nemusieť / nesmieť

Don't Have to and Must Not

Level 2

Nemusíš prísť. You don't have to come. Nesmieš tu fajčiť. You mustn't smoke here.

How It Works

The forms

  • nemusieť: nemusím, nemusíš, nemusí, nemusíme, nemusíte, nemusia. Past: nemusel som.
  • nesmieť: nesmiem, nesmieš, nesmie, nesmieme, nesmiete, nesmú. Past: nesmel som.

Nemusieť: no need

The action is optional. You can do it, but nobody requires it:

  • Nemusíš prísť, ak nemáš čas. (You don't have to come if you don't have time.)
  • Nemusíte sa ponáhľať. (You don't have to hurry.)

Nesmieť: not allowed

The action is forbidden:

  • Tu nesmieš fajčiť. (You mustn't smoke here.)
  • Tu sa nesmie parkovať. (Parking is not allowed here.)

Watch out, English speakers

English must not forbids, so it matches nesmieť. English don't have to matches nemusieť. The positive forms are musieť (must) and smieť (may, be allowed): Smiem ísť von? (May I go out?) In everyday speech, môcť is often used for permission instead of smieť. See Can and Must.

Also compare nemôcť (cannot): Nemôžem prísť. (I can't come.)

A negative command is another way to forbid: Nefajči tu! (Don't smoke here!) See Negative Commands.

Examples (6)

  1. Nemusíš prísť, ak nemáš čas.

    You don't have to come if you don't have time.

    Nemusieť: coming is optional.

  2. Tu nesmieš fajčiť.

    You mustn't smoke here.

    Word by Word: Here you-may-not smoke.

    Nesmieť: smoking is forbidden.

  3. V nedeľu nemusím vstávať skoro.

    On Sunday I don't have to get up early.

    No obligation, so nemusieť.

  4. Deti nesmú chodiť k rieke bez dospelých.

    Children aren't allowed to go to the river without adults.

    The oni form of nesmieť is nesmú.

  5. Nemusíte sa ponáhľať.

    You don't have to hurry.

    A polite reassurance with the vy form.

  6. Ako dieťa som nesmel pozerať televíziu.

    As a child I wasn't allowed to watch TV.

    The past of nesmieť, here said by a man.

Common Mistakes

  • Using nemusieť to forbid something. The intended meaning is "Smoking is not allowed here".

    Tu nemusíš fajčiť.
    Tu nesmieš fajčiť.

    Nemusíš fajčiť only says that you don't have to smoke. To forbid it, use nesmieť.

  • Using nesmieť when something is only unnecessary. The intended meaning is "You don't have to come".

    Nesmieš prísť, ak nemáš čas.
    Nemusíš prísť, ak nemáš čas.

    Nesmieš prísť means you are not allowed to come. When something is simply not necessary, use nemusieť.

How It Connects

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

nemusieť / nesmieťLevel 2Don't Have to and Must Not

Learn This First

Before Don't Have To and Must Not, learn Can and Must and Negating Verbs With ne-. nemusieť and nesmieť are negated modal verbs. Negation with ne- is what changes their meaning.

Words in This Pattern

musieťsmieťne-