Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
To negate nouns and adjectives in Croatian, use the negative form of the verb 'to be' (biti) or the particle 'ne'.
- Use 'nije' to negate 'is' (e.g., 'On nije sretan' - He is not happy).
- Use 'nisam' for 'I am not' (e.g., 'Ja nisam gladan' - I am not hungry).
- Use 'ne' for general negation of actions, but 'nije' for states of being.
Negated 'Biti' (To Be)
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
|
1st
|
nisam
|
nismo
|
|
2nd
|
nisi
|
niste
|
|
3rd
|
nije
|
nisu
|
Meanings
The negation of nouns and adjectives in Croatian is primarily achieved by using the negated forms of the verb 'biti' (to be).
Negating existence/identity
Used to deny that something is a specific thing or has a specific quality.
“Ja nisam student.”
“Ovo nije dobro.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + sam/si/je
|
Ja sam sretan
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + nisam/nisi/nije
|
Ja nisam sretan
|
|
Question
|
Nisam/Nisi/Nije + Subject?
|
Nisi li sretan?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Nisam / Jesam
|
Jesi li umoran? Nisam.
|
|
Plural Neg
|
Subject + nismo/niste/nisu
|
Mi nismo umorni
|
|
Past Neg
|
Subject + nisam/nisi/nije + bio/bila
|
Nisam bio tamo
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
Nisam spreman. (General)
Nisam spreman. (General)
Nisam spreman. (General)
Nisam još. (General)
Negation Map
Singular
- nisam I am not
- nisi you are not
- nije he/she/it is not
Plural
- nismo we are not
- niste you are not
- nisu they are not
수준별 예문
Ja nisam gladan.
I am not hungry.
Ovo nije moja kava.
This is not my coffee.
Oni nisu ovdje.
They are not here.
Ti nisi sretan.
You are not happy.
Mi nismo umorni.
We are not tired.
Vi niste spremni.
You are not ready.
Ona nije liječnica.
She is not a doctor.
Ovaj auto nije nov.
This car is not new.
Nisam siguran u to.
I am not sure about that.
Nije bilo lako.
It was not easy.
Nismo znali za taj problem.
We didn't know about that problem.
Niste bili u pravu.
You were not right.
Nije mi jasno zašto to radiš.
It is not clear to me why you are doing that.
Nisam baš oduševljen tom idejom.
I am not exactly thrilled with that idea.
Nisu svi ljudi isti.
Not all people are the same.
Nije baš najpametnije rješenje.
It is not exactly the smartest solution.
Nisam ni pomislio da bi moglo biti tako.
I didn't even think it could be like that.
Nije se činilo kao dobra prilika.
It didn't seem like a good opportunity.
Nismo bili svjesni posljedica.
We were not aware of the consequences.
Niste li rekli da ćete doći?
Didn't you say you would come?
Nije da se ne slažem, ali imam primjedbu.
It's not that I disagree, but I have a remark.
Nisam bio u mogućnosti prisustvovati.
I was not in a position to attend.
Nisu to baš jednostavne stvari.
Those are not exactly simple things.
Nije bilo druge nego otići.
There was no other choice but to leave.
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners mix up action negation and state negation.
Mixing singular and plural forms.
Mixing up the positive and negative.
자주 하는 실수
Ja ne sam umoran
Ja nisam umoran
Ovo nije umoran
Ovo nije umorno
Ja nisam gladna (if male)
Ja nisam gladan
Oni ne su ovdje
Oni nisu ovdje
Nisam bio umorna (if male)
Nisam bio umoran
Nije to istina
To nije istina
Nismo gladni
Mi nismo gladni
Nisam imao vremena
Nisam imao vremena
Nije bilo nikoga
Nije bilo nikoga
Nisam vidio ništa
Nisam vidio ništa
Nije da ja ne želim
Nije da ne želim
Nisam bio u mogućnosti da dođem
Nisam bio u mogućnosti doći
Nije se radilo o tome
Nije se radilo o tome
Nisam siguran ako
Nisam siguran je li
문장 패턴
Ja ___ ___.
Ovo ___ ___.
Mi ___ ___.
___ li ti ___?
Real World Usage
Nisam još stigao.
Ovo nije moja narudžba.
Nisam početnik.
Ovaj vlak nije za Split.
Nije mi jasno.
Nisam zadovoljan uslugom.
Gender Matters
No Separation
Stress the NI
Dalmatian Variation
Smart Tips
Use 'nisam' instead of 'ne sam'.
Use 'nije'.
Use 'nismo', 'niste', or 'nisu'.
Use 'Nisi li...?'
발음
Stress
The negative form always carries the stress.
Declarative
Ja nisam gladan ↓
Falling intonation for statements.
Question
Nisi li gladan? ↑
Rising intonation for questions.
암기하기
기억법
Think of 'NI' as 'NO'. NI-sam, NI-si, NI-je. It's the 'NI' sound that says 'NO'.
시각적 연상
Imagine a giant 'NI' sign blocking a door. You try to enter, but the sign says 'Nisam' (I am not allowed in).
Rhyme
Nisam, nisi, nije, to je sve što ti se krije!
Story
Marko is hungry. He looks at the menu. He says 'Nisam gladan' (I am not hungry). He looks at the prices. He says 'Ovo nije jeftino' (This is not cheap). He leaves.
Word Web
챌린지
Write 5 sentences about things you are NOT today (e.g., I am not a doctor, I am not tired).
문화 노트
In Dalmatia, people often shorten 'nisam' to 'nisan'.
Standard Croatian is used, but intonation is often flatter.
Similar to standard, very clear pronunciation.
The negative forms are a contraction of the particle 'ne' and the verb 'biti'.
대화 시작하기
Jesi li umoran?
Je li ovo tvoja knjiga?
Jesu li oni spremni?
Nisi li ti iz Zagreba?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
Ja ___ umoran.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Oni ne su ovdje.
umoran / nisam / Ja
Mi (biti - negative)
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Can you separate 'ne' and 'sam'?
A: Jesi li gladan? B: ___.
Score: /8
연습 문제
8 exercisesJa ___ umoran.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Oni ne su ovdje.
umoran / nisam / Ja
Mi (biti - negative)
Match: 3rd person singular
Can you separate 'ne' and 'sam'?
A: Jesi li gladan? B: ___.
Score: /8
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
No, you must use 'nisam'.
Yes, it must agree with the subject's gender.
Use 'li' or intonation.
No, use 'ne' for actions.
Use 'nismo', 'niste', or 'nisu'.
It is neutral and used in all registers.
It is a historical contraction.
Yes, 'Nisam gladan' is perfectly fine.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
bin nicht
Croatian uses a single fused word.
ne suis pas
Croatian is more compact.
no soy
Croatian is fused.
de wa nai
Croatian uses a prefix-based fusion.
lastu
Arabic is a Semitic language, Croatian is Slavic.
bu shi
Chinese does not conjugate.
