# Không có + verb: not (emphatic) in Vietnamese (B1)

> In Saigon you'll hear không có before a verb all the time: Hôm qua em không có đi làm. I didn't go to work yesterday. Tui không có biết. I don't know.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-co-emphatic/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**not (emphatic)**

Pattern: `[person] + không có + [verb]`

Level: B1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday · Medium: spoken

Typed without accents: khong co

In Saigon you'll hear *không có* before a verb all the time: *Hôm qua em không có đi làm.* I didn't go to work yesterday. *Tui không có biết.* I don't know. It means the same as plain *không*, which you know, with a little extra weight, like stressing "didn't". In everyday Saigon talk it's so common that it often sounds quite neutral.

In Hà Nội it's less usual and mainly insists, especially when you deny something: *Tôi không có nói thế!* I did not say that! For a strong denial, Saigon also has *đâu có*: *Em đâu có nói vậy!*

Before a noun, *không có* is simply "not have" or "there isn't": *Em không có tiền.* Before a verb, it's this weightier "not". The word after it tells you which.

Keep *không có* with a verb for speech; in writing, plain *không* is better. In casual Saigon talk you'll also hear it shortened to *hổng có*: *Em hổng có biết.*

## Examples

- Saigon: Hôm qua em không có đi làm. | Hà Nội: Hôm qua em không đi làm. — I didn't go to work yesterday.
- Saigon: Tui không có biết chuyện đó. | Hà Nội: Tôi không biết chuyện đó. — I don't know anything about that.
- Saigon: Em không có nói vậy mà! | Hà Nội: Em không có nói thế mà! — But I didn't say that!
- Saigon: Ba em không có uống rượu. | Hà Nội: Bố em không uống rượu. — My dad doesn't drink.

## Compare

- [Not: không before the verb or adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-not/): not

Previous in Saying no and not: [Almost, hardly: gần như, hầu như (không)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/hau-nhu-almost/)
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