wǒ méiyǒu shuǐ.

I don’t have water.

Breakdown of wǒ méiyǒu shuǐ.

• 我wǒ: I
• 有yǒu: to have
• 水shuǐ: water
• 没méi: not

Questions & Answers about wǒ méiyǒu shuǐ.

Why is it 没有 and not 不有?

In Mandarin, the verb 有 (to have; there is/are) is negated with 没有 (or short 没), not 不. So:

• Correct: 我没有水。 / 我没水。 = I don’t have water.
• Incorrect: 我不有水。 Use 不 to negate most other verbs/adjectives (e.g., 我不喝水 “I don’t drink water”), but never with 有.

Is 我没水 okay, or must I say 我没有水?

Both are fine. 我没有水 is neutral/standard. 我没水 is a common, slightly more colloquial shortening. Meaning is the same in most contexts.

Do I need a measure word with 水?

Not when speaking generally: 我没有水 is fine. If you specify quantity, use measure words:

• A little/some: 我没有一点(儿)水 / 我没有一些水 (rare; better: 我一点(儿)水都没有).
• Containers: 一杯水 (a cup), 一瓶水 (a bottle), 一桶水 (a bucket), 一袋水 (a bag), 一壶水 (a pot).
• Tiny amounts: 一滴水 (a drop), 一口水 (a sip).

How do I say “I don’t have any water (at all)” for emphasis?

Use emphatic negation:

• 我一点(儿)水都没有。
• 我根本没有水。
• 我没有任何水。 (formal; acceptable but less idiomatic than the first line in daily speech)

How do I say “I’m out of water now”?

Add 了 to show a change of state:

• 我没水了。 / 我没有水了。 = I’ve run out of water (now).

How do I ask and answer questions about having water?

• Yes–no question with 吗: 你有水吗？ (Do you have water?)
• A-not-A: 你有没有水？
• Short existential: 有没有水？ (Is there any water?) Answers:
• 有。 (Yes, have.) / 没有。 (No, don’t have.)
• Full: 我有水。 / 我没有水。

What if I mean “There is no water (here/in this place)” rather than “I don’t have water”?

Use a location + 没有 + noun:

• 这里没有水。 (There is no water here.)
• 学校里今天没有水。 (There’s no water at school today—water is out.) Possession: 我没有水。 (I don’t have water.)

Does 没有 indicate past tense here?

No. With a noun (like 水), 没有 means “do not have” (no tense). With a verb, 没有 + verb usually means “didn’t (do)”:

• 我没有水。 = I don’t have water.
• 我没有喝水。 = I didn’t drink water.

How are the tones actually pronounced in the full sentence?

Underlying tones: wǒ méi yǒu shuǐ (3–2–3–3). Tone sandhi in real speech:

• The first 3rd tone (我 wǒ) becomes a low/half-3rd before méi.
• yǒu (3rd) becomes 2nd before another 3rd (shuǐ). So you’ll often hear something like: wǒ méi yóu shuǐ (low–2–2–3).

Can I use 不是 here?

No. 不是 means “is not” for identification/classification:

• 这不是水。 = This is not water. To express not having, use 没有: 我没有水。

Is there a word for “any” in Chinese here?

You usually don’t add “any.” 没有 already implies “not any.” To emphasize “not any at all,” use:

• 一点(儿)也/都没有: 我一点(儿)水都没有。

Can I drop the subject and just say 没有水?

Yes, if context makes the subject clear. As an answer to 你有水吗？, saying 没有 or 没有水 is natural. To state a general situation: 这儿没有水 is clearer than a bare 没有水.

What’s a polite way to ask for water?

• 请问，有水吗？ (Excuse me, is there any water?)
• 可以给我一杯水吗？ / 能不能给我一杯水？ (Could you give me a glass of water?)
• In a store: 我想买一瓶水。 (I’d like to buy a bottle of water.)

Are spaces normal between Chinese words like in 我 没有 水?

No. Chinese is normally written without spaces: 我没有水。 The spacing you see is for learners to highlight word boundaries.

Is it common to omit 有 with other nouns too?

Yes, especially in casual speech:

• 我没钱。 (I don’t have money.) vs. 我没有钱。
• 他没时间。 (He doesn’t have time.) vs. 他没有时间。 Both forms are correct; the short form is more colloquial.