hǎo bù hǎo?) Is it alright if I don’t go to work?
B: 不好。(Bù hǎo) No, it’s not alright.
The extended phrases to express “No” in Chinese
Softer Refusals
不好意思，我可能不方便。 (Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ kěnéng bù fāngbiàn.)
I’m sorry; it might not be convenient for me.
It’s a polite, indirect refusal, often used when you don’t want to be too abrupt.
e.g.
A: 你今天能陪我去逛街吗？(Nǐ jīntiān néng péi wǒ qù guàngjiē ma?) Can you go shopping with me today?
B: 不好意思，我可能不方便。我要照顾我弟弟。(Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ kěnéng bù fāngbiàn. Wǒ yào zhàogù wǒ dìdi.) I’m sorry; it might not be convenient for me. I need to take care of my younger brother.
恐怕不行。(Kǒngpà bù xíng.)
I’m afraid that won’t work.
e.g.
A: 你能先借我点钱吗？(Nǐ néng xiān jiè wǒ diǎn qián ma?) Could you lend me some money first?
B: 恐怕不行，我的工资还没发。(Kǒngpà bù xíng, wǒ de gōngzī hái méi fā.) I’m afraid not; I haven’t received my paycheck yet.
对不起，我恐怕做不到。(Duìbùqǐ, wǒ kǒngpà zuò bù dào.)
I’m sorry; I’m afraid I can’t do that.
It expresses a clear limit to your ability or availability, with an apologetic tone.
e.g.
A: 可以帮我做这个报表吗？(Kěyǐ bāng wǒ zuò zhège bàobiǎo ma?) Could you help me make this report?
B: 对不起，我恐怕做不到。我自己也有很多文件要处理。(Duìbùqǐ, wǒ kǒngpà zuò bù dào. Wǒ zìjǐ yě yǒu hěn duō wénjiàn yào chǔlǐ.) I’m sorry; I’m afraid I can’t. I have a lot of paperwork to handle myself.
现在可能不太合适。(Xiànzài kěnéng bù tài héshì.)
Now might not be a good time.
A polite way to say the timing is off rather than a flat “no.”
e.g.
A: 你看我们现在要不要跟老板提加薪？(Nǐ kàn wǒmen xiànzài yào bùyào gēn lǎobǎn tí jiāxīn?) Should we talk to the boss about a raise now?
B: 现在可能不太合适，他正忙着开会。(Xiànzài kěnéng bù tài héshì, tā zhèng mángzhe kāihuì.) Now might not be the best time; he’s busy with meetings.
抱歉，我有其他安排了。(Bàoqiàn, wǒ yǒu qítā ānpái le.)
Sorry, but I already have other plans.
e.g.
A: 明晚去看电影吧？(Míngwǎn qù kàn diànyǐng ba?) Let’s go see a movie tomorrow night.
B: 抱歉，我有其他安排了。下次一起去吧。(Bàoqiàn, wǒ yǒu qítā ānpái le. Xià cì yìqǐ qù ba.) Sorry, but I already have other plans. Maybe next time.
我没办法帮你。 (Wǒ méi bànfǎ bāng nǐ.)
I have no way to help you.
It Indicates that you lack the ability or resources to assist, rather than simple unwillingness.
e.g.
A: 你能不能帮我修电脑？(Nǐ néng bu néng bāng wǒ xiū diànnǎo?) Could you help me fix my computer?
B: 我没办法帮你，我自己也不会修。(Wǒ méi bànfǎ bāng nǐ, wǒ zìjǐ yě bù huì xiū.) I have no way to help you; I don’t know how to fix it myself.
我做不了主。(Wǒ zuò bùliǎo zhǔ.)
I’m not the one who can make that decision.
It is commonly used in work or organizational contexts, implying lack of authority.
e.g.
A: 这个价格可以再低一点吗？(Zhège jiàgé kěyǐ zài dī yìdiǎn ma?) Can the price be lowered further?
B: 我做不了主，得问问经理。(Wǒ zuò bùliǎo zhǔ, děi wènwen jīnglǐ.) I’m not the one who can decide; I have to ask the manager.
实在抱歉，我有别的事要处理。(Shízài bàoqiàn, wǒ yǒu bié de shì yào chǔlǐ.)
I’m truly sorry; I have other things to handle.
e.g.
A: 你能帮我准备一下活动吗？(Nǐ néng bāng wǒ zhǔnbèi yíxià huódòng ma?) Could you help me prepare for the event?
B: 实在抱歉，我有别的事要处理，恐怕无能为力。(Shízài bàoqiàn, wǒ yǒu bié de shì yào chǔlǐ, kǒngpà wúnéngwéilì.) I’m truly sorry; I have other matters to handle, so I probably can’t help.
我现在帮不了你。(Wǒ xiànzài bāng bùliǎo nǐ.)
I can’t help you right now.
This emphasizes timing, suggesting you might be able to help later, but not at this moment.
e.g.
A: 我需要有人替我值班。(Wǒ xūyào yǒurén tì wǒ zhíbān.) I need someone to cover my shift.
B: 对不起，我现在帮不了你。马上要出门。(Duìbùqǐ, wǒ xiànzài bāng bùliǎo nǐ. Mǎshàng yào chūmén.) Sorry, I can’t help you right now. I’m about to go out.
Suggesting Alternatives Instead of Simply Saying “No”
你可以问问其他人。(Nǐ kěyǐ wèn wèn qítā rén.)
You can ask someone else.
e.g.
A: 可不可以借你的吉他给我？(Kě bù kěyǐ jiè nǐ de jítā gěi wǒ?) Could I borrow your guitar?
B: 你可以问问其他人，我的刚坏了。(Nǐ kěyǐ wèn wèn qítā rén, wǒ de gāng huài le.) You might ask someone else; mine just broke.
要不你试试跟XX商量一下？(Yàobù nǐ shìshi gēn XX shāngliáng yíxià?)
How about talking it over with XX?
e.g.
A: 我想调休，但是不知道可不可以。(Wǒ xiǎng tiáoxiū, dànshì bù zhīdào kě bù kěyǐ.) I want to take a day off, but I’m not sure if it’s allowed.
B: 要不你试试跟主管商量一下？(Yàobù nǐ shìshi gēn zhǔguǎn shāngliáng yíxià?) How about talking it over with your supervisor?
我帮你想想别的办法。(Wǒ bāng nǐ xiǎngxiang bié de bànfǎ.)
I’ll help you think of another way.
e.g.
A: 老师让我做这个演讲，但我实在做不到。(Lǎoshī ràng wǒ zuò zhège yǎnjiǎng, dàn wǒ shízài zuò bù dào.) The teacher asked me to give this presentation, but I really can’t do it.
B: 我帮你想想别的办法，看能不能换个人来讲。(Wǒ bāng nǐ xiǎngxiang bié de bànfǎ, kàn néng bù néng huàn gèrén lái jiǎng.) I’ll help you think of another way; maybe someone else can do it.
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