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Expressing "dare not" with 不敢 (bùgǎn)
Negation
Permission & Ability
Structure
Subject + 不敢 + Verb
Explanation
The adverb 不敢 (bùgǎn) means "dare not" or "do not dare to," expressing reluctance or fear about doing something. It is placed directly before the verb it modifies. For example, 她不敢相信 means "she didn't dare to believe it."
Examples
他不敢一个人走夜路。
Tā bù gǎn yí ge rén zǒu yèlù.
He doesn't dare walk alone at night.
我不敢告诉妈妈考试没考好。
Wǒ bù gǎn gàosu māma kǎoshì méi kǎo hǎo.
I don't dare tell Mom I did poorly on the exam.
她不敢看恐怖电影，太害怕了。
Tā bù gǎn kàn kǒngbù diànyǐng, tài hàipà le.
She doesn't dare watch horror movies; she's too scared.