nie

Negation with Nie

Level 1

In Polish, you negate a sentence by simply placing the word nie directly before the verb. There are no helper verbs like 'do not' or 'does not' in English.

How It Works

Unlike English, Polish negation is very straightforward when it comes to verbs: just add nie before the conjugated verb. You don't need to worry about auxiliary verbs.

Spelling Rules:

  • Written separately: Write nie as a separate word before verbs (whether in the present, past, or future tense), pronouns (nie ja - not me), prepositions, and adverbs NOT derived from adjectives. Exceptions: Verbs that inherently include nie are written together (e.g., nienawidzić - to hate, niepokoić - to disturb). Also, write nie separately before nouns and adjectives if there is a clear contrast (e.g., nie dobry, ale wspaniały - not good, but wonderful).
  • Written together: Write nie attached as a single word with nouns (niebezpieczeństwo - danger), adjectives (niedobry - bad), adverbs derived from adjectives, and adjectival participles. Note: Following the 2026 spelling reform, nie is now also written together with adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and superlative degrees.

The Genitive of Negation:
This is a crucial rule in Polish that triggers the genitive case in two distinct situations:
1) Accusative Objects: If an affirmative sentence uses an accusative object (e.g., Mam czas - I have time), negating the verb forces that object into the genitive case (Nie mam czasu - I don't have time). This rule ONLY applies to the accusative case; verbs taking objects in the instrumental, dative, or genitive case do not change their case when negated.
2) Negating Existence: When negating presence or existence, the nominative subject of jest/są changes to the genitive object of the frozen verb nie ma (e.g., Nie ma problemu - There is no problem).
You can learn more about this in the genitive under negation pattern.

Cascading Negation (Verb Chains):
If you negate a modal or auxiliary verb, the direct object of the following infinitive still changes to the genitive case. For example, Chcę pić kawę (I want to drink coffee - accusative) becomes Nie chcę pić kawy (I don't want to drink coffee - genitive).

Double Negation:
In Polish, multiple negative words reinforce each other rather than canceling each other out. Saying Nigdy niczego nie widziałem (I have never seen anything; literally: I never nothing not saw) is perfectly correct and required. See negative concord for more details.

Examples (6)

  1. Nie rozumiem, co mówisz.

    I don't understand what you are saying.

    Word by Word: Not I-understand, what you-are-saying.

    Basic verb negation. 'Nie' is written separately and placed directly before the verb.

  2. On nie ma wolnego czasu.

    He doesn't have free time.

    Word by Word: He not has free time.

    Demonstrates the Genitive of Negation. The affirmative 'wolny czas' (accusative) becomes 'wolnego czasu' (genitive) because the verb is negated.

  3. Nie chcę pić kawy.

    I don't want to drink coffee.

    Word by Word: Not I-want to-drink coffee.

    Demonstrates cascading negation. Negating the modal verb 'chcę' forces the object of the following infinitive ('kawy') into the genitive case.

  4. Nigdy niczego nie widziałem.

    I have never seen anything.

    Word by Word: Never nothing not I-saw.

    Demonstrates double negation (negative concord). The negative words 'nigdy' and 'niczego' require the verb to also be negated with 'nie'.

  5. To jest niedobra zupa.

    This is a bad soup.

    Word by Word: This is not-good soup.

    When negating an adjective to create an opposite meaning, 'nie' is written together with the word.

  6. Nie ja to zrobiłem.

    It wasn't me who did it.

    Word by Word: Not I this did.

    'Nie' is written separately from pronouns.

Common Mistakes

  • Using English-style auxiliary verbs for negation.

    Ja jestem nie rozumiem.
    Ja nie rozumiem.

    Polish does not use helper verbs like 'do' or 'am' for negation. Simply place nie directly before the main verb.

  • Forgetting the Genitive of Negation.

    Nie mam czas.
    Nie mam czasu.

    When you negate a verb that normally takes the accusative case (like mieć - to have), the direct object must change to the genitive case.

  • Dropping 'nie' when using other negative words.

    Nikt przyszedł.
    Nikt nie przyszedł.

    Polish requires negative concord. If you use a negative word like nikt (nobody), you must still negate the verb with nie.

How It Connects

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

nieLevel 1Negation with Nie

Learn This First

Learn Present Tense before Negation With Nie.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern