A2 Negation 1 min read Fácil

Negation of Perfekt (Nisam radio)

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Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To negate the past tense in Croatian, simply add the prefix 'ni-' to the auxiliary verb 'biti'.

  • Use the negated auxiliary 'nisam', 'nisi', 'nije', etc. (e.g., 'Nisam radio' - I didn't work).
  • The past participle (radio/radila) remains unchanged regardless of the negation.
  • The negated auxiliary verb always comes before the participle.
Subject + (ni + auxiliary verb) + past participle

Negated Auxiliary 'Biti' (Past Tense)

Person Singular Plural
1st
nisam
nismo
2nd
nisi
niste
3rd
nije
nisu

Meanings

The negation of the Perfekt tense is used to describe actions that did not happen in the past.

1

Simple negation

Denying a completed action in the past.

“Nisam spavao.”

“Nismo jeli.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Negation of Perfekt (Nisam radio)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Aux + Participle
Ja sam radio
Negative
Neg-Aux + Participle
Ja nisam radio
Question
Aux + Subj + Participle
Jesam li radio?
Neg-Question
Neg-Aux + Subj + Participle
Nisam li radio?
Short Answer (Yes)
Aux
Jesam
Short Answer (No)
Neg-Aux
Nisam

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Nisam to učinio.

Nisam to učinio. (General)

Neutro
Nisam to napravio.

Nisam to napravio. (General)

Informal
Nisam to napravio.

Nisam to napravio. (General)

Gíria
Nisam to izveo.

Nisam to izveo. (General)

The Negation Tree

Negation

Singular

  • nisam I didn't
  • nisi you didn't
  • nije he/she/it didn't

Plural

  • nismo we didn't
  • niste you didn't
  • nisu they didn't

Affirmative vs Negative

Affirmative
sam radio I worked
Negative
nisam radio I didn't work

Formation Flow

1

Is it past tense?

YES
Use 'biti' auxiliary
NO
Use other rules
2

Is it negative?

YES
Add 'ni-' to 'biti'
NO
Keep 'biti' as is
Cadastre-se grátis para ler a explicação completa

Exemplos por nível

1

Nisam jeo.

I didn't eat.

2

Nisi spavao.

You didn't sleep.

3

Nije došao.

He didn't come.

4

Nismo pili.

We didn't drink.

1

Nisam vidio taj film.

I didn't see that movie.

2

Niste kupili kruh.

You didn't buy bread.

3

Nisu znali odgovor.

They didn't know the answer.

4

Nisam radila jučer.

I didn't work yesterday.

1

Nisam stigao završiti zadatak na vrijeme.

I didn't manage to finish the task on time.

2

Nismo znali da ste već otišli.

We didn't know you had already left.

3

Nije mi rekla istinu.

She didn't tell me the truth.

4

Niste nam poslali pozivnicu.

You didn't send us the invitation.

1

Nisam bio svjestan ozbiljnosti situacije.

I wasn't aware of the seriousness of the situation.

2

Nisu uspjeli postići dogovor.

They didn't manage to reach an agreement.

3

Nije se pojavila na sastanku.

She didn't show up at the meeting.

4

Nismo mogli predvidjeti ovakav ishod.

We couldn't have predicted this outcome.

1

Nisam ni slutio da će se stvari tako razviti.

I didn't even suspect that things would develop this way.

2

Nisu se usudili suprotstaviti njegovoj odluci.

They didn't dare to oppose his decision.

3

Nije mi palo na pamet da provjerim.

It didn't cross my mind to check.

4

Nismo bili u mogućnosti prisustvovati.

We were not in a position to attend.

1

Nisam bio kadar razumjeti dubinu njezine melankolije.

I was not capable of understanding the depth of her melancholy.

2

Nisu se libili izraziti svoje neslaganje.

They didn't hesitate to express their disagreement.

3

Nije se dalo naslutiti da je kraj blizu.

It couldn't be sensed that the end was near.

4

Nismo bili voljni prihvatiti takve uvjete.

We were not willing to accept such terms.

Fácil de confundir

Negation of Perfekt (Nisam radio) vs Present vs Past Negation

Learners often use 'ne' for past tense.

Negation of Perfekt (Nisam radio) vs Reflexive Verbs

Placement of 'se' in negative past.

Negation of Perfekt (Nisam radio) vs Gender Agreement

Using masculine participle for female subjects.

Erros comuns

✗

Ne sam radio

✓

Nisam radio

You must fuse 'ne' into the auxiliary.
✗

Nisam radila (if male)

✓

Nisam radio

Gender agreement is required.
✗

Nisam radili

✓

Nisam radio

Number agreement is required.
✗

Nisam radim

✓

Nisam radio

You must use the past participle, not the present tense.
✗

Nije došli

✓

Nije došao

Subject-participle agreement.
✗

Nismo radio

✓

Nismo radili

Plural agreement.
✗

Nisu vidio

✓

Nisu vidjeli

Plural agreement.
✗

Nisam bio radio

✓

Nisam radio

Avoid double auxiliaries.
✗

Nije se desilo

✓

Nije se desilo (correct, but check reflexive placement)

Reflexive pronouns must be placed correctly.
✗

Nisam imao vidio

✓

Nisam vidio

Overcomplicating the tense.
✗

Nisam bio u mogućnosti da sam uradio

✓

Nisam bio u mogućnosti uraditi

Avoid redundant clauses.
✗

Nisu se libili da ne urade

✓

Nisu se libili uraditi

Double negation issues.
✗

Nije se dalo da se vidi

✓

Nije se dalo vidjeti

Simplification of passive structures.

Padrões de frases

Nisam ___ jučer.

Nismo ___ taj film.

Nije ___ na sastanak.

Nisu ___ da će biti tako.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Nisam dobio poruku.

Job Interview common

Nisam radio u toj industriji.

Food Delivery common

Nisam naručio pizzu.

Social Media very common

Nisam vidio tvoju objavu.

Travel common

Nisam kupio kartu.

Work Email common

Nismo primili vašu uplatu.

Cadastre-se grátis para ver todos os exemplos
💡

Subject Dropping

You can drop the subject pronoun (Ja/Ti) because the verb form 'nisam/nisi' already tells you who is speaking.
⚠️

No 'ne' before 'sam'

Never say 'ne sam'. It must be 'nisam'.
🎯

Gender Matters

Even in the negative, the participle must match the gender of the subject.
💬

Regional Consistency

This rule is the same in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro.

Smart Tips

Always look at the subject. If it's 'Ja' and you are female, use 'radila'.

Ja (f) nisam radio. → Ja (f) nisam radila.

Drop the subject pronoun to sound like a native speaker.

Ja nisam radio. → Nisam radio.

Keep the word order standard (Subject + Auxiliary + Participle).

Radio nisam ja. → Ja nisam radio.

Remember: 'ne' is for the present, 'ni-' is for the past.

Ne sam radio. → Nisam radio.

Pronúncia

/niːsam/

Nisam

Pronounced as 'nee-sam'. The 'ni' is short and crisp.

Declarative

Nisam radio. ↘

Falling intonation for statements.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Think of 'NI' as 'NO'. NI-sam = NO-I-am.

Associação visual

Imagine a big red 'NI' stamp being pressed onto the word 'sam'. Every time you see a past tense verb, imagine that red stamp landing on the auxiliary.

Rhyme

Nisam, nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu, past tense negation is what we pursue!

Story

I tried to bake a cake. I 'nisam' (didn't) follow the recipe. My friend 'nisi' (didn't) help me. The cake 'nije' (didn't) rise. We 'nismo' (didn't) eat it. You 'niste' (didn't) like it. They 'nisu' (didn't) even try it.

Word Web

nisamnisinijenismonistenisubitinegacija

Desafio

Write 5 sentences about things you didn't do yesterday using the 'nisam' forms.

Notas culturais

In Croatia, people often drop the subject pronoun (Ja/Ti) because the verb form already indicates the person.

Similar usage, but sometimes 'nisam' is pronounced slightly more open in certain dialects.

Identical grammatical structure, widely understood and used across the region.

The 'ni-' prefix is a contraction of the negative particle 'ne' and the auxiliary 'biti'.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Jesi li vidio taj film?

“

Jesi li završio posao?

“

Jeste li bili u Zagrebu?

“

Jesu li vam rekli istinu?

Temas para diário

Write about 3 things you didn't do yesterday.
Describe a time you didn't finish a project.
Reflect on a missed opportunity.
Discuss a historical event that didn't happen as expected.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct negated auxiliary.

Ja ___ radio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nisam
Ja requires the 1st person singular.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nisam radio
The negation is fused into the auxiliary.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ti nisam radio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti nisi radio
Ti requires the 2nd person singular.
Change to negative. Sentence Transformation

Ja sam jeo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja nisam jeo
Negated auxiliary + participle.
Conjugate for 'Mi'. Conjugation Drill

Mi ___ radili.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nismo
Mi requires the 1st person plural.
Match the subject to the auxiliary. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nisu
Oni requires the 3rd person plural.
Order the words. Sentence Building

radio / nisam / ja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja nisam radio
Standard word order.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

The participle changes in the negative.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
The participle remains the same.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the correct negated auxiliary.

Ja ___ radio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nisam
Ja requires the 1st person singular.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nisam radio
The negation is fused into the auxiliary.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ti nisam radio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti nisi radio
Ti requires the 2nd person singular.
Change to negative. Sentence Transformation

Ja sam jeo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja nisam jeo
Negated auxiliary + participle.
Conjugate for 'Mi'. Conjugation Drill

Mi ___ radili.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nismo
Mi requires the 1st person plural.
Match the subject to the auxiliary. Match Pairs

Oni -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nisu
Oni requires the 3rd person plural.
Order the words. Sentence Building

radio / nisam / ja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja nisam radio
Standard word order.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

The participle changes in the negative.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
The participle remains the same.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

No, 'ne' is for present tense. Use 'ni-' for past tense.

No, the participle stays the same as in the affirmative.

The participle changes to 'radila', but 'nisam' stays the same.

Yes, it is the standard form for all registers.

It is a historical fusion of the two words.

It is optional, as the verb form implies the subject.

Yes, the grammar is identical.

Croatian uses the Perfekt for both 'I did not work' and 'I have not worked'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Cadastre-se grátis para praticar

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

No he trabajado

Croatian negation is synthetic (fused), Spanish is analytic (separate).

French partial

Je n'ai pas travaillé

Croatian negation is a single prefix.

German low

Ich habe nicht gearbeitet

Croatian negation is a prefix on the auxiliary.

Japanese high

Hatarakanakatta

Japanese uses suffixes, Croatian uses prefixes.

Arabic moderate

lam a'mal

Arabic uses a separate particle, Croatian uses a prefix.

Chinese low

wǒ méiyǒu gōngzuò

Chinese uses a separate word, Croatian uses a prefix.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Using Perfekt for Completed Actions in the Past
Next
Perfekt of Reflexive Verbs

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Genitive for Negation of Existence (Nema...)
A0

Basic Negation with 'Ne'
A1

Negating Verbs with 'Ne'
A1

Negating Nouns and Adjectives
A2

Negative Imperative (Nemoj + Infinitive)
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