Có vs Không Có — Have vs Don't Have

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Quick Answer

Có means "have" or "there is/are," and không có means "don't have" or "there is/are not." In Vietnamese, you negate có simply by placing không directly in front of it. There is no verb conjugation — the structure stays the same regardless of who is speaking or when.

Comparison Table

Feature	Có	Không Có
Meaning	have / there is / there are	don't have / there is not / there are not
Structure	Subject + có + noun	Subject + không có + noun
Negation word	—	không (placed before có)
Verb changes?	No	No
Example	Tôi có tiền.	Tôi không có tiền.
Translation	I have money.	I don't have money.
Used for existence	Có ghế ở đây.	Không có ghế ở đây.
Translation	There is a chair here.	There is no chair here.

Detailed Explanation

Có is one of the most versatile and essential words in Vietnamese. It covers two main uses that learners should understand from the start.

Use 1 — Possession (have): When you want to say that someone possesses something, place có between the subject and the noun. The formula is simple: Subject + có + object. There is no equivalent of English "have/has" distinction — có works for everyone.

Use 2 — Existence (there is / there are): Có can also mean "there is" or "there are" when describing whether something exists in a place. In this case, có often comes at the start of the sentence or after a location phrase.

Không có is the direct negation. Simply insert không before có. This two-word phrase covers "don't have," "doesn't have," "there isn't," and "there aren't" — all in one clean structure. You never split không and có apart.

Regional note: In Southern Vietnamese speech, you may hear có used more frequently as a sentence-final confirmation particle (e.g., adding emphasis). In Northern Vietnamese, this usage is less common. However, the core possession and existence meanings of có and không có are identical across all regions.

For Japanese and Chinese learners: The word có corresponds closely to the Hán-Việt root 有 (hữu), which you recognize from Japanese 有る (aru) and Chinese 有 (yǒu). The negation không có parallels 無 (vô/mô) — the same concept of absence seen in 無い (nai) in Japanese or 没有 (méiyǒu) in Chinese. This makes the logic very intuitive for CJK learners.

For Korean learners: The structure maps neatly onto 있다 (itda) for có and 없다 (eopda) for không có, both in the possession and existence senses.

Example Pairs

Tôi có một cái điện thoại.

I have a phone.

Tôi không có điện thoại.

I don't have a phone.

Anh ấy có xe máy.

He has a motorbike.

Anh ấy không có xe máy.

He doesn't have a motorbike.

Quán này có wifi.

This cafe has wifi.

Quán này không có wifi.

This cafe doesn't have wifi.

Có người ở nhà.

There is someone at home.

Không có người ở nhà.

There is no one at home.

Chúng tôi có thời gian.

We have time.

Chúng tôi không có thời gian.

We don't have time.

Trong túi có tiền.

There is money in the bag.

Trong túi không có tiền.

There is no money in the bag.

Cô ấy có anh chị em.

She has siblings.

Cô ấy không có anh chị em.

She doesn't have any siblings.

Nhà hàng có chỗ trống.

The restaurant has available seats.

Nhà hàng không có chỗ trống.

The restaurant has no available seats.

Common Patterns

The following fixed patterns appear constantly in daily Vietnamese. Only one form is correct in each context — knowing these patterns will help you sound natural immediately.

Pattern	Example	Meaning
Có + noun + không? (question)	Bạn có xe không?	Do you have a car?
Có + noun (affirmative answer)	Có, tôi có xe.	Yes, I have a car.
Không có + noun (negative answer)	Không, tôi không có xe.	No, I don't have a car.
Có + noun + ở + place	Có ATM ở gần đây không?	Is there an ATM nearby?
Không có gì	Trong phòng không có gì.	There is nothing in the room.
Không có ai	Không có ai ở đây.	There is no one here.
Có nhiều + noun	Ở đây có nhiều quán ăn.	There are many restaurants here.
Không có đủ + noun	Tôi không có đủ tiền.	I don't have enough money.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1 — Using "không" alone without "có"

Beginners sometimes drop có and use only không to negate possession, thinking không alone means "don't have." In Vietnamese, không alone negates verbs and adjectives, but to negate possession you need the full phrase không có.

❌ Tôi không tiền.

✅ Tôi không có tiền.

Saying tôi không tiền is grammatically incomplete and sounds strange to native speakers. Always keep không and có together when expressing "don't have."

Mistake 2 — Inserting a subject between "không" and "có"

Some learners try to model không có on English word order and insert extra words between the two, breaking the fixed phrase apart. Không có always stays together as a unit.

❌ Tôi không tôi có xe.

✅ Tôi không có xe.

The subject tôi belongs only at the beginning of the sentence. Never repeat it or place anything between không and có.

Mistake 3 — Confusing "có không?" (yes/no question) with "không có" (negation)

The question tag có ... không? wraps around the object, while the negation không có comes before it. Mixing up the word order turns a question into a confusing or incorrect statement.

❌ Bạn không có xe không? (awkward double negation)

✅ Bạn có xe không? (question) / Bạn không có xe. (statement)

Use có ... không? for yes/no questions, and không có for negative statements. Do not combine both in the same sentence.

Mistake 4 — Omitting "có" in existence sentences

When describing whether something exists in a place, English speakers sometimes skip có because English sentences like "There's a market here" feel like they don't need a verb. In Vietnamese, có is obligatory in these sentences.

❌ Ở đây chợ.

✅ Ở đây có chợ.

Without có, the sentence has no predicate and is incomplete. Think of có as the required "there is/are" verb that Vietnamese cannot drop.

Mistake 5 — Using "có" with adjectives instead of "rất" or "bị"

In English, "have" sometimes describes states (e.g., "I have a headache," "I have a cold"). Vietnamese uses different constructions for these — not có alone with a bare adjective.

❌ Tôi có đau đầu. (unnatural for "I have a headache")

✅ Tôi bị đau đầu.

For illnesses and negative physical states, Vietnamese uses bị rather than có. Reserve có for concrete nouns and objects you possess or that exist in a location.

Quick Quiz

Fill in the blank with có or không có:

Xin lỗi, ở đây _____ wifi.

Hint: The speaker is apologizing, suggesting wifi is unavailable.

Answer

Không có — Xin lỗi, ở đây không có wifi. (Sorry, there is no wifi here.) The apology signals that something is missing, so the negative form không có is correct.

Fill in the blank with có or không có:

Bạn _____ anh chị em không?

Hint: This is a yes/no question asking about siblings.

Answer

Có — Bạn có anh chị em không? (Do you have any siblings?) In yes/no questions using the có ... không? pattern, you place có before the noun and không at the end of the sentence.

Fill in the blank with có or không có:

Tôi đói lắm vì tôi _____ gì ăn.

Hint: The speaker is very hungry — they have nothing to eat.

Answer

Không có — Tôi đói lắm vì tôi không có gì ăn. (I am very hungry because I have nothing to eat.) The context "very hungry" and the word gì (anything/nothing) confirm that the negative không có is needed here.

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