Negative Commands

Level 2

Put ne- on the command, written as one word: Nerob to! (Don't do that!) Nechoď tam! (Don't go there!) Nebojte sa. (Don't be afraid.)

How It Works

How to form it

Take the command form and put ne- in front, written together, just like other negative verbs. See Negating Verbs With ne-.

  • rob → Nerob! (Don't do it!)
  • choď → Nechoď! (Don't go!)
  • plač → Neplač! (Don't cry!)
  • hovorte → Nehovorte! (Don't speak!)
  • bojte sa → Nebojte sa! (Don't be afraid!)

The -te and -me forms work the same way: Nerobme to. (Let's not do that.) See Commands With -te and -me.

Which aspect?

When you tell someone not to do something on purpose, use the imperfective verb, even if the positive command would be perfective:

  • Zavolaj mu! (Call him!) → Nevolaj mu! (Don't call him!)
  • Otvor okno! (Open the window!) → Neotváraj okno! (Don't open the window!)

A negative perfective command is a warning about something that might happen by mistake: Nezabudni! (Don't forget!), Nespadni! (Don't fall!). This is covered in more depth in Aspect in Negative Commands.

Another way to forbid

You can also say what is not allowed with nesmieš: Nesmieš tam chodiť. (You mustn't go there.) See Don't Have To and Must Not.

Examples (6)

  1. Nerob to!

    Don't do that!

    Ne- joins the command rob.

  2. Nechoď tam sám.

    Don't go there alone.

    The negative of choď. Sám (alone) is masculine, so this speaks to a man or boy.

  3. Nebojte sa, všetko bude v poriadku.

    Don't be afraid, everything will be fine.

    A polite or plural negative command with sa.

  4. Neplač.

    Don't cry.

    Plakať → oni plačú → plač → neplač.

  5. Nezabudni si kľúče!

    Don't forget your keys!

    A perfective negative command warns against an accident: forgetting.

  6. Nehovorte tak rýchlo, prosím.

    Please don't speak so fast.

    Imperfective hovoriť for a request not to do something.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing ne- as a separate word.

    Ne rob to!
    Nerob to!

    Ne- is always joined to the verb, in commands as in other forms.

  • Using nie in front of the command.

    Nie choď tam!
    Nechoď tam!

    Slovak commands are negated with the prefix ne-, not with the separate word nie.

  • Using a perfective verb to forbid a deliberate action. The intended meaning is a plain "Don't call him".

    Nezavolaj mu!
    Nevolaj mu!

    To tell someone not to do something on purpose, use the imperfective volať. A negative perfective like nezavolaj sounds like a warning against doing it by accident.

How It Connects

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

Negative CommandsLevel 2

Learn This First

Before Negative Commands, learn Commands to One Person and Negating Verbs With ne-. Negative commands start from the command form. They add ne-, written together with the verb.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ne-