wǒ bù hē jiǔ.

I

Breakdown of wǒ bù hē jiǔ.

• 不bù: not
• 喝hē: to drink
• 酒jiǔ: alcohol; alcoholic drink

Questions & Answers about wǒ bù hē jiǔ.

What is the word-for-word breakdown of 我不喝酒?

• 我 (wǒ) = I
• 不 (bù) = not
• 喝 (hē) = to drink
• 酒 (jiǔ) = alcohol / alcoholic drink / wine / liquor depending on context

So the sentence is literally:

I + not + drink + alcohol

That gives the natural meaning I don’t drink alcohol or I don’t drink.

Is the word order the same as in English?

Mostly yes. The basic order here is:

Subject + 不 + Verb + Object

So:

• 我 = subject
• 不喝 = negative verb phrase
• 酒 = object

This is very close to English I do not drink alcohol, except Mandarin does not need the helper verb do.

Why is there no word for do in this sentence?