Negation and Double Negatives

01

Where the Prefix Goes

It attaches to whichever word carries the tense. In the past that is the participle, not the auxiliary; in the compound future it is budu.

• Nepřišli.

  They didn't come.

• Nebudu čekat.

  I won't wait.

02

The One Irregular Form

Být follows the rule in five of its six present forms. The third person singular does not: is not is není.

• Není doma.

  He isn't at home.

• To není pravda.

  That's not true.

03

Negatives Pile Up

This is the rule that most surprises English speakers. If a sentence contains a negative word, the verb must be negative too, and so must every other negative word in it. Two, three or four negatives do not cancel out; they agree.

• Nikdy nic neříká.

  He never says anything.

• Nemám žádné kamarády.

  I don't have any friends.

• Nikdo tam nebyl.

  Nobody was there.

Leaving the verb positive after nikdo or nic is not a stylistic choice but a mistake; the sentence will not parse.

04

Negating Something Other Than the Verb

To deny one particular word rather than the whole statement, put ne in front of that word as a separate syllable and leave the verb alone.

• Dveře se musí tlačit, ne tahat.

  The door has to be pushed, not pulled.

05

Answering No

Ne on its own is the word for no. In a fuller answer Czech repeats the negated verb rather than using a short form of the English I don't kind.

• Nemáš práci? Nemám.

  Don't you have a job? No, I don't.

06

Negating an Infinitive

An infinitive takes the prefix like any other verb form, with no extra word.

• Rozhodl jsem se nekouřit.

  I've decided not to smoke.

07

Not Having To, and Not Being Allowed

The two negated modals mean opposite things and are easy to confuse. Nemusíš removes an obligation; nesmíš imposes a ban.

• Nemusíš čekat.

  You don't have to wait.

• Tyto dveře nesmíš zamknout.

  You mustn't lock this door.

08

Negated Words in the Dictionary

The prefix also builds ordinary vocabulary. Many common adjectives and nouns are simply a positive word with ne- in front, and they are written as one word like any other.

• Je nezaměstnaná.

  She is unemployed.

• To je nesmysl.

  That's nonsense.