Negation

01

Negating a Verb

Attach ne- directly to the front of the verb:

• Aš nedirbu.

  I do not work.

• Ji nežino.

  She does not know.

• Nesuprantu.

  I don't understand.

There is no extra helper like English "do/does/did" - the prefix alone does the job, in every tense and person.

02

"ne" as "No"

On its own, ne is the answer "no", and it also negates individual words for contrast:

• Ar tu pavargęs? Ne.

  Are you tired? No.

• Ne šiandien, o rytoj.

  Not today, but tomorrow.

• Ne aš.

  Not me.

03

Negation Sends the Object to the Genitive

Negation does not stop at the verb. When you negate one, its direct object changes out of the accusative and into the genitive:

• Matau autobusą.

  I see the bus.

• Nematau autobuso.

  I don't see the bus.

• Neturiu laiko.

  I don't have time.

04

Double Negation Is Required

When a sentence contains a negative word such as niekas (nobody/nothing), niekada (never) or niekur (nowhere), the verb must also be negated. Two negatives are correct and expected here, not a mistake:

• Niekas nežino.

  Nobody knows.

• Niekada nevalgau mėsos.

  I never eat meat.

• Nieko nematau.

  I see nothing.

05

Negating Single Words

The prefix ne- is not only for verbs - it attaches to adjectives and adverbs to make an opposite, written as one word:

• negerai

  not good / badly.

• nelaimingas

  unhappy.

• negalima

  (it is) not allowed.

With a pronoun or a separate phrase, the negative ne stands as its own word for contrast: ne čia (not here), ne dabar (not now).

06

"There Is No" - nėra

The negative of yra ("there is") is the special form nėra, and it pulls its noun into the genitive. The past tense does the same thing with its own negative form:

• Nėra problemos.

  There is no problem.

• Nėra vietos.

  There is no room.

• Manęs nebuvo namie.

  I was not at home. (literally "of-me there-was-not at home")

07

"neither … nor", "not even"

The word nei links two negated items, and nė adds "not even":

• Nei tu, nei aš.

  Neither you nor I.

• Nė žodžio.

  Not a (single) word.

• Nė kiek.

  Not at all / not a bit.