Negation in Polish works differently from English. The first difference is that Polish does not use auxiliary verbs (don't, doesn't, didn't, etc.) to express negation. The second difference is that when using words such as never, no one, nothing, etc., the word not is not omitted before the verb.
Simple negation
To turn an affirmative sentence into a negative sentence, place the word nie (no/not) before the verb.
Examples
Nie wiem.- I don’t know.
Nie chcę iść do szkoły.- I don’t want to go to school.
Nie słyszę telewizora.- I don’t hear the TV.
Nie mogę jej zrozumieć.- I cannot understand her.
Nie widzę w tym sensu.- I do not see any sense in it.
Short negation sentences
As mentioned earlier, Polish does not use auxiliary verbs. Consequently, Polish does not have short answers such as those in English (No, I don't). Instead, Polish uses the word nie followed by the verb from the question, conjugated according to the subject of the sentence.
Examples
Czy chcesz iść do kina? Nie, nie chcę.
Do you want to go to the cinema? No, I don’t.
Czy słyszycie muzykę? Nie, nie słyszymy.
Do you hear the music? No, we don’t.
Double and triple negation
When using words such as never, no one, nothing, etc., English omits the auxiliary verb and the word not. In Polish, the word nie is not omitted in such cases and remains in its usual position before the verb. This creates what appears to be double negation, though it functions as a single negation.
Sentences in English that use anything, anywhere, etc. are also translated into Polish as double negation.
Examples
Nikt nie wie.- No one knows.
Nigdy nie piję alkoholu.- I never drink alcohol.
Nic nie ma znaczenia.- Nothing matters.
Nic nie rozumiem.- I don’t understand anything.
Nikogo nie znam.- I don’t know anyone.
Nikt nigdzie nie idzie.- Nobody is going anywhere.
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Cases - Noun Declension
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