Breakdown of zhè cì wǒ bù qù chāoshì.
Questions & Answers about zhè cì wǒ bù qù chāoshì.
次 here means time / occasion in the sense of “number of times something happens.”
- 这次 literally = this time / this occasion.
- It’s used to count or refer to individual occurrences of an action or event:
- 一次 – one time
- 上次 – last time
- 下次 – next time
So 这次我不去超市。 = This time, I’m not going to the supermarket.
次 already functions like a measure/occurrence word, so you don’t add 个 in front of it.
- Correct: 这次 (this time)
- Incorrect: 这个次
Compare with:
- 这个星期 – this week
- Here 个 is the measure word for 星期 (week).
- 这次 – this time
- Here 次 itself plays that “measure” role, so you don’t need 个.
So the pattern is:
- If the noun already has its own classifier-like word (like 次, 回), you don’t add 个.
Both are correct, but the nuance is slightly different.
这次我不去超市。
- Topic-first structure: 这次 is the topic (“As for this time…”).
- Rough idea: As for this time, I’m not going to the supermarket.
- It highlights “this time” as the frame/contrast.
我这次不去超市。
- Starts with the subject 我 (“I”).
- Rough idea: I’m not going to the supermarket this time.
- Still natural; emphasizes I a bit more, but in practice both are very similar.
In everyday conversation, both word orders are commonly used and both sound natural.
不 and 没 are both negators, but they’re used differently:
不
- Negates present, future, habitual, or general statements.
- Used for decisions, intentions, and regular facts.
- E.g. 我不去。 – I’m not going / I don’t go.
没
- Mainly negates past/completed actions or existence.
- E.g. 我没去。 – I didn’t go.
In 这次我不去超市。, you’re talking about a decision or plan (present/future), so 不 is correct.
If you wanted to say I didn’t go to the supermarket this time, you’d say:
- 这次我没去超市。
Not as it stands.
- 这次我不去超市。 is about now or the future – a decision:
- This time, I’m not going to the supermarket.
To talk about a past event, you should use 没:
- 这次我没去超市。 – This time I didn’t go to the supermarket.
Chinese doesn’t have verb conjugations for tense, but the choice of 不 vs 没, time words, and context give you the time reference.
超市 is a noun (“supermarket”), not a verb, so it can’t stand alone as the action.
- 去 means “to go”.
- 去超市 = to go to the supermarket.
So 我不去超市。 literally = I not go [to] supermarket.
我不超市 is ungrammatical because there’s no verb; it’s like saying “I not supermarket” in English.
You only need a measure word when you’re counting something or specifying how many or which one:
- 一个超市 – one supermarket
- 那家超市 – that supermarket (那 + 家, with 家 as a measure word for some businesses)
In this sentence, 超市 is just the destination, not something you’re counting:
- 去超市 – go to the supermarket (in general)
When a place word is used as a location/destination, you normally don’t need a measure word.
Yes, in conversation you can often drop the subject 我 when it’s clear from context who you’re talking about.
- 这次不去超市。 could mean I’m not going to the supermarket this time if it’s obvious you’re talking about yourself.
- Chinese frequently omits pronouns when they’re understood.
However, in more formal contexts or when you need to be explicit, 这次我不去超市。 is clearer.
Adding 了 at the end adds a sense of change of situation or “any more / anymore” feeling.
这次我不去超市。
- Neutral statement: This time I’m not going to the supermarket.
这次我不去超市了。
- Implies a change, decision, or that circumstances are now different.
- Often feels like: I’m not going to the supermarket this time (anymore / after all / I’ve changed my mind).
So 了 here often signals that something about the situation or your plan has changed.
Yes, several near-synonyms exist. Common ones include:
- 这回 – very colloquial, often interchangeable with 这次 in speech.
- 这回我不去超市。
- 这一次 – a bit more explicit/emphatic than 这次.
- 这一次我不去超市。
In everyday speech, 这次 and 这回 are especially common, and for this sentence they all basically mean the same thing.