negaliu ne-

Cannot Help Doing

Level 6

Negaliu nesijuokti. means I cannot help laughing. The two negatives do not say that no laughing happens.

How It Works

Read both layers. Negaliu juoktis means I cannot laugh. Negaliu nesijuokti means I cannot keep from laughing. Leaving out the second ne changes the meaning.

Tense and person. Change galėti to match the subject and time: negaliu, I cannot; negalėjau, I could not; negalime, we cannot. The second verb remains an infinitive.

Reflexive spelling. With juoktis, the negative is nesijuokti. The reflexive marker moves inside the word after ne-. With pasakyti, the form is nepasakyti.

Examples (4)

  1. Negaliu nesijuokti.

    I cannot help laughing.

  2. Negalėjau nenusišypsoti.

    I could not help smiling.

  3. Negaliu nepasakyti tiesos.

    I cannot keep from telling the truth.

  4. Negalime nepastebėti šio skirtumo.

    We cannot fail to notice this difference.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a finite form where the second verb must be an infinitive.

    Negaliu nesijuokiu.
    Negaliu nesijuokti.

    Galėti takes an infinitive: nesijuokti, not nesijuokiu.

How It Connects

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

negaliu ne-Level 6Cannot Help Doing

Learn This First

Negaliu ne- denies the possibility of refraining from an action.

Words in This Pattern

negalėti