ne- / sen-

Ne- and Sen- Inside Words

Level 4

Ne- says that something is not there, and sen- says without.

How It Works

WordWith ne- or sen-Meaning
konatanekonataunknown
eblaneeblaimpossible
monosenmonapenniless
finosenfinaendless
pagosenpagafree of charge

The prefix ne- shows that something is missing. The prefix mal- shows that the opposite is there. Bona means good and malbona means bad, but ne bona only says that it is not good.

The prefix sen- comes from the word sen (without). A word with sen- is built from sen plus a noun: senmona means sen mono, and senfina means sen fino. The words in the table are adjectives, so they agree with their noun: senmonaj homoj.

Examples (5)

  1. Tiu urbo estas nekonata al Ingrid.

    That city is unknown to Ingrid.

    Nekonata means not known.

  2. Estas neeble legi la leteron sen lumo.

    It is impossible to read the letter without light.

    Neeble means impossible, and the infinitive is the subject.

  3. Post la longa vojaĝo Maria estas senmona, sed ŝi ridas.

    After the long trip Maria is penniless, but she laughs.

    Senmona means without money.

  4. La vojo al la monto ŝajnas senfina.

    The road to the mountain seems endless.

    Senfina means without an end.

  5. La koncerto estas senpaga por infanoj.

    The concert is free of charge for children.

    Senpaga means without payment.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ne- / sen-Level 4Ne- and Sen- Inside Words

Learn This First

Ne- and sen- are used inside words, like mal-.