Never: 从来 + 不 / 没
副词 / adverbs
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
Subject + 从来 + 不 + Verb ｜ 从来 + 没(有) + Verb + 过
从来 (cónglái) means "always, all along"; it's mostly used in the negative to mean "never".
- 从来不 + V: a habit or principle, "never (does)": 他从来不喝酒 (he never drinks alcohol).
- 从来没(有) + V + 过: an experience that has never happened up to now: 我从来没去过医院 (I've never been to hospital).
The choice of 不 vs 没 follows the usual logic: 不 = habit/will, 没 = past fact.
Examples
我爷爷从来不抽烟。
Wǒ yéye cónglái bù chōuyān.My grandfather never smokes.
我从来没这么累过。
Wǒ cónglái méi zhème lèi guo.I've never been this tired.
她从来不吃早饭，这个习惯不好。
Tā cónglái bù chī zǎofàn, zhège xíguàn bù hǎo.She never eats breakfast: that's a bad habit.
Common mistakes
✗ 我从来没去。 → with 没, add 过 for experience. ✓ 我从来没去过。
✗ 我从来喝咖啡。 → in the affirmative, use 一直 or 总是 instead. ✓ 我一直喝咖啡。