根本不／没
not at all; simply not; not even
Structure
主语 根本 不／没（有） 动词
What it means
Turns a plain negative into a flat denial: “not at all, simply not, not even”. It often rebuts an accusation or corrects a wrong belief, so it sounds firm.
How it is built
Subject + 根本 + 不／没（有）+ verb: 我根本不认识他 (I don’t even know him). 根本不 for what someone will not do, cannot do or is not; 根本没 for what did not happen: 根本没看见.
When to use it
Firm and can sound heated. In casual speech people also say 压根儿. Its commonest positive use is 根本就是…: 这根本就是骗人 (this is simply a con).
Watch out
根本 comes before the negative: ✗不根本知道 ✓根本不知道. It is not a general “completely”: ✗我根本同意. Without a negative it is mostly an adjective: 根本原因.
Examples
很多追尾都是因为后车司机根本没看前面，只顾低头看手机。
Many rear-end collisions happen because the driver behind simply was not looking ahead, only down at his phone.
我根本不认识他，他凭什么说我欠他钱？
I don’t even know him, so what right has he to say I owe him money?
这条路根本不让掉头，你怎么还掉头？
You are not allowed to make a U-turn on this road at all, so why are you doing it?
Learn this in Lesson 142 · HSK 7–9: 追尾以后 (After a bump)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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