Negation with "nie"

Nie wiem. Nie mam czasu. Nikt nie wie.I don't know. I don't have time. Nobody knows.

Polish negation is refreshingly regular: the small word nie goes in front of the verb, and that is almost the whole story. The one surprise for many learners is that Polish does not stop at one negative word, so nikt (nobody), nic (nothing), nigdy (never) and nigdzie (nowhere) all appear together with nie.

Quick shortcut: nie stands right before the verb (Nie czytam.), and it stays when a negative word such as nikt, nic, nigdy, nigdzie is in the sentence (Nikt nie wie.).

English builds a negative with do (I don't know) and normally allows only one negative word in a clause (I don't know anything). Polish needs no helper verb, just nie before the verb, and it keeps nie next to words like nic: Nic nie wiem. (literally "Nothing not I know".)

Nie before the verb

To negate a sentence, put nie directly in front of the verb. The verb keeps the same form as in the positive sentence, and nie is written as a separate word:

The same rule works for every verb pattern from the lessons on -am, -asz verbs, -ę, -esz verbs, -ę, -isz / -ysz verbs and irregular verbs.

Nie with modal verbs and in the past

When two verbs stand together, nie goes before the first one, the verb that carries the person ending:

• Nie chcę jeść. (I don't want to eat.)
• Nie chcemy mówić po polsku. (We don't want to speak Polish.)

Putting nie before the infinitive is possible too, but then it negates only that verb and the meaning changes (Chcę nie jeść. is "I want to not eat"). The full pattern is in Modal verbs with the infinitive.

Nie also stands before the verb in the past tense, with the same position and the same verb form as in the positive sentence:

• Wczoraj nie pracowałem. (I didn't work yesterday. A man speaking.)

The past forms themselves are explained in Past tense: -ł, -ła, -ło forms.

Nie jest and nie ma

With być (to be), nie jest says that something is not so, or is not a certain thing or kind:

• To nie jest mój pies. (This is not my dog.)
• Ona nie jest zmęczona. (She is not tired.)
• Anna nie jest w domu. (Anna is not at home.)

Nie ma says that something or someone is missing or does not exist. It is a fixed expression, and the thing that is missing takes the genitive:

• Nie ma mleka. (There is no milk.)
• Nie ma Anny w domu. (Anna isn't at home.)

The forms after nie ma are explained in The genitive case: absence with "nie ma".

Nie as an answer

Nie is also the word for "no". In a short answer it often appears twice, once as "no" and once as "not":

• Czy masz brata? – Nie. (Do you have a brother? – No.)
• Czy znasz Annę? – Nie, nie znam. (Do you know Anna? – No, I don't.)

Nikt, nic, nigdy, nigdzie

Four negative words match the "some-" words someone, something, always and somewhere. Each of them is used together with nie before the verb:

• Nikt nie wie. (Nobody knows.)
• Nic nie wiem. (I don't know anything.)
• Nigdy nie pracuję w niedzielę. (I never work on Sunday.)
• Nigdzie nie idę. (I'm not going anywhere.)

The negative word usually comes before the verb, but it can also follow the verb (Nie wiem nic.). Nie is needed in both orders, and a sentence with only the negative word (Nikt wie.) is not correct Polish.

Nikt and nic change their form with the case, like kto and co. As an object, nikt becomes nikogo: Nikogo nie znam. (I don't know anyone.) The case endings come later in the course.

The object after nie

In standard Polish the direct object of a negated verb usually takes the genitive instead of the form it has in a positive sentence. You have already met this with mieć:

• Mam czas. → Nie mam czasu. (I have time. → I don't have time.)
• Pijesz kawę. → Nie pijesz kawy. (You drink coffee. → You don't drink coffee.)

For now it is enough to notice the pattern and learn common phrases such as nie mam czasu. The genitive endings are explained in the lessons on possession and quantity and absence.

Common mistakes

• ❌ Ja czytam nie. → ✅ Ja nie czytam. (nie stands before the verb, not after it)
• ❌ Nikt wie. → ✅ Nikt nie wie. (a negative word still needs nie)
• ❌ Mam nic. → ✅ Nie mam nic. (nic needs nie before the verb)
• ❌ Nigdy jem w restauracji. → ✅ Nigdy nie jem w restauracji. (nigdy needs nie too)
• ❌ Nie mam czas. → ✅ Nie mam czasu. (the object after a negated mieć takes the genitive)

Quick check

How would each sentence look in the negative, and which words fit the gaps?

1. Mieszkam w Warszawie.
2. Anna jest w domu.
3. Mamy czas.
4. ___ ___ mieszka tutaj. (nobody)
5. Marek ___ ___ w niedzielę. (never works; pracować)
6. Czy znasz Annę? – ___, ___ znam. (No, I don't.)

Key takeaways

• Nie goes directly before the verb, as a separate word: Nie wiem.
• With two verbs, nie stands before the first one: Nie chcę jeść.
• Nie jest says that something is not so; nie ma says that something is missing, and the missing thing takes the genitive.
• Nie is also the word for "no": Nie, nie znam.
• Nikt, nic, nigdy, nigdzie are always used together with nie: Nikt nie wie.
• The object of a negated verb usually takes the genitive: Mam czas. but Nie mam czasu.