Negation
Negation
Negating a sentence in Polish is simpler than in English, and double negatives — which English treats as an error — are actually required.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
nie Goes Right Before the Verb
Nie mówię po polsku.
I don't speak Polish.
To negate a sentence, place nie immediately before the conjugated verb — that's the whole rule. There's no auxiliary verb like English 'do/does' to insert: Nie mówię po polsku is a complete, natural sentence exactly as written.
Double Negatives Are Correct, Not Sloppy
Nie widzę nikogo.
I don't see anyone.
Words like nic (nothing), nikt (no one), and nigdy (never) still need nie before the verb as well: Nie widzę nikogo is literally 'I don't see no one', and it's the only correct way to say 'I don't see anyone'. Where English treats stacked negatives as a mistake, Polish requires them — the same pattern shows up across most Slavic languages.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- not
- English
- nothing
- English
- no one / nobody
- English
- never
- English
- neither...nor
- English
- not yet
- English
- there isn't
- English
- I don't have
- English
- I don't know
- English
- it doesn't matter
- English
- I can't
- English
- I don't want