neva

Doubtful Claims with Neva

Level 6

Jis neva sirgo. means He was supposedly ill. The speaker presents an attributed claim rather than simply confirming it.

How It Works

Reported claim. Neva can mark an excuse, rumor or disputed explanation. In Jis neva sirgo, the illness is presented as a claim.

Sentence structure. The verb can keep its ordinary tense. After a reporting verb, neva can introduce the attributed clause: Jis tvirtino, neva laiško negavo. Here the comma marks the clause boundary.

Compare esą. Both words can signal information from others. Neva often carries more distance or skepticism, but does not logically prove the claim false. A person can use it about claims concerning themselves too.

Examples (4)

  1. Jis neva sirgo.

    He was supposedly ill.

  2. Jis tvirtino, neva laiško negavo.

    He claimed that he had not received the letter.

  3. Šis vaistas neva padeda visiems.

    This medicine supposedly helps everyone.

  4. Aš neva viską žinojau.

    I supposedly knew everything.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the infinitive instead of the past-tense verb in a report about yesterday.

    Jis vakar neva sirgti.
    Jis vakar neva sirgo.

    Neva does not replace the tense marking. Use sirgo for he was ill.

How It Connects

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

nevaLevel 6Doubtful Claims with Neva

Learn This First

Neva attributes a claim to someone else and often conveys doubt.

Words in This Pattern

neva