<p>First, 不 and 没有 are different, please read
<a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/6586/what-is-the-difference-between-%e4%b8%8d-and-%e6%b2%a1">What is the difference between 不 and 没?</a></p>

<p>The rule of 不 'in front of the preposition' doesn't always apply to 没有</p>

<p>As your examples indicated </p>

<p>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</p>

<p>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</p>

<p>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. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T17:20:33.040Z
In this case could I say 我给你没有卖东西？
user25207
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T17:24:12.873Z
@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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T17:37:29.877Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T17:46:02.423Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T17:57:53.947Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T18:03:24.940Z
Conclusion: You can only write  [not to +verb ] , never [verb + not to]
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T18:06:45.853Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T18:10:17.490Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T18:14:58.140Z
So it’s only with have preposition+verbs meaning words you couldn’t, ok I got it! Thanks a lot!
user25207
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-18T01:34:53.050Z
@TangHo "不跟他不去日本" looks weird..
高鵬翔
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2020-05-18T01:35:53.133Z
I meant  不和他去日本; 不跟他去日本. 和 and 跟 are interchangeable
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-18T01:57:15.007Z
@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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-18T02:02:15.487Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T16:51:12.913Z
2020-05-17T16:58:58.883Z
2020-05-17T16:58:58.883Z
Tang Ho
<p>Is there any difference between these two sentences:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我给你不买</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我不给你买?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>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,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我在商店没有买很多东西</p>
</blockquote>
<p>could we here say</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我没有在商店买很多东西 or</p>
<p>我在日本没有住一个多月</p>
</blockquote>
<p>etc.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T15:04:56.570Z
我给你不买: this is not a wrong. You can show us the examples you saw.
fefe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T16:10:52.653Z
我给你不买 is wrong, Try  我不买给你
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T16:23:07.757Z
@fefe sorry, you are saying not wrong? Right?
user25207
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T16:24:55.090Z
@fefe I saw the examples when 没有 goes after preposition : 我在日本没有住一个多月。
user25207
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T16:31:29.347Z
@user25207 sorry. I'm saying 我给你不买 is wrong.
fefe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T16:35:58.007Z
@fefe thanks, and what about 我在日本没有住一个多月 is it right?)
user25207
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T17:50:51.753Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T18:02:49.387Z
So 我在日本没有住一个多月 is wrong?
user25207
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T18:18:11.770Z
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
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-17T18:21:13.643Z
Ok, thank you! Now I know
user25207
<translation><grammar>
Is there any difference between 我给你不买 and 我不给你买?
# Is there any difference between 我给你不买 and 我不给你买?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-17)

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.

**Tags:** translation, grammar

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 我给你不买: this is not a wrong. You can show us the examples you saw.  
> **username_2**: 我给你不买 is wrong, Try  我不买给你  
> **username_0**: @username_1 sorry, you are saying not wrong? Right?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I saw the examples when 没有 goes after preposition : 我在日本没有住一个多月。  
> **username_1**: @username_0 sorry. I'm saying 我给你不买 is wrong.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 thanks, and what about 我在日本没有住一个多月 is it right?)  
> **username_2**: 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"  
> **username_0**: So 我在日本没有住一个多月 is wrong?  
> **username_2**: 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  
> **username_0**: Ok, thank you! Now I know  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-05-17. Score: 1

First, 不 and 没有 are different, please read
[What is the difference between 不 and 没?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/6586/what-is-the-difference-between-%e4%b8%8d-and-%e6%b2%a1)

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.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: In this case could I say 我给你没有卖东西？  
> **username_2**: @username_0 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"  
> **username_2**: 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 "  
> **username_0**: 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?  
> **username_2**: 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.  
> **username_2**: Conclusion: You can only write  [not to +verb ] , never [verb + not to]  
> **username_0**: 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?  
> **username_2**: 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  
> **username_0**: So it’s only with have preposition+verbs meaning words you couldn’t, ok I got it! Thanks a lot!  
> **username_3**: @username_2 "不跟他不去日本" looks weird..  
> **username_2**: I meant  不和他去日本; 不跟他去日本. 和 and 跟 are interchangeable  
> **username_3**: @username_2 But there are two "不" in the "不跟他不去日本", is should be "不跟他去日本" right?  
> **username_2**: 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  

---

