Opposites With ne-

Level 4

Put ne- in front of an adjective or a noun to make its opposite: laimīgs → nelaimīgs (happy → unhappy), veiksme → neveiksme (success → failure). Write it as one word.

How It Works

1. Adjectives and adverbs.

  • laimīgs → nelaimīgs (happy → unhappy)
  • patīkams → nepatīkams (pleasant → unpleasant)
  • iespējams → neiespējams (possible → impossible), iespējami → neiespējami
  • pazīstams → nepazīstams (familiar → unfamiliar)

2. Nouns.

  • laime → nelaime (happiness, luck → misfortune, accident)
  • veiksme → neveiksme (success → failure, setback)
  • kārtība → nekārtība (order → disorder)
  • taisnība → netaisnība (justice, truth → injustice)

3. Milder than an opposite. Basic adjectives have their own opposites: liels – mazs (big – small), labs – slikts (good – bad). Then the ne- word is softer: neliels dzīvoklis is a fairly small flat.

4. New meanings. Some ne- words have a meaning of their own. Nelaime is bad luck or an accident, and Man ir nelabi means I feel sick.

5. Two ways to say not. Viņš nav laimīgs (He is not happy) negates the verb. Viņš ir nelaimīgs (He is unhappy) says what he is. Both are correct, and the second is stronger.

Examples (6)

  1. Viņš jūtas nelaimīgs.

    He feels unhappy.

    Word by Word: He feels unhappy.

  2. Tas ir neliels dzīvoklis, bet ļoti mājīgs.

    It is a small flat, but very cozy.

    Word by Word: That is not-big flat, but very cozy.

    Neliels means fairly small, so it sounds softer than mazs.

  3. Tas ir neiespējami!

    That is impossible!

    Word by Word: That is impossible!

  4. Mums bija neliela neveiksme.

    We had a small setback.

    Word by Word: To-us was small failure.

  5. Kāda nelaime!

    What bad luck!

    Word by Word: What misfortune!

  6. Šis vārds man ir nepazīstams.

    This word is unfamiliar to me.

    Word by Word: This word to-me is unfamiliar.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing ne- as a separate word.

    Viņš jūtas ne laimīgs.
    Viņš jūtas nelaimīgs.

    When ne- makes an opposite, it is part of the word, so write it together with the adjective.

  • Forgetting that the ne- word still agrees.

    Viņa ir nelaimīgs.
    Viņa ir nelaimīga.

    Ne- does not change the ending. A woman is nelaimīga, just as she is laimīga.

How It Connects

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Opposites With ne-Level 4

Learn This First

Ne- makes opposites.

Words in This Pattern

ne-