MozhiLingo
via
Learning
← All lessons
Lesson 13A1

Negation

నిషేధం

Negating a sentence in Polish is a single added word before the verb — Telugu instead usually changes the verb's own form. Both languages, though, agree that stacking negative words is correct, not sloppy.

Grammar Comparison

వ్యాకరణ పోలిక

nie Goes Right Before the Verb — Telugu Changes the Verb Itself Instead

Polish

Nie mówię po polsku.

Telugu

నేను పోలిష్ మాట్లాడను.

Telugu negates mainly by changing the verb's own form — మాట్లాడతాను ('I will speak') becomes మాట్లాడను ('I don't/won't speak'), swapping in a negative ending rather than adding one plain extra word. Polish takes the simpler route: place nie immediately before the conjugated verb, and nothing about the verb itself changes — mówię ('I speak') stays mówię, just preceded by nie. Nie mówię po polsku is a complete, natural sentence exactly as written, with no verb-form swap needed the way Telugu requires.

Double Negatives Are Correct in Both Languages

Polish

Nie widzę nikogo.

Telugu

నాకు ఎవరూ కనిపించడం లేదు.

Telugu already pairs a negative-polarity word like ఎవరూ ('anyone at all') with a negated verb — నాకు ఎవరూ కనిపించడం లేదు is literally 'to-me anyone-at-all not-appearing', not a single clean 'nobody'. Polish works the same way: 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' — stacking the negative-polarity word with a negated verb, exactly like Telugu does.

Vocabulary

పదజాలం

nienyeh
Telugu
కాదుkaadu
English
not
nicneets
Telugu
ఏమీ లేదుemee ledu
English
nothing
niktneekt
Telugu
ఎవరూ లేరుevaroo leru
English
no one / nobody
nigdyNEEG-dih
Telugu
ఎప్పుడూ లేదుeppudoo ledu
English
never
ani...aniAH-nee AH-nee
Telugu
ఇది కాదు అది కాదుidi kaadu adi kaadu
English
neither...nor
jeszcze nieYESH-cheh nyeh
Telugu
ఇంకా లేదుinkaa ledu
English
not yet
nie manyeh mah
Telugu
లేదుledu
English
there isn't
nie mamnyeh mahm
Telugu
నా దగ్గర లేదుnaa daggara ledu
English
I don't have
nie wiemnyeh vyem
Telugu
నాకు తెలియదుnaaku teliyadu
English
I don't know
nie szkodzinyeh SHKOH-jee
Telugu
పరవాలేదుparavaaledu
English
it doesn't matter
nie mogęnyeh MOH-geh
Telugu
నేను చేయలేనుnenu cheyalenu
English
I can't
nie chcęnyeh khtseh
Telugu
నాకు వద్దుnaaku vaddu
English
I don't want