wǒ bù hē jiǔ.

• 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.

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.

In English, we often say I do not drink. In Mandarin, you usually do not use an extra helping verb like do for simple negation.

You simply put 不 before the verb:

• 喝 = drink
• 不喝 = do not drink / don’t drink

So 我不喝酒 is completely natural, and there is no missing word.

不 and 没 are both negative words, but they are used differently.

• 不 is commonly used for:

  • habits
  • general facts
  • present/future negation
  • preferences

• 没 is commonly used for:

  • things that did not happen
  • past actions
  • have not

So:

• 我不喝酒 = I don’t drink alcohol / I’m not someone who drinks
• 我没喝酒 = I didn’t drink alcohol / I haven’t been drinking

That is a very important difference.

Not always. 酒 is a broad word for alcoholic beverages in general.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• alcohol
• liquor
• wine
• alcoholic drink

So in 我不喝酒, the usual meaning is I don’t drink alcohol in general, not only wine.

If you want to be more specific, Mandarin can do that too:

• 红酒 = red wine
• 啤酒 = beer
• 白酒 = a Chinese distilled liquor

The pinyin is:

wǒ bù hē jiǔ

Tones:

• 我 wǒ = 3rd tone
• 不 bù = 4th tone
• 喝 hē = 1st tone
• 酒 jiǔ = 3rd tone

A rough guide:

• wǒ: like wo with a dipping tone
• bù: sharp falling tone
• hē: high level tone
• jiǔ: dipping tone, roughly like jyo with a tone

One useful note: 不 sometimes changes tone before another 4th-tone word, but here 喝 (hē) is 1st tone, so 不 stays bù.

Yes. In many situations, 我不喝酒 can naturally mean I don’t drink in the sense of I do not drink alcohol.

If the context is already about alcohol, this sentence is enough.

If you simply say:

• 我不喝。

that means I’m not drinking it or I don’t drink, but it depends more heavily on context.
Adding 酒 makes the meaning clear: it is specifically about alcohol.

Yes, sometimes. Mandarin often drops subjects when the context is clear.

So:

• 我不喝酒。 = I don’t drink alcohol.
• 不喝酒。 = Don’t drink alcohol / Not drinking alcohol / I don’t drink alcohol, depending on context

However, for learners, using 我 is often safer because it makes the sentence complete and clear.

In many ways, yes. 喝酒 is a very common verb-object phrase meaning to drink alcohol.

Examples:

• 他喝酒。 = He drinks alcohol.
• 他不喝酒。 = He doesn’t drink alcohol.

You can think of it as:

• 喝 = the action
• 酒 = what is being drunk

So it is not a single word, but it is a very common combination.

By itself, 我不喝酒 most naturally suggests a general habit, preference, or rule:

• I don’t drink alcohol
• I’m not a drinker

If you want to stress right now, Mandarin often adds time words or context, for example:

• 我现在不喝酒。 = I’m not drinking alcohol right now.
• 今天我不喝酒。 = I’m not drinking alcohol today.

So the plain sentence usually sounds broader and more general.

That is the Chinese full stop, called a period in English.

In Chinese writing:

• 。 = full stop / period
• ， = comma
• ？ = question mark
• ！ = exclamation mark

So 我不喝酒。 is just the complete sentence with standard Chinese punctuation.