Breakdown of jīntiān de huìyì hái méi jiéshù.
Questions & Answers about jīntiān de huìyì hái méi jiéshù.
的 is an attributive marker. It links a modifier to a noun, similar to 's or of in English.
- 今天的会议 literally = today’s meeting
- 今天 = today
- 的 = connects 今天 to 会议
- 会议 = meeting
So 今天的会议 means the meeting of today / today’s meeting.
Without 的, 今天会议 can sometimes still be understood (especially in notes, headlines, or very casual/short speech), but 今天的会议 is the default, fully natural form in regular speech.
It’s not exactly wrong, but it’s less neutral.
- 今天的会议还没结束 – most natural in everyday speech and writing.
- 今天会议还没结束 – sounds more like a headline, a note on a whiteboard, or very clipped speech.
In standard, full sentences, especially as a learner, you should prefer 今天的会议还没结束.
- 没结束 = has not ended / is not over
- 还没结束 = still has not ended / is not over yet
The 还 adds the meaning of “still / yet”. It implies:
- There is an expectation that the meeting will end at some point.
- As of now, it has not yet ended.
So:
- 会议没结束。 – The meeting has not ended. (neutral statement)
- 会议还没结束。 – The meeting is still not over / The meeting hasn’t finished yet (emphasizes “yet”).
没 and 不 are both negative, but they are used differently:
- 没 / 没有: negates completed actions, existence, or past experience
- 会议没结束。 – The meeting has not ended. (the result has not been reached)
- 不: negates habit, general truth, or intention/willingness
- 会议不结束。 – Sounds like “The meeting won’t end / refuses to end”, or is used in special rhetorical contexts.
In 今天的会议还没结束, we are talking about whether the action 结束 (to end) has happened or not. It has not yet happened, so 没 is correct. 不结束 here would sound strange and usually wrong.
You’re right that:
- 会议结束了。 – The meeting has ended.
But 了 (perfective aspect) normally does not appear inside a 没 + verb structure:
- 会议结束了。 ✅
- 会议没结束。 ✅
- 会议没结束了。 ❌ (ungrammatical)
When you negate a completed action in Chinese, you use 没 + verb and do not add 了:
- 我去了。 – I went.
- 我没去。 – I didn’t go. (not 没去了)
So:
- Positive: 会议结束了。
- Negative: 会议还没结束。
In 今天的会议还没结束, 结束 functions as a verb, meaning “to end / to be over / to finish”.
You can think of the structure as:
- 今天的会议 – today’s meeting (subject)
- 还没结束 – still has not ended (predicate)
You might also hear:
- 今天的会议还没有结束。 – same meaning, slightly more formal/spelled out.
- 今天的会还没完。 – more colloquial; 完 also means “to be finished.”
The correct order is:
今天的会议 还 没 结束。
In general, the pattern is:
Subject / time + 还 + 没 / 没有 + verb
So you can say:
- 他还没来。 – He still hasn’t come.
- 电影还没开始。 – The movie hasn’t started yet.
- 今天的会议还没结束。 – Today’s meeting still hasn’t ended.
没还结束 is ungrammatical. 还 must come before the negative 没 in this pattern.
Normally, no; they don’t mean the same thing.
- 还没结束 = has not ended yet
– neutral statement about current state. - 还不结束 often implies:
- “Still not ending (even though it should)”
- A feeling of complaint or surprise.
For example:
- 都十点了，会议还不结束？
= It’s already 10, and the meeting still isn’t ending? (complaining / surprised)
In your original sentence (just a factual statement), 还没结束 is the natural choice.
In Chinese, many verbs and adjectives can directly serve as predicates without 是.
- English: The meeting is not over yet.
- Chinese: 会议还没结束。
(结束 itself works as the predicate “to end / be over.”)
是 is mainly used to link nouns / noun phrases:
- 他是老师。 – He is a teacher.
- 今天是星期五。 – Today is Friday.
But with verbs like 结束, 开始, 到, 来, 去, you do not insert 是:
- 电影开始了。 – The movie has started.
- 电影没开始。 – The movie hasn’t started.
- 会议还没结束。 – The meeting is not over yet.
They have the same meaning here: “has not yet ended / is not over yet.”
- 还没结束 – slightly more casual, very common in speech.
- 还没有结束 – a bit more formal or complete; also very common.
You can use either:
- 今天的会议还没结束。
- 今天的会议还没有结束。
Both are perfectly natural. As a learner, feel free to use 没 or 没有 interchangeably in this kind of sentence.