Series ID: EDKS-BASIC-ZH-0012 · Lesson No.012 · 零基础英语第十二课 · Pre-A1 → A1

Simple Negatives | 简单否定句

I am not tired. I don’t like coffee. She doesn’t work here. I can’t come today.
我不累。我不喜欢咖啡。她不在这里工作。我今天不能来。

Chinese can use words such as 不 and 没 to create many negative meanings. English does not use one single negative machine for every sentence. The form changes according to the verb system.

中文可以用“不、没”等形式表达很多否定意义。英语却不是所有句子都只加一个 not。到底用 not、don’t、doesn’t、can’t、isn’t、aren’t，要先看句子属于哪套系统。

This lesson organises the beginner negative system so you can say what is not true, what you do not do, what another person does not do, what you cannot do, what does not exist and what you never do.

这一课会把基础否定句整理成地图，而不是让你一个句子一个句子死背。

Chinese Edition Hub · 中文版入口 · ← Lesson No.011 · Simple Questions

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The lesson map | 本课路线

• am not / is not / are not
• isn’t / aren’t
• do not / don’t
• does not / doesn’t
• cannot / can’t
• don’t have / doesn’t have
• there isn’t / there aren’t
• no + noun
• not any
• never
• not yet
• not now / not today / not here
• negative short answers
• negative imperatives: Don’t…
• no vs not vs don’t vs can’t
• Mandarin 不/没 vs English negative systems
• double negatives in standard English
• listening, contractions, pronunciation, retrieval and repair

1. The first negative machine: be + not | 第一套否定：be + not

If the positive sentence uses am/is/are, add not after the be verb.

Positive	Negative
I am tired.	I am not tired.
She is here.	She is not here.
They are ready.	They are not ready.

Do not add don’t to a simple be sentence.

• I don’t tired. ✗
• I am not tired. ✓

2. I am not… | 我不是 / 我不……

• I am not tired.
• I am not ready.
• I am not a student.
• I am not from Beijing.
• I am not at home.

Notice how one English structure can map to several Chinese negative ideas. The grammar follows English be, not one Chinese negative word.

3. I’m not… | 最常见缩写

• I am not tired. → I’m not tired.
• I am not ready. → I’m not ready.
• I am not sure. → I’m not sure.

I’m not is very common in speech and writing.

4. Is not → isn’t | is 的否定缩写

• She is not here. → She isn’t here.
• He is not ready. → He isn’t ready.
• It is not working. → It isn’t working.

You may also hear forms such as She’s not here. English can contract in more than one place. A beginner should recognise common forms and use one stable form.

5. Are not → aren’t | are 的否定缩写

• They are not ready. → They aren’t ready.
• We are not late. → We aren’t late.
• You are not wrong. → You aren’t wrong.

With I am not, standard English does not use “amn’t” in most common varieties. Use I’m not.

6. Be negative short answers | be 问句的否定简答

• Are you tired? — No, I’m not.
• Is she here? — No, she isn’t.
• Are they ready? — No, they aren’t.

The negative short answer keeps the same helper as the question.

7. The second negative machine: do not | 第二套否定：do not

With ordinary verbs and subjects I/you/we/they in the simple present, use do not / don’t + base verb.

Positive	Negative
I like tea.	I don’t like tea.
You work here.	You don’t work here.
They live in Beijing.	They don’t live in Beijing.

Do not use no directly before the ordinary verb.

• I no like tea. ✗
• I don’t like tea. ✓

8. Don’t + base verb | don’t 后面用动词原形

• I don’t like coffee.
• I don’t work on Sunday.
• I don’t understand.
• I don’t know.
• I don’t remember.

don’t is the normal contraction of do not.

9. The third negative machine: does not | 第三人称 doesn’t

With he/she/it in the simple present, use does not / doesn’t + base verb.

Positive	Negative
She likes coffee.	She doesn’t like coffee.
He works here.	He doesn’t work here.
She lives in Beijing.	She doesn’t live in Beijing.

The main verb returns to the base form after doesn’t.

10. Don’t say “doesn’t likes” | 第三人称信息不要重复两次

• She likes tea. ✓
• She doesn’t like tea. ✓
• She doesn’t likes tea. ✗

The third-person marking is already inside does. Do not add another -s to the main verb.

11. Doesn’t with common routine verbs | 日常动词否定

• She doesn’t work on Sunday.
• He doesn’t get up early.
• She doesn’t drink coffee.
• He doesn’t drive to work.
• My son doesn’t like vegetables.

This reconnects Lesson 008 daily routine.

12. Negative short answers with do/does | do/does 否定简答

• Do you like coffee? — No, I don’t.
• Do they live here? — No, they don’t.
• Does she work here? — No, she doesn’t.
• Does he have children? — No, he doesn’t.

13. The fourth negative machine: cannot / can’t | can 的否定

cannot is normally written as one word. The common contraction is can’t.

• I can’t swim.
• I can’t come today.
• She can’t drive.
• He can’t hear you.
• I can’t find the station.

Do not add don’t with can:

• I don’t can swim. ✗
• I can’t swim. ✓

14. Can’t + base verb | can’t 后面也是动词原形

• can’t go
• can’t come
• can’t help
• can’t hear
• can’t understand

No to is needed after can/can’t in this basic pattern.

• I can’t to go. ✗
• I can’t go. ✓

15. Can’t can mean different kinds of impossibility | 不能的原因可以不同

• I can’t swim. — 能力不会
• I can’t come today. — 情况不允许
• I can’t hear you. — 听不到
• I can’t find my key. — 找不到

One grammar form can carry different real-world reasons. Context completes the meaning.

16. Don’t have / doesn’t have | 没有

• I don’t have a car.
• I don’t have any money with me.
• We don’t have any milk.
• She doesn’t have children.
• He doesn’t have a ticket.

Mandarin “没有” often maps naturally to don’t/doesn’t have when we mean possession.

17. Have not? | 为什么不直接说 I have not a car?

Modern everyday English normally says I don’t have a car in this possession meaning. Some other structures use have not, but they belong to different grammar systems and later lessons.

零基础阶段先把“没有某物”练成 don’t have / doesn’t have。

18. There isn’t / there aren’t | 某处没有

• There isn’t a toilet here.
• There isn’t any water in the bottle.
• There aren’t any chairs in the room.
• There aren’t any shops near here.

This is different from possession:

• I don’t have a car. — 我没有车。
• There isn’t a car outside. — 外面没有车。

Mandarin may use 有/没有 broadly. English chooses structure by meaning.

19. There is no… | no + noun

• There is no water.
• There is no problem.
• There is no bus today.
• There are no tickets left.

no + noun can express zero quantity directly.

20. No vs not | no 和 not 不一样

no often comes before a noun:

• no sugar
• no problem
• no tickets

not often negates a verb phrase, adjective, noun phrase or other part of a sentence:

• not ready
• not today
• not my bag
• is not here

Do not treat no and not as interchangeable.

21. No sugar, please | 服务场景里的 no + noun

• No sugar, please.
• No ice, please.
• No onions, please.
• No bag, thank you.

These are short service phrases. They are not full sentences, but they are natural and useful.

22. Not any | not + any

• I don’t have any water.
• There isn’t any milk.
• We don’t need any more food.

Compare:

• There is no milk.
• There isn’t any milk.

Both can express zero milk. The grammar is packaged differently.

23. Never | 从不

• I never drink coffee.
• She never works on Sunday.
• He never eats breakfast.
• We never go there.

never already carries negative meaning. In standard English, do not add another negative helper:

• I don’t never drink coffee. ✗ in standard English
• I never drink coffee. ✓

24. Don’t ever vs never | 两种表达

• I never go there.
• I don’t ever go there.

Both can express a strong absence of occurrence. For beginners, never is compact and easy to learn.

25. Not always | 不总是

not always does not mean never.

• I am not always tired. — 我不是总是累。
• I never feel tired. — 我从不觉得累。

Negative scope changes meaning. One small word can make a big difference.

26. Not yet | 还没有

• I’m not ready yet.
• She isn’t here yet.
• I haven’t finished yet. — preview of a later tense

For this lesson, focus on high-frequency be phrases such as not ready yet and not here yet. The third example belongs to a later grammar system.

27. Not now / not today / not here | 简短否定时间和地点

• Not now.
• Not today.
• Not here.
• Not this one.

These short phrases depend heavily on context. They are useful responses but not full grammar templates for every sentence.

28. Not this one | 不是这个

• Not this one. That one.
• Not the blue one. The black one.
• Not today. Tomorrow.

Lesson 002’s choosing language becomes negative selection.

29. It’s not mine | 不是我的

• It’s not mine.
• It’s not my bag.
• That’s not my phone.
• These aren’t my keys.

This combines be-negative with possession.

30. That’s not correct | 不对

• That’s not correct.
• That’s not the right number.
• That’s not what I ordered.
• That’s not my name.

Negative language is essential for repair because you must sometimes reject incorrect information.

31. I don’t think so | 我觉得不是

I don’t think so. is a useful softer disagreement phrase.

• Is this the right bus? — I don’t think so.
• Is the meeting at three? — I don’t think so.

This is slightly above the core grammar, but high-value in conversation.

32. Don’t + verb | 否定命令

To tell someone not to do something, English uses Don’t + base verb.

• Don’t worry.
• Don’t touch that.
• Don’t open the door.
• Don’t forget your key.

This is called a negative imperative. It is different from You don’t…, which describes a fact or habit.

33. Please don’t… | 更礼貌的否定请求

• Please don’t touch this.
• Please don’t open the window.
• Please don’t add sugar.
• Please don’t call me late at night.

In normal situations, please can soften the command.

34. Don’t worry | 一个值得整块学的高频语块

Don’t worry. means roughly “不要担心”. It is a very common phrase.

Do not overanalyse do inside the phrase every time. Learn the whole chunk and then connect it to the general negative imperative rule.

35. Be careful: negative questions | 否定问句先认识

• Don’t you like tea?
• Isn’t she here?
• Can’t you come?

Negative questions can express surprise, expectation or confirmation and are more complex than simple negatives. At this level, recognise them. You do not need to use them actively yet.

36. No, I don’t vs I don’t know | 两种 don’t 功能

• Do you like coffee? — No, I don’t.
• What is the answer? — I don’t know.

In the first sentence, don’t is a short-answer helper. In the second, it forms a negative statement with know.

37. Don’t know vs don’t understand | 不知道 vs 不明白

• I don’t know. — 我不知道。
• I don’t understand. — 我不明白。

If the information was never known, don’t know is often right. If information was presented but meaning did not become clear, don’t understand is often right.

38. Can’t hear vs don’t understand | 听不到 vs 听不懂

• I can’t hear you. — 声音没有到达。
• I don’t understand you. — 声音到了，但意思不清楚。

Accurate negative language improves repair.

39. Don’t like vs can’t eat | 不喜欢 vs 不能吃

• I don’t like peanuts. — 喜好。
• I can’t eat peanuts. — 能力/情况/限制，具体原因需语境。

Do not use can’t when you simply mean dislike, and do not use don’t like when you need to communicate an important restriction.

40. Don’t want vs don’t need | 不想要 vs 不需要

• I don’t want coffee.
• I don’t need coffee.
• I don’t want to go.
• I don’t need to go.

Negative grammar is the same; meaning comes from the main verb.

41. I don’t have to… | 不必……

I don’t have to go. means it is not necessary for me to go.

This is different from I can’t go, which means going is not possible.

• I don’t have to work today. — 今天不必工作。
• I can’t work today. — 今天不能工作。

This distinction is slightly above the core but extremely useful.

42. Must not vs don’t have to | 不能做 vs 不必做

These are very different:

• You must not enter. — 禁止进入。
• You don’t have to enter. — 不需要进入。

At beginner level, recognise the difference. Do not treat every Chinese “不用/不能” as the same English form.

43. Mandarin 不 vs English negative choice | “不”不是固定翻成 don’t

Chinese idea	English	System
我不累。	I’m not tired.	be + not
我不喜欢咖啡。	I don’t like coffee.	don’t + verb
她不工作。	She doesn’t work.	doesn’t + verb
我不能来。	I can’t come.	can’t + verb

One Chinese negative idea branches into several English grammatical systems.

44. Mandarin 没 vs English meaning | “没”也不是一个固定英语词

• 我没有车。 → I don’t have a car.
• 这里没有车。 → There isn’t a car here.
• 我还没准备好。 → I’m not ready yet.

Meaning determines the English structure.

45. Double negatives in standard English | 标准英语里避免双重否定表达同一个负义

In standard English, one negative idea usually uses one grammatical negative marker in the clause.

• I don’t know anything. ✓
• I know nothing. ✓
• I don’t know nothing. ✗ in standard English when intended to mean “I know nothing”

Some English dialects use negative concord naturally. This course teaches standard international beginner English for broad comprehension and formal transfer.

不要把真实英语方言现象简单说成“人说错了”。但零基础课程先建立标准书面和国际通用结构。

46. Nothing, nobody, nowhere | 否定代词预览

• nothing — 没有东西
• nobody / no one — 没有人
• nowhere — 没有地方

• There is nothing here.
• Nobody is home.
• I have nowhere to go.

These are useful preview words. You do not need to master every negative pronoun today.

47. Negative listening: contractions can be small | 缩写听力

• isn’t
• aren’t
• don’t
• doesn’t
• can’t

In fast speech, the negative marker may be short. Missing it can reverse the sentence meaning.

所以听力时不能只听大词。一个小小的 n’t 可能让整句从“做”变成“不做”。

48. Can vs can’t | 一个非常重要的听力对比

Depending on accent and sentence stress, can and can’t may be distinguished through vowel quality, final consonant, stress and context.

• I can come.
• I can’t come.

Do not rely on one pronunciation rule for every English accent. Listen to the whole phrase and confirm when the decision matters.

49. Did you say can or can’t? | 重要时主动确认

• Sorry, did you say you can come or you can’t come?
• Can you come today?
• No, I can’t.

This is a perfect use of Lesson 010 repair language.

50. Negative contrast makes meaning visible | 肯定和否定成对练

Positive	Negative
I am ready.	I am not ready.
I like tea.	I don’t like tea.
She works here.	She doesn’t work here.
I can swim.	I can’t swim.
There is a shop.	There isn’t a shop.

Contrastive practice is efficient because only one mechanism changes at a time.

51. Reading practice A: a different routine | 阅读 A

Mei works from Monday to Friday, but she doesn’t work on Saturday or Sunday. She usually drinks tea in the morning, but she doesn’t drink coffee. She has a car, but she doesn’t drive to work because the train is easier. Her husband works on Saturday, so they don’t always have lunch together. On Sunday, they are both free and they usually visit Mei’s parents.

1. Which days doesn’t Mei work?
2. What doesn’t she drink?
3. Does she have a car?
4. Does she drive to work?
5. Why don’t they always have lunch together?
6. What do they do on Sunday?

52. Reading practice B: a café problem | 阅读 B

David orders tea without sugar. The drink arrives with sugar. David says, “Sorry, this isn’t my order. I don’t want sugar.” The staff member asks, “You don’t want any sugar?” David says, “That’s right. No sugar, please.” The staff member changes the drink. David checks it and says, “Yes, this is correct. Thank you.”

1. What does David order?
2. What is wrong with the first drink?
3. Which be-negative sentence does he use?
4. Which don’t-negative sentence does he use?
5. Which short no + noun phrase does he use?

53. Reading practice C: transport | 阅读 C

Anna wants to take Bus 12, but Bus 12 does not stop near her hotel today. She asks the driver for help. The driver says, “You can’t take this bus to the hotel. Take Bus 18.” Anna asks, “Does Bus 18 stop near the hotel?” The driver says yes. Anna checks, “So I don’t need Bus 12. I need Bus 18, correct?”

1. Which bus does not stop near the hotel?
2. What can’t Anna do?
3. Which bus should she take?
4. Which negative sentence does Anna use when she checks?

54. Writing practice: turn positives into negatives | 肯定变否定

Positive	Your negative
I am tired.	______
I like coffee.	______
She works here.	______
I can swim.	______
There is a shop.	______

Suggested: I am not tired. / I don’t like coffee. / She doesn’t work here. / I can’t swim. / There isn’t a shop.

55. Writing practice: five things that are not true | 五个“不是真的”

Write five safe factual negatives about a fictional person:

• She isn’t a teacher.
• She doesn’t live in Beijing.
• She doesn’t drink coffee.
• She can’t drive.
• She doesn’t have a car.

This trains different negative machines on one subject.

56. Speaking practice: positive → negative | 口头快速转换

A teacher says the positive sentence. The learner changes it immediately.

• I’m ready. → I’m not ready.
• I like tea. → I don’t like tea.
• She works here. → She doesn’t work here.
• I can help. → I can’t help.

Start slowly. Accuracy before speed.

57. Speaking practice: correct wrong information | 纠正错误信息

Partner says:

• Your name is Anna.
• You live in Beijing.
• You like coffee.
• You work on Sunday.

Learner replies:

• No, my name isn’t Anna.
• No, I don’t live in Beijing.
• No, I don’t like coffee.
• No, I don’t work on Sunday.

This makes negatives communicative rather than mechanical.

58. Error clinic | 常见错误诊所

Common error	Better English	What broke?
I don’t tired. ✗	I’m not tired. ✓	be-negative
I no like coffee. ✗	I don’t like coffee. ✓	do-negative
She don’t work. ✗	She doesn’t work. ✓	third-person helper
She doesn’t works. ✗	She doesn’t work. ✓	base verb after doesn’t
I don’t can swim. ✗	I can’t swim. ✓	modal negative
I haven’t a car. △	I don’t have a car. ✓ beginner model	possession negative
There don’t have water. ✗	There isn’t any water. ✓	existence negative
I don’t never go. ✗ standard English	I never go. ✓	double negative

59. First weak link diagnosis | 第一个卡点诊断

• I add don’t to every negative → system-selection problem.
• I know be negatives but ordinary verbs fail → don’t/doesn’t.
• I know don’t but third person fails → doesn’t + base verb.
• I mix can’t and don’t → ability/possibility vs ordinary-verb negative.
• I translate 没有 as “there don’t have” → possession vs existence distinction.
• I write negatives correctly but miss n’t in listening → contraction discrimination.
• I use two negatives for one standard-English negative meaning → double-negative repair.

60. Retrieval lab | 提取练习

• 我不累。 → ______
• 她不在这里。 → ______
• 我不喜欢咖啡。 → ______
• 她星期日不工作。 → ______
• 我不会游泳。 → ______
• 我没有车。 → ______
• 这里没有水。 → ______
• 不要糖，谢谢。 → ______
• 我从不喝咖啡。 → ______
• 我还没准备好。 → ______

Suggested answers: I’m not tired. / She isn’t here. / I don’t like coffee. / She doesn’t work on Sunday. / I can’t swim. / I don’t have a car. / There isn’t any water here. / No sugar, please. / I never drink coffee. / I’m not ready yet.

61. Ten-minute daily practice | 每天十分钟

2 min	be + not	be 否定
2 min	don’t/doesn’t	普通动词否定
2 min	can’t + don’t have	能力与拥有
2 min	there isn’t / no	存在与零数量
2 min	positive-to-negative speaking	口头转换

62. Seven-day training cycle | 七天训练

Day 1	am/is/are + not	be 否定
Day 2	don’t + base verb	I/you/we/they
Day 3	doesn’t + base verb	he/she/it
Day 4	can’t + don’t have	不能与没有
Day 5	there isn’t/aren’t + no	不存在
Day 6	never + not yet + service negatives	更多否定
Day 7	mixed correction challenge	综合转换

63. Self-test: 35 questions | 35 题自测

1. Make negative: I am tired.
2. Make negative: She is here.
3. Make negative: They are ready.
4. Make negative: I like coffee.
5. Make negative: They work here.
6. Make negative: She likes coffee.
7. Make negative: He works here.
8. Make negative: I can swim.
9. Make negative: She can come.
10. Translate: 我没有车。
11. Translate: 她没有孩子。
12. Translate: 这里没有水。
13. Translate: 这里没有椅子。
14. Translate: 不要糖，谢谢。
15. Translate: 我从不喝咖啡。
16. Translate: 我还没准备好。
17. Correct: I don’t tired.
18. Correct: I no like tea.
19. Correct: She don’t work.
20. Correct: She doesn’t works.
21. Correct: I don’t can swim.
22. Correct: There don’t have water.
23. Correct: I don’t never go there.
24. What is the difference between no and not?
25. What is the difference between don’t and can’t?
26. What is the difference between I don’t have a car and There isn’t a car?
27. What is the difference between never and not always?
28. What is the difference between can’t go and don’t have to go?
29. Give a polite negative food request.
30. Give a negative short answer to Are you ready?
31. Give a negative short answer to Do you like tea?
32. Give a negative short answer to Does she work here?
33. Give a negative short answer to Can you come?
34. Turn five positive routine statements into negatives.
35. Correct three pieces of false information about a fictional person.

Answer key | 答案

1 I am not tired; 2 She isn’t here; 3 They aren’t ready; 4 I don’t like coffee; 5 They don’t work here; 6 She doesn’t like coffee; 7 He doesn’t work here; 8 I can’t swim; 9 She can’t come; 10 I don’t have a car; 11 She doesn’t have children; 12 There isn’t any water here; 13 There aren’t any chairs here; 14 No sugar, please; 15 I never drink coffee; 16 I’m not ready yet; 17 I’m not tired; 18 I don’t like tea; 19 She doesn’t work; 20 She doesn’t work; 21 I can’t swim; 22 There isn’t any water; 23 I never go there; 24 no often modifies nouns while not negates other structures; 25 don’t negates an ordinary verb, can’t negates can/ability/possibility; 26 possession vs existence; 27 never = zero frequency, not always = less than always; 28 impossible vs not necessary; 29–35 answers vary.

64. For parents and teachers | 给家长和老师

Teach negatives by verb system, not by translating 不/没 one sentence at a time. Put the learner’s attention on the structural decision: be, ordinary verb, modal can, possession or existence.

Use contrast pairs. Positive and negative sentences side by side make the grammatical change visible.

For Mandarin speakers, explicitly compare possession and existence: I don’t have… versus There isn’t/aren’t…. This repairs the common “there don’t have” transfer pattern.

Train contractions in listening. A learner may produce don’t correctly but fail to hear a quiet negative in natural speech. Missing one negative can reverse meaning.

Do not teach all non-standard double negatives as simply “bad English”. Some dialects use negative concord systematically. For this course, teach standard international English for formal writing and broad communication while acknowledging variation.

65. What the first twelve lessons now give you | 前十二课形成了什么？

Lessons	System
001–004	identity, objects, preference/need, space
005–008	numbers, time, relationships, routine
009	food, quantity and service requests
010	communication repair
011	question generation
012	negative generation

You can now build contrasts:

• I am ready. / I am not ready. / Are you ready?
• I like tea. / I don’t like tea. / Do you like tea?
• She works here. / She doesn’t work here. / Does she work here?
• I can help. / I can’t help. / Can you help?

This three-way structure — statement, negative, question — is a major beginner milestone.

66. Final real-world challenge | 最终真实任务

1. Make five be negatives.
2. Make five don’t negatives.
3. Make five doesn’t negatives.
4. Make three can’t negatives.
5. Make two don’t-have sentences.
6. Make two there-isn’t/aren’t sentences.
7. Use no + noun in three service phrases.
8. Use never and not yet correctly.
9. Listen to ten positive/negative pairs and identify which is negative.
10. Give a one-minute description containing at least five accurate negative sentences.

If you can do this, you can now tell another person not only what is true, but what is not true. That doubles the range of meanings you can control.

如果能完成，你已经不仅能说“是什么”，也能清楚说“不是、没有、不做、不能”。你的基础表达范围会大幅扩大。

Continue the series | 继续学习

The next natural nodes can move from sentence machinery into broader everyday communication:

• Lesson No.013 · People and Descriptions · 人物与描述
• Lesson No.014 · Clothes and Colours · 衣服与颜色
• Lesson No.015 · Home and Rooms · 家与房间
• Lesson No.016 · Shopping and Money · 购物与金钱

Back to Chinese Edition Hub · 返回中文版入口

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Reference floor: British Council A1 Elementary · British Council A1–A2 Grammar · Cambridge Essential Grammar in Use A1–B1.