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
Polish does not use auxiliary verbs in Present Tense. In order to create a short answer like in English No, I don't. use the word nie(no / not) and 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 nigdy(never), nikt(no one), nic(nothing), etc., English omits don't/doesn't. In Polish, the word nie stays. This creates what appears to be double negation, though it functions as a single negation.
Examples
Nikt nie wie.- No one knows.
Nigdy nie piję alkoholu.- I never drink alcohol.
Nic nie ma znaczenia.- Nothing matters.
Sentences in English that use anything, anywhere, etc. are also translated into Polish as double (or even triple) negation.
Examples
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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