Negation with 'nu' — Romanian Grammar

To make a sentence negative, put ("not") directly in front of the verb. There is nothing else to change:

Știu.
I know.
Nu știu.
I don't know.
Nu vorbesc românește.
I don't speak Romanian.

'No' as an Answer

The same word also means "no" on its own, in reply to a question:

Ești obosit?
Are you tired?
Nu
No.

It Shrinks Before Object Pronouns

When a short object pronoun follows, often contracts with it using a hyphen - a written sign of how it sounds in one breath:

Nu îl văd. → Nu-l văd.
I don't see him.
Nu îmi place. → Nu-mi place.
I don't like it.

(These contractions have their own topic.)

Double Negation Is Required

Unlike standard English, Romanian uses two negative words together. When a negative word like (nothing) or (nobody) is in the sentence, the verb still keeps :

Nu vreau nimic.
I don't want anything. (literally: I don't want nothing)
Nu văd pe nimeni.
I don't see anybody.

Negative Commands

For a negative command to one person, is followed by the infinitive (the -less dictionary form): (don't leave!). This is covered in the Imperative topic.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Romanian course

73 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 16. A few of them, with the words “Negation with 'nu'” is about in bold:

Și el doarme. Ea nu doarme.
He is also sleeping. She isn't.
Lesson 16
Mă simt foarte bine! Nu sunt bolnav. Sunt sănătos.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64
Nu te-am mai văzut de nouă ani!
I haven't seen you for nine years!
Lesson 175

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