nincs

Negative Existence

Level 1

In Hungarian, you do not say 'nem van' in a neutral sentence. Instead, you use nincs (singular) or nincsenek (plural) to deny existence, location, or possession in the present tense.

How It Works

Hungarian uses a special verb form to express the absence of something. While most verbs are negated by putting nem in front of them, the verb van (to be) follows a unique rule.

1. The Mandatory Fused Form
In neutral sentences, the sequence nem van is ungrammatical. You must use these fused forms:

  • Nincs (or nincsen): 'There is no...', 'He/She/It is not (somewhere)...', 'One does not have...'
  • Nincsenek: 'There are no...', 'They are not (somewhere)...', 'They do not have...'

2. Three Main Uses (Location and Existence)

  • Existence: Nincs víz. (There is no water.)
  • Location: Péter nincs itt. (Péter is not here.)
  • Possession: In the nekem nincs... pattern, it expresses 'I don't have...'.

Note: Do not use 'nincs' for identity. To say 'He is not a doctor', use nem alone: 'Ő nem orvos'.

3. Tense and Person Restrictions
This rule only applies to the 3rd person present tense. For other persons (I, you), you use nem + the verb (e.g., nem vagyok). In the past or future, the fused form disappears (e.g., nem volt, nem lesz).

4. Contrastive Focus Exception
The only time you might see nem and van in the same sentence is when you are emphasizing a specific part of the sentence rather than the existence itself. For example: Nem a házban van (He is not in the house [but somewhere else]).

5. The 'Neither' Form: Sincs
When you want to say 'is also not' or 'neither is', Hungarian uses sincs (singular) and sincsenek (plural). This is a fusion of sem + van. For example: Péter nincs itt, és Anna sincs itt. (Péter is not here, and Anna isn't here either.)

Examples (5)

  1. Nincs itthon a macska.

    The cat is not at home.

    Word by Word: There-is-not at-home the cat.

    Here, 'nincs' denies the location of the cat.

  2. Nekem nincs autóm.

    I don't have a car.

    Word by Word: To-me there-is-not car-my.

    In possession, 'nincs' replaces 'van' to show a lack of ownership.

  3. Nincsenek almák az asztalon.

    There are no apples on the table.

    Word by Word: There-are-not apples the on-table.

    Use the plural 'nincsenek' because the subject (apples) is plural.

  4. Sajnos nincs időm.

    Unfortunately, I don't have time.

    Word by Word: Unfortunately there-is-not time-my.

    A very common daily expression using the negative existential.

  5. Nincs itt semmi látnivaló.

    There is nothing to see here.

    Word by Word: There-is-not here nothing to-see-thing.

    Used with 'semmi' (nothing) to deny existence entirely.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'nem van' in a neutral sentence.

    A tej nem van a hűtőben.
    A tej nincs a hűtőben.

    In a plain statement, use the fused form nincs. Nem van is only used when something else is focused or corrected: A tej nem a hűtőben van.

  • Using 'nincs' for the 1st or 2nd person.

    Én nincs itt.
    Én nem vagyok itt.

    'Nincs' is only for the 3rd person (he/she/it/they). For 'I am not', use 'nem vagyok'.

  • Using 'nincs' for identity or classification.

    Péter nincs tanár.
    Péter nem tanár.

    'Nincs' expresses location or existence. To say someone 'is not' a teacher (identity), use 'nem' with the zero copula.

How It Connects

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

nincsLevel 1Negative Existence

Learn This First

To understand 'nincs', you must first be familiar with the existential verb 'van' (there is) and the standard negation particle 'nem'. It is also helpful to understand the zero copula rule, as 'nincs' is used in the third person where the affirmative 'van' is sometimes omitted in other contexts.

Words in This Pattern

nincs