Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
To say 'I am not' in Croatian, use the special negative forms: nisam, nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu.
- Use 'nisam' for 'I am not' (e.g., Nisam gladan).
- Use 'nije' for 'he/she/it is not' (e.g., Nije hladno).
- The negative particle 'ne' is merged directly into the verb 'biti'.
2. Negative Conjugation of 'Biti'
| Person | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
|
Ja (I)
|
sam
|
nisam
|
|
Ti (You)
|
si
|
nisi
|
|
On/Ona/Ono (He/She/It)
|
je
|
nije
|
|
Mi (We)
|
smo
|
nismo
|
|
Vi (You all)
|
ste
|
niste
|
|
Oni/One/Ona (They)
|
su
|
nisu
|
Meanings
These forms are the mandatory negative equivalents of the verb 'biti' (to be). They are used to express non-existence, negation of identity, or negative states.
Identity Negation
Stating that someone or something is not a specific thing.
“Ja nisam umoran.”
“On nije liječnik.”
State/Condition Negation
Describing that a state is not currently true.
“Nije vruće.”
“Nismo sretni.”
Existence Negation
Denying the presence of something.
“Nije ovdje.”
“Nismo kod kuće.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + Biti
|
Ja sam sretan.
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + Nisam/Nisi...
|
Ja nisam sretan.
|
|
Question
|
Biti + Subject?
|
Jesi li sretan?
|
|
Negative Question
|
Nisam/Nisi... + li?
|
Nisi li sretan?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Nisam
|
Nisam.
|
|
Location
|
Subject + Nisam + Location
|
Nisam kod kuće.
|
正式程度
Nisam spreman. (General)
Nisam spreman. (General)
Nisam spreman. (General)
Nisam spreman. (General)
The 'Biti' Negative Tree
Affirmative
- sam am
Negative
- nisam am not
按水平分级的例句
Ja nisam gladan.
I am not hungry.
On nije ovdje.
He is not here.
Mi nismo turisti.
We are not tourists.
Niste umorni?
Are you not tired?
Nije hladno danas.
It is not cold today.
Nismo sigurni u to.
We are not sure about that.
Nisu kod kuće.
They are not at home.
Nisi u pravu.
You are not right.
Nisam znao da dolaziš.
I didn't know you were coming.
Nije bilo lako to napraviti.
It wasn't easy to do that.
Nismo imali drugog izbora.
We had no other choice.
Nisu svi ljudi isti.
Not all people are the same.
Nije mi jasno zašto to rade.
It is not clear to me why they do that.
Nisam bio spreman na takvu reakciju.
I was not prepared for such a reaction.
Nismo se nadali ovakvom ishodu.
We were not hoping for this outcome.
Niste trebali to reći.
You should not have said that.
Nije nimalo čudno što se to dogodilo.
It is not at all strange that it happened.
Nisam ni slutio da će se situacija tako razviti.
I didn't even suspect the situation would develop like that.
Nismo mogli predvidjeti posljedice.
We could not have predicted the consequences.
Nisu to bile njihove namjere.
Those were not their intentions.
Nije li to upravo ono što smo tražili?
Isn't that exactly what we were looking for?
Nisam li ti rekao da će biti problema?
Didn't I tell you there would be problems?
Nismo li mi ovdje da riješimo problem?
Aren't we here to solve the problem?
Nisu li oni ti koji su donijeli odluku?
Aren't they the ones who made the decision?
容易混淆
Learners think they can use 'ne' + 'biti'.
Learners use 'nije' for 'there is not'.
Learners use 'nisam' for 'I don't know'.
常见错误
Ja ne sam tu.
Ja nisam tu.
On nije sretan.
On nije sretan.
Mi nije tu.
Mi nismo tu.
Ja nisam ne sretan.
Ja nisam sretan.
Nije oni tu.
Nisu oni tu.
Nisam ja ne znam.
Ne znam.
Niste vi umorni?
Niste li vi umorni?
Nisam bio ne spreman.
Nisam bio spreman.
Nije bilo ne lako.
Nije bilo lako.
Nismo mi ne htjeli.
Nismo htjeli.
Nije da nisam ne znao.
Nije da nisam znao.
Nisam ne bio siguran.
Nisam bio siguran.
Nije neistina da...
Nije istina da...
Nisu nepostojali.
Nisu postojali.
句型
Ja ___ ___.
On ___ ___.
Mi ___ ___ ___.
___ li ___ ___?
Real World Usage
Nije problem!
Nisam gladan.
Nisam siguran.
Nisam iz Hrvatske.
Nije fer.
Nije stiglo.
Don't add 'ne'
Check the person
Use it for weather
Be polite
Smart Tips
Always use 'nisam' instead of 'ne sam'.
Use 'nije' for he, she, or it.
Use 'nismo'.
Use 'nisu'.
发音
Stress
The stress is on the first syllable: NI-sam, NI-si, NI-je.
Statement
Ja nisam gladan. ↘
Falling intonation for facts.
Question
Nisi li gladan? ↗
Rising intonation for questions.
记住它
记忆技巧
Think of 'NI' as 'NO'. Since 'NI' starts the word, it means 'NO' is inside the verb.
视觉联想
Imagine a giant 'NI' sign blocking the verb 'biti'. Whenever you see 'biti', the 'NI' sign pushes the 'b' away.
Rhyme
When you want to say you're not, just add NI to the spot.
Story
I wanted to be a hero, but I 'nisam'. My friend wanted to be a doctor, but he 'nije'. We both sat down and realized we 'nismo' ready yet.
Word Web
挑战
Write 5 sentences about things you are NOT (e.g., I am not a doctor, I am not a pilot).
文化笔记
Using 'Nije problem' is a very common way to be polite.
The forms are contractions of the negative particle 'ne' and the verb 'biti'.
对话开场白
Jesi li gladan?
Jesi li iz Zagreba?
Je li ovo tvoja knjiga?
Jeste li sigurni u to?
日记主题
常见错误
Test Yourself
Ja ___ student.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Mi nije tu.
On je sretan.
Jesi li umoran? - ___.
kuće / kod / nismo
Oni ___.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
练习题
8 exercisesJa ___ student.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Mi nije tu.
On je sretan.
Jesi li umoran? - ___.
kuće / kod / nismo
Oni ___.
Mi -> ?
Score: /8
常见问题 (8)
No, that is incorrect. You must use 'nisam'.
Yes, 'nisam' is the same for masculine and feminine.
Use 'nije' for he, she, or it.
Say 'Ja nisam liječnik'.
It is neutral and used in all situations.
Use 'Nisam li...?' or 'Zar nisam...?'
It is a historical contraction that became the standard form.
Yes, you can combine them with 'bio/bila/bilo'.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
no soy
Croatian fuses them.
ne suis pas
Croatian uses a single fused word.
bin nicht
Croatian places the negative marker at the start.
dewa arimasen
Croatian uses a prefix-based fusion.
lastu
Arabic is a Semitic language, Croatian is Slavic.
bù shì
Croatian fuses them.
