nav

Negative Present of Būt

Level 1

The negative of būt is neesmu, neesi, nav, neesam, neesat, nav. For he, she, it and they, say nav: Viņš nav mājās (He is not at home).

How It Works

The forms

  • es neesmu — I am not
  • tu neesi — you are not
  • viņš nav / viņa nav — he is not / she is not
  • mēs neesam — we are not
  • jūs neesat — you are not
  • viņi nav / viņas nav — they are not

The double e in neesmu is correct: ne + esmu. Every verb joins ne- the same way; see Negating a Verb With Ne-.

Uses

  • Not someone: Es neesmu ārsts. (I am not a doctor.)
  • Not somewhere: Viņš nav mājās. (He is not at home.)
  • Not a certain way: Kafija nav karsta. (The coffee is not hot.)

Nav on its own
Nav can be a whole answer: Vai Anna ir mājās? — Nav. (Is Anna at home? — No, she isn't.) It is also part of the reply to thanks, Nav par ko! (You're welcome!).

There is no and I don't have
Nav also says that something does not exist or that someone does not have it. In standard Latvian the missing thing then takes the genitive: Mājās nav piena. (There is no milk at home.) Man nav laika. (I have no time.) Compare Anna nav mājās, where a known person is simply not at home and stays nominative. See There Is No and I Have No.

Examples (6)

  1. Viņš nav mājās.

    He is not at home.

    Word by Word: He is-not at-home.

  2. Es neesmu ārsts.

    I am not a doctor.

    Word by Word: I am-not doctor.

    Ne- is joined to esmu: neesmu.

  3. Tu neesi viens.

    You are not alone.

    Word by Word: You are-not alone.

    Neesi is the negative tu form.

  4. Kafija nav karsta.

    The coffee is not hot.

    Word by Word: Coffee is-not hot.

  5. Mēs neesam no Rīgas.

    We are not from Riga.

    Word by Word: We are-not from Riga.

  6. Vai Anna ir mājās? — Nav.

    Is Anna at home? — No, she isn't.

    Word by Word: [Question] Anna is at-home? — Is-not.

    Nav can stand alone as a short answer.

Common Mistakes

  • Saying ne ir.

    Viņš ne ir mājās.
    Viņš nav mājās.

    The negative of ir is always nav. Modern Latvian never uses ne ir.

  • Writing ne as a separate word.

    Es ne esmu ārsts.
    Es neesmu ārsts.

    Ne- is written joined to the verb: neesmu.

  • Using nav with es.

    Es nav students.
    Es neesmu students.

    Nav is only for he, she, it and they. With es, use neesmu.

How It Connects

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

navLevel 1Negative Present of Būt

Learn This First

Nav is the negative of būt.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

nebūtneesmuneesineesamneesatbūtne-