Learn Hardcore Chinese: Tā zuìjìn méi huā tài duō qián mǎi yīfu. - She hasn’t spent much money on clothes recently.

没 negates an action as having not happened (didn’t/hasn’t). With 最近, it reads like English present perfect: she hasn’t done this recently. 不 is for general or habitual negation (doesn’t, won’t).

她最近没花… = She hasn’t spent (in the recent period).
她最近不花… = These days she doesn’t (tend to) spend…

Can I use 没有 instead of 没?

Yes. 她最近没有花太多钱买衣服 is fine and a bit more formal/explicit. 没 is the common spoken contraction.

Why is there no 了?

Negation with 没 normally blocks the verb-suffix 了 (perfective). You’d say 她最近花了太多钱… in the affirmative, but under 没 you don’t use 了 after 花.
You can, however, add sentence-final 了 to show a change of state: 她最近没花太多钱买衣服了 (nowadays she no longer spends too much).

Does 太多 here really mean “too much,” or just “a lot”?

In the positive, 太多 is “too much/excessive.” Under negation (没花太多钱) it softens to “not too much,” i.e., “not a lot.” It often reassures the listener that it wasn’t excessive.

How do 没花太多钱, 没花很多钱, and 花不太多钱 differ?

没花太多钱: not too much (reassuring, focuses on lack of excess).
没花很多钱: didn’t spend a lot (neutral negation of “a lot”).
花不太多钱: spends/is spending not very much (habitual/general or evaluative tone).
All are natural but carry slight differences in emphasis and time/habituality.

Is 太多 modifying 花 (spend) or 钱 (money)?

It modifies 钱 (the amount). Structure: 花 + [amount] + 钱 + [purpose]. So 太多 quantifies 钱, not the action 花.

Why is it 太多钱 without 的? Can I say 太多的钱?

After a verb, the amount can appear as a quantity complement: 花太多钱 (no 的 needed).
You can also use 太多的钱 when treating it as a noun phrase: 她花了太多的钱买衣服. Both are fine; with 的 it feels a bit heavier/more nouny.

What is 买衣服 doing after 花钱?

It’s a purpose complement: 花钱 + 买衣服 = spend money in order to buy clothes. Think “spend money to buy…”

Other ways to say “spend money on clothes”?

在衣服上花钱 (common): 她最近在衣服上没花太多钱.
为/为了买衣服花钱: 她为了买衣服花了不少钱.
Topic-first: 衣服上她最近没花太多钱.
The original 花钱买衣服 is also very natural.

Can I drop 买衣服?

Yes: 她最近没花太多钱 = She hasn’t spent much money (in general). Adding 买衣服 specifies what the money would have gone to.

Is 她最近买衣服没花太多钱 okay?

Yes. That’s a topicalized word order: topic (买衣服) + comment. It means “As for buying clothes, she hasn’t spent too much recently.” All of these are natural:

最近她没花太多钱买衣服
她最近没花太多钱买衣服
她最近买衣服没花太多钱

What happens if I use 不 instead: 她最近不花太多钱买衣服?

It means “These days she doesn’t (tend to) spend too much money on clothes” — a habitual tendency rather than a factual “hasn’t spent (recently).”

Pronunciation tips?

她 tā, 最近 zuìjìn (both 4th tone), 没 méi (2nd), 花 huā (1st), 太 tài (4th), 多 duō (1st), 钱 qián (2nd), 买 mǎi (3rd), 衣服 yīfu (first syllable 1st tone; fu is neutral tone).
花 here is the same character as “flower,” but pronounced the same (huā) and means “to spend.”

Do I need a measure word with 钱?

Not when the amount is vague: 很多钱/太多钱 are fine. For exact amounts, use units like 块/元/人民币: 花了三百块钱. Saying 太多块钱 is rare; use 太多钱 instead.

Is 衣服 plural? Why not 衣服们?

衣服 works as a mass noun; no plural marking is needed. 们 is mainly for people (e.g., 他们), not objects like clothes.

Could I rephrase as “She hasn’t bought many clothes recently”?

Yes: 她最近没买很多衣服. This shifts focus from money spent to the quantity of clothes bought. Both sentences are natural but emphasize different things.

Any similar patterns to downplay the spending?

没怎么花钱: 她最近没怎么花钱买衣服 (“hasn’t really spent money on clothes”).
不怎么花钱 (habitual): 她最近不怎么花钱买衣服.
Both mean “not much,” with 没怎么 sounding more about recent fact and 不怎么 more about habit.