Lessons 4, 6, 7, 8, 10: Emphatic negation: 一点儿也不, 并, 根本, 从来

Explanation

Structure

1. 1
   一点儿+也 / 都+不 / 没+…

   Total negation; 也 or 都 can be added between 一点儿 and 不/没.

   • 说实话，我一点儿也不想去。

     Shuō shíhuà, wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bù xiǎng qù.

     To be honest, I don't want to go at all.

   • 要去的地方是南京，我对南京一点儿也不了解。

     Yào qù de dìfang shì Nánjīng, wǒ duì Nánjīng yìdiǎnr yě bù liǎojiě.

     The place we're going to is Nanjing, and I know nothing at all about Nanjing.

   • 你说的这件事我一点儿也不知道。

     Nǐ shuō de zhè jiàn shì wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bù zhīdào.

     I don't know anything at all about what you're talking about.

   • 虽然在国内学过汉语，可是刚来时，我一点儿也听不懂中国人说的话。

     Suīrán zài guónèi xué guo Hànyǔ, kěshì gāng lái shí, wǒ yìdiǎnr yě tīng bù dǒng Zhōngguó rén shuō de huà.

     Although I had studied Chinese in my home country, when I first arrived I couldn't understand anything Chinese people said.

2. 2
   并+不 / 没(有)+…

   Placed before a negative word to emphasize the negation, with a tone of rebuttal.

   • 你说他笨，其实他并不笨。

     Nǐ shuō tā bèn, qíshí tā bìng bú bèn.

     You say he's stupid, but actually he isn't stupid at all.

   • 你说她回国了，其实她并没有回国，是去旅行了。

     Nǐ shuō tā huíguó le, qíshí tā bìng méiyǒu huíguó, shì qù lǚxíng le.

     You said she went back to her country, but actually she didn't; she went traveling.

   • 从脸上的表情看得出，他并不相信我的话。

     Cóng liǎn shang de biǎoqíng kàn de chū, tā bìng bù xiāngxìn wǒ de huà.

     From his expression you can tell he doesn't believe my words at all.

   • 我并没有对他说过这件事，不知道他是怎么知道的。

     Wǒ bìng méiyǒu duì tā shuō guo zhè jiàn shì, bù zhīdào tā shì zěnme zhīdào de.

     I didn't tell him about this at all; I don't know how he found out.

3. 3
   根本+不 / 没+…

   An adverb: originally, all along, at all, from beginning to end; often used in negative sentences.

   • 原来他根本不会吹竽。

     Yuánlái tā gēnběn bú huì chuī yú.

     It turns out he doesn't know how to play the yu (reed pipe) at all.

   • 今天的会根本没通知我。

     Jīntiān de huì gēnběn méi tōngzhī wǒ.

     Nobody notified me about today's meeting at all.

   • 我根本没有学过法语，怎么看得懂法文书呢？

     Wǒ gēnběn méiyǒu xué guo Fǎyǔ, zěnme kàn de dǒng Fǎwén shū ne?

     I have never studied French at all, so how could I read French books?

   • 你说的这个人我根本不认识。

     Nǐ shuō de zhège rén wǒ gēnběn bú rènshi.

     I don't know the friend you mentioned at all.

4. 4
   从(来)+不 / 没+Vverb

   Always been so up to now; mainly used in negative sentences.

   • 半年的留学生活让我尝到了以前从没尝过的酸甜苦辣。

     Bàn nián de liúxué shēnghuó ràng wǒ chángdào le yǐqián cóng méi cháng guo de suāntiánkǔlà.

     Half a year of studying abroad has let me taste all the joys and hardships I had never tasted before.

   • 我从（来）不吸烟。

     Wǒ cóng(lái) bù xī yān.

     I have never smoked.

   • 我以前从没来过中国，这是第一次。

     Wǒ yǐqián cóng méi lái guo Zhōngguó, zhè shì dì-yī cì.

     I had never been to China before; this is my first time.

   • 不管刮风还是下雨，她从来没有迟到过。

     Bùguǎn guāfēng háishi xiàyǔ, tā cónglái méiyǒu chídào guo.

     Whether windy or rainy, she has never been late.

   • 我当然也很喜欢她。但我从没有跟别人说过，也没有向她做过任何表示。

     Wǒ dāngrán yě hěn xǐhuan tā. Dàn wǒ cóng méiyǒu gēn biéren shuō guo, yě méiyǒu xiàng tā zuò guo rènhé biǎoshì.

     Of course I like her very much too. But I've never told anyone, and I've never expressed anything to her.