A0 Negation 1 min read Leicht

Negative 'Být' (Nejsem)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To make the verb 'být' (to be) negative in Czech, simply add the prefix 'ne-' to the start of the conjugated form.

  • Add 'ne-' to the start: 'jsem' becomes 'nejsem'.
  • The negative prefix 'ne-' is always attached directly to the verb.
  • No extra words like 'not' are needed; the prefix does all the work.
ne- + [verb] = negative verb

Meanings

The negation of the verb 'být' (to be) is used to express that something or someone is not in a certain state or place.

1

Identity/State

Expressing that someone is not something.

“Nejsem student.”

“Nejsi doma.”

Negation of Být

Person Affirmative Negative
Já jsem nejsem
Ty jsi nejsi
On/ona/ono je není
My jsme nejsme
Vy jste nejste
Oni/ony jsou nejsou

Reference Table

Reference table for Negative 'Být' (Nejsem)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Subject + Verb Jsem student.
Negative Subject + ne-Verb Nejsem student.
Question Verb + Subject? Jsi student?
Negative Question ne-Verb + Subject? Nejsi student?
Short Answer (Yes) Ano, [verb] Ano, jsem.
Short Answer (No) Ne, [ne-verb] Ne, nejsem.

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Nejsem připraven.

Nejsem připraven. (Meeting preparation)

Neutral
Nejsem připravený.

Nejsem připravený. (Meeting preparation)

Informell
Nejsem připravenej.

Nejsem připravenej. (Meeting preparation)

Umgangssprache
Nejsem ready.

Nejsem ready. (Meeting preparation)

Negation Logic

Verb Být

Affirmative

  • jsem I am

Negative

  • nejsem I am not
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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Nejsem student.

I am not a student.

2

Nejsi doma.

You are not at home.

3

On není tady.

He is not here.

4

Nejsme unavení.

We are not tired.

1

Nejste připraveni na zkoušku.

You are not prepared for the exam.

2

Nejsou to moji přátelé.

They are not my friends.

3

Nejsem si jistý.

I am not sure.

4

To není pravda.

That is not true.

1

Nejsem zvyklý na takové počasí.

I am not used to such weather.

2

Nejsi jediný, kdo to neví.

You are not the only one who doesn't know it.

3

Není to tak složité, jak to vypadá.

It is not as complicated as it looks.

4

Nejsme v pozici, abychom mohli rozhodovat.

We are not in a position to decide.

1

Nejsem si vědom žádných změn.

I am not aware of any changes.

2

Nejsou to zrovna ideální podmínky.

These are not exactly ideal conditions.

3

Není pochyb o tom, že máš pravdu.

There is no doubt that you are right.

4

Nejste povinni odpovídat na tuto otázku.

You are not obliged to answer this question.

1

Nejsem nikterak nadšený z toho výsledku.

I am not at all enthusiastic about that result.

2

Není radno podceňovat situaci.

It is not advisable to underestimate the situation.

3

Nejsou to fakta, která by se dala ignorovat.

These are not facts that could be ignored.

4

Nejste-li spokojeni, můžete podat stížnost.

If you are not satisfied, you can file a complaint.

1

Nejsem s to pochopit jejich motivaci.

I am not able to understand their motivation.

2

Není-liž pravda, že jsme se již setkali?

Is it not true that we have already met?

3

Nejsou to jen prázdná slova.

These are not just empty words.

4

Nejste-li si jisti, zeptejte se.

If you are not sure, ask.

Leicht verwechselbar

Negative 'Být' (Nejsem) vs. Negation of 'mít' (to have)

Learners think 'mít' negates like 'být'.

Negative 'Být' (Nejsem) vs. Past tense negation

Learners try to use 'nejsem' for past.

Negative 'Být' (Nejsem) vs. Double negation

Learners avoid double negatives.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Ne jsem

✓

Nejsem

Negation must be one word.
✗

Neje

✓

Není

The form 'je' becomes 'není'.
✗

Nejsou student

✓

Nejsou studenti

Plural agreement is required.
✗

Já nejsem doma

✓

Nejsem doma

Subject pronouns are often dropped.
✗

Nejsi unaven

✓

Nejsi unavený

Adjective agreement is needed.
✗

Nejsme v Praze

✓

Nejsme v Praze

This is correct, but watch for case endings.
✗

Nejsou to oni

✓

Nejsou to oni

Correct, but ensure word order is natural.
✗

Není to pravda

✓

Není to pravda

Correct, but check for context.
✗

Nejsem si jist

✓

Nejsem si jistý

Full form is preferred in speech.
✗

Nejsme tam byli

✓

Nebyli jsme tam

Past tense negation is different.
✗

Není-liž to pravda

✓

Není-liž to pravda

Correct, but archaic.
✗

Nejsem s to to udělat

✓

Nejsem s to to udělat

Correct, but complex.
✗

Nejsou to fakta

✓

Nejsou to fakta

Correct.
✗

Nejsem nadšen

✓

Nejsem nadšený

Full form is better.

Satzmuster

Nejsem ___.

Nejsi ___.

To není ___.

Nejsme ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Nejsem doma.

Social Media very common

Nejsem online.

Job Interview common

Nejsem si jistý.

Ordering Food common

Nejsem alergický.

Travel common

Nejsem turista.

Formal Email occasional

Nejsem schopen.

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💡

One word only

Always write 'nejsem' as one word. Never separate it.
⚠️

The 'není' exception

Remember that 'je' becomes 'není'. This is the only irregular form.
🎯

Subject dropping

You can often drop the subject pronoun (e.g., 'Nejsem doma' instead of 'Já nejsem doma').
💬

Be direct

Czechs appreciate directness. 'Nejsem' is not considered rude.

Smart Tips

Just add 'ne-' to the affirmative form.

Jsem doma. → Nejsem doma.

Remember to change it to 'není'.

On je doma. → On není doma.

Check if you wrote it as one word.

Ne jsem. → Nejsem.

Don't worry about the subject pronoun.

Já nejsem unavený. → Nejsem unavený.

Aussprache

/nɛ/

Prefix 'ne-'

The 'e' is short and clear.

/nɛɲiː/

Není

The 'í' is a long vowel.

Declarative

Nejsem unavený. ↘

Falling intonation for statements.

Interrogative

Nejsi unavený? ↗

Rising intonation for questions.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Think of 'ne-' as a 'No' button you press on the front of the verb.

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a giant red 'NE' sticker being slapped onto the front of the word 'JSEM'.

Rhyme

When you want to say it's not, just add 'ne-' to the spot.

Story

Petr is a very positive person. He always says 'Jsem šťastný' (I am happy). But today, he is sad. He looks in the mirror and says 'Nejsem šťastný' (I am not happy). He realizes that adding 'ne-' changed his whole world.

Word Web

nejsemnejsinenínejsmenejstenejsou

Herausforderung

Write 5 sentences about things you are NOT today (e.g., I am not tired, I am not hungry).

Kulturelle Hinweise

Czechs are often direct. Using 'Nejsem' is perfectly polite.

In some dialects, the pronunciation of 'ne-' might be slightly more open.

In colloquial Prague speech, 'nejsem' often becomes 'nejsem' but with specific vowel shifts.

The 'ne-' prefix is Proto-Slavic in origin, meaning 'not'.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Jsi unavený?

“

Jsi z Prahy?

“

Je to tvoje kniha?

“

Jste připraveni na cestu?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Write 5 things you are not today.
Describe a place you are not at right now.
Explain why something is not true.
Discuss a role you are not currently in.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct negative form.

Já ___ student.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsem
First person singular is 'nejsem'.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

On ___ doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: není
Third person singular is 'není'.
Correct the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ne jsem doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nejsem doma
Must be one word.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

student nejsem já

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Já nejsem student.
Standard word order.
What is the negative of 'jsme'? Conjugation Drill

jsme -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsme
Prefix 'ne-' added to 'jsme'.
Match the person to the negative form. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsi
Second person singular is 'nejsi'.
Complete the response. Dialogue Completion

Jsi Čech? - Ne, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsem
Responding to 'Jsi' with 'nejsem'.
Is this true? True False Rule

The prefix 'ne-' is always written as a separate word.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is always attached.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the correct negative form.

Já ___ student.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsem
First person singular is 'nejsem'.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

On ___ doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: není
Third person singular is 'není'.
Correct the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ne jsem doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nejsem doma
Must be one word.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Já nejsem student.
Standard word order.
What is the negative of 'jsme'? Conjugation Drill

jsme -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsme
Prefix 'ne-' added to 'jsme'.
Match the person to the negative form. Match Pairs

Ty -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsi
Second person singular is 'nejsi'.
Complete the response. Dialogue Completion

Jsi Čech? - Ne, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nejsem
Responding to 'Jsi' with 'nejsem'.
Is this true? True False Rule

The prefix 'ne-' is always written as a separate word.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is always attached.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

Historically, 'je' changed to 'není' to make it easier to pronounce.

It is only for the verb 'být'. Other verbs have their own forms.

It is neutral and used in all contexts.

No, it is optional.

Use 'Nejsem student'.

Yes, 'ne' means 'no'.

Just add a question mark: 'Nejsi doma?'

Yes, but 'ne-' is the most common.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish low

No soy

Prefix vs separate word.

French low

Je ne suis pas

Circumfix vs prefix.

German low

Ich bin nicht

Post-verbal particle vs prefix.

Japanese low

Watashi wa ... dewa arimasen

Suffix vs prefix.

Arabic low

Laysa

Negative verb vs prefix.

Chinese low

Bù shì

Particle vs prefix.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Present Tense of 'Být'

Related Grammar Rules

A1

The Prefix 'ne-' for Verbs
A1

Double Negation in Czech
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