Is there any difference between 我给你不买 and 我不给你买?

Question

Is there any difference between these two sentences:

我给你不买

and

我不给你买?

Chinese grammar says we should put 不 in front of the preposition in these types of sentences... But I saw a lot examples when 不 goes after the preposition construction and goes exactly in front of the verbs. The same question regarding 没有, for example,

我在商店没有买很多东西

could we here say

我没有在商店买很多东西 or

我在日本没有住一个多月

etc.

我给你不买: this is not a wrong. You can show us the examples you saw. — fefe, May 17 '20 at 15:04
@fefe I saw the examples when 没有 goes after preposition : 我在日本没有住一个多月。 — user25207, May 17 '20 at 16:24
@fefe thanks, and what about 我在日本没有住一个多月 is it right?) — user25207, May 17 '20 at 16:35
我在日本没有住一个多月 is a [topic + comment] sentence. [我在日本] is the topic, [没有住一个多月] is the comment. But it doesn't seem like a complete sentence. A complete sentence would be something like "我在日本没有住满一个月" = "I, in Japan, have not lived for a full month" = "I haven't lived in Japan for a full mouth" — Tang Ho, May 17 '20 at 17:50
Just incomplete, because the comment sounds incomplete. A complete comment is something like '没有住满一个月' or ' 没有住够一个多月不会回来 — Tang Ho, May 17 '20 at 18:18

Tang Ho · Answer 1 · 2020-05-17T16:58:58.883

1

First, 不 and 没有 are different, please read What is the difference between 不 and 没?

The rule of 不 'in front of the preposition' doesn't always apply to 没有

As your examples indicated

Both "我在商店没有买很多东西" and "我没有在商店买很多东西" are valid sentences

As for 我给你不买 vs, 我不给你买: 我给你不买 doesn't follow the rule of '不 in front of the preposition' and therefore , is invalid

You can say 我不买电脑给你 or 我不给你买电脑 (both mean "I don't buy computer for you") , but not 我给你不买电脑.

edited May 17 '20 at 16:58

answered May 17 '20 at 16:51

Tang Ho

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In this case could I say 我给你没有卖东西？ – user25207 May 17 '20 at 17:20
@user25207 给你 (for you) cannot be followed by negative, You can say "我在日本给你卖东西", "我在日本没有给你卖东西" or 我没有在日本给你卖东西, but you cannot say "我在日本给你没有卖东西" – Tang Ho May 17 '20 at 17:24
In other context 给你 could mean "give you" e.g. "我在日本卖的东西没有[给你]" = "I didn't [give you] the things I bought in Japan " – Tang Ho May 17 '20 at 17:37
Ok, here is the last question, I promise;) I understand with 在 we could place it before preposition or before the verb. With 给 we couldn’t. What about other verbs (so far 在 is also have verb meaning), like 用，坐 and etc. ex: 我不用手机发照片 or 我用手机不发照片，我坐车不去北京 or 我不坐车去北京。the same question regarding 没有，because it’s not only meaning negative form of existence, we use it when talk about complete actions, right? – user25207 May 17 '20 at 17:46
Just like 给 (for), 用 (use) can't be followed by negative neither. You can say "我用手机发照片" or "我不用手机发照片" but you can't say "我用手机不发照片" nor "我不用手机没有发照片". Same goes to 坐(ride). You cannot 'ride' something to 'not' go somewhere. You can only ride something to go somewhere. – Tang Ho May 17 '20 at 17:57
Conclusion: You can only write [not to +verb ] , never [verb + not to] – Tang Ho May 17 '20 at 18:03
So only with 在，but now I am thinking about 和，跟，从，and a lot of other prepositions .... with them 不 should be placed before the preposition, right? – user25207 May 17 '20 at 18:06
They are the same. You can't say 和他不去日本，跟他不去日本，從日本不回來. You can only say 不和他去日本，不跟他不去日本，不從日本回來 – Tang Ho May 17 '20 at 18:10
So it’s only with have preposition+verbs meaning words you couldn’t, ok I got it! Thanks a lot! – user25207 May 17 '20 at 18:14
@TangHo "不跟他不去日本" looks weird.. – 高鵬翔 May 18 '20 at 01:34
I meant 不和他去日本; 不跟他去日本. 和 and 跟 are interchangeable – Tang Ho May 18 '20 at 01:35
@TangHo But there are two "不" in the "不跟他不去日本", is should be "不跟他去日本" right? – 高鵬翔 May 18 '20 at 01:57
As I said, it was a typo I meant to write 不跟他去日本; not 不跟他不去日本 – Tang Ho May 18 '20 at 02:02

Is there any difference between 我给你不买 and 我不给你买?

1 Answers1