Lesson 44. Verb Negation: ne radim, ne znam
The Main Rule
A regular verb is negated with the word ne before it.
It’s simple: ne + verb.
Three Exceptions — “Fused” Negations
Three very important verbs merge with ne into one word:
biti → nisam, nije…
We already covered this (nisam, nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu).
imati (“to have”) → nemam, nemaš, nema…
| Person | Affirmative | Negation |
|---|---|---|
| I | imam | **nemam** |
| you | imaš | **nemaš** |
| he/she | ima | **nema** |
| we | imamo | **nemamo** |
| you (pl.) | imate | **nemate** |
| they | imaju | **nemaju** |
You don’t say ne imam — only nemam.
hteti (“to want”) → neću, nećeš, neće…
| Person | Affirmative | Negation |
|---|---|---|
| I | hoću | **neću** |
| you | hoćeš | **nećeš** |
| he/she | hoće | **neće** |
| we | hoćemo | **nećemo** |
| you (pl.) | hoćete | **nećete** |
| they | hoće | **neće** |
In Speech
”Never,” “Nobody,” “Nothing”
In Serbian, like in Russian, double negation is normal:
Two negations in one sentence — that’s normal, just like in Russian.
Exercises
Exercise 1
How do you say "I don't know"?
Show explanation
Just ne before the verb: Ne znam.
Exercise 2
How do you correctly say "I don't have a book"?
Show explanation
imati merges with ne: nemam knjigu.
Exercise 3
Turn into negation:
— Radim u školi.
— Pijemo mleko.
— Imam psa.
— Hoćeš sladoled.
Show answer
— Ne radim u školi.
— Ne pijemo mleko.
— Nemam psa.
— Nećeš sladoled.
Exercise 4
Translate: “Nobody likes soup.”
Show answer
Niko ne voli supu.
Exercise 5
Why can’t you say “I don’t want” as ne hoću?
Show answer
You can say it and it’s understandable, but the correct form is hteti merges with ne → neću.
Lesson vocabulary
- nemam немам
- I don't have
- nema нема
- (he/she) doesn't have, there is no
- neću нећу
- I don't want
- neće неће
- (he/she) doesn't want
- niko нико
- nobody
- ništa ништа
- nothing
- nikada никада
- never