A1 · The simple sentence · about 7 minutes
Negation with nie and nie ma
not, no, there is no
One word for “not” and “no”, always before the verb — and happy to appear twice.
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“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need2
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- odbieraćto answer (the phone); to collect
- lodówkafridge
Understand
Remembernie goes before the verb — even when nic, nikt or nigdy is already in the sentence.
- Signal words
- nie
- nie ma
- nic
- nikt
- nigdy
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Polish.
negation
| nie before the verb | Piotr nie pije kawy. |
| “no” is also nie, with the object in the genitive | Nie mam samochodu. |
| there is no / is not here | Nie ma mleka. |
| nothing, nobody: negated twice | Nic nie wiem. Nikt nie dzwoni. |
| “no” and “not” | Nie, nie wiem. |
| nie before other words | Nie dzisiaj, jutro. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
nie goes directly before the verb.
Piotr nie pije kawy.Piotr does not drink coffee.
nie covers both “not” and “no”.
Nie mam samochodu.I have no car.
After a negated verb the object goes into the genitive.
Mam kota, ale nie mam psa.I have a cat, but no dog.
nie ma means “there is no” or “is not here”.
Nie ma mleka.There is no milk.
With nic, nikt and nigdy the verb still takes nie.
Nic nie rozumiem.I don’t understand anything.
Example sentences
Nie znam tego pana.I don’t know this gentleman.
Dzisiaj nie pracuję.I am not working today.
Marka nie ma w domu.Marek is not at home.
7 more example sentences
Nigdy nie jem mięsa.I never eat meat.
To nie jest mój telefon.This is not my phone.
Nikt nie odbiera telefonu.Nobody is answering the phone.
Nie lubię zimy.I don’t like winter.
W lodówce nie ma masła.There is no butter in the fridge.
On nigdy nie ma czasu.He never has time.
Nie wiem, gdzie jest Kasia.I don’t know where Kasia is.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
In standard English one negative word is enough: “I understand nothing”, and two would cancel out or sound uneducated. In Polish the verb needs its own nie even when nic, nikt or nigdy is already there. What sounds like a double negative to an English ear is the only correct form.
Quick check
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Practise
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
You negate with nie, placed directly before the verb and written as a separate word: Nie mam czasu(I have no time)Piotr nie pije kawy(Piotr does not drink coffee) There is no “do not”, “does not” or “did not” — nie in front of the verb does all of it, and it also covers “no” as in “no time”.
After a negated verb the object changes case: the accusative (biernik) becomes the genitive (dopełniacz). Mam kota, but nie mam psa; piję kawę, but nie piję kawy. The endings come in the section on cases; for now, remember that something changes after nie.
nie ma means “there is no” or “is not here”, again with the genitive: Nie ma mleka(There is no milk)Marka nie ma w domu(Marek is not at home) And Polish negates twice where standard English negates once: with nic (nothing), nikt (nobody) and nigdy (never) the verb still gets its own nie: Nic nie rozumiem — literally “I don’t understand nothing”.
Worth knowing1
Worth knowing
nie joined to adjectives
Before an adjective nie is usually written together with it, like English “un-”: niedrogi(inexpensive)niemiły(unfriendly) Before a verb it is always a separate word.
To jest niedrogi hotel.This is an inexpensive hotel.
The verbs on this page, in every form: mieć · być · pracować · pić · jeść · znać · rozumieć