Negation in Hungarian: nem, ne, sem

Hungarian has three negative words, nem, ne and sem, and two special verb forms, nincs and sincs. Unlike standard English, Hungarian requires a double negative with words like "nobody" and "nothing". This page sets out which word to use, where it goes, and what it does to verbal prefixes.

Nem: the everyday negator

Nem means both "no" (as an answer) and "not". To negate a whole sentence, put it directly before the verb.

• Nem értem. I don't understand.
• Péter nem dolgozik ma. Péter isn't working today.
• Nem szeretem a spenótot. I don't like spinach.
• Nem beszélek jól magyarul. I don't speak Hungarian well.

English needs "do" to negate (I don't understand); Hungarian simply adds nem. There is no equivalent of "don't/doesn't/didn't" to learn: the tense stays on the verb: nem értettem ("I didn't understand").

Negating a single element: nem ..., hanem ...

Nem can also stand before any other part of the sentence to negate just that part. The negated element then occupies the slot before the verb, and a contrast with hanem ("but rather") is often added.

• Nem Péter jött, hanem Anna. It wasn't Péter who came, but Anna.
• Nem ma megyünk el, hanem holnap. We're not going today, but tomorrow.
• Nem kávét kérek, hanem teát. I don't want coffee, I want tea.

Notice that the prefix in nem ma megyünk el stays behind the verb: the focused element ma took its place (see word order and focus).

Useful fixed phrases with nem

• Még nem. Not yet.
• Már nem. Not any more.
• Egyáltalán nem. Not at all.
• Nem is tudom. I don't even know. / I'm not really sure.
• Nem szabad. It's not allowed. / You mustn't.
• Nem kell. It's not necessary. / You don't have to.
• Dehogy! Of course not! Not at all!

Negation and verbal prefixes

This is where Hungarian negation looks strange to beginners. The slot directly before the verb can hold only one element, and nem claims it. A separable prefix (el-, meg-, fel-, be-, ki-, haza- and many others) must therefore move behind the verb.

With an auxiliary verb such as akar (want), tud (can), fog (will) or kell (must), nem goes before the auxiliary and the prefix stays attached to the infinitive:

• Nem akarok elmenni. I don't want to leave.
• Nem tudom megcsinálni. I can't do it.
• Nem fogom elfelejteni. I won't forget it.

Ne: commands, wishes and the subjunctive

Ne replaces nem whenever the verb is in the imperative or subjunctive, that is, in prohibitions, negative wishes and "that ... not" clauses after verbs of wanting and asking (see the imperative and subjunctive). Prefixes move behind the verb here too.

• Ne menj el! Don't go!
• Ne felejtsd el! Don't forget it!
• Ne haragudj! Sorry! (literally "Don't be angry!")
• Ne tessék aggódni! Please don't worry. (formal, to an older person)
• Azt mondta, hogy ne várjunk. She said we shouldn't wait.
• Szeretném, ha nem késnél el. I'd like you not to be late. (conditional clause: nem)

The last example shows the boundary: ne goes with the imperative/subjunctive form, while a conditional (késnél) takes nem. Ne haragudj (informal) and Ne haragudjon (formal) are the standard polite apology for small things, and one of the first phrases worth learning. Nehogy means "so that ... not" or "don't you dare": Nehogy elfelejtsd! ("Don't you forget it!").

Sem and double negation

Sem (colloquially se) has two jobs: "not ... either / neither", and partner of the negative pronouns.

"Not ... either": is vs sem

Sem is the negative counterpart of is ("also").

• Én is. Me too.
• Én sem. Me neither.
• Péter sem jött el. Péter didn't come either.
• Sem Péter, sem Anna nem jött. Neither Péter nor Anna came.

Note the last sentence: even with sem ... sem, the verb is negated with nem.

Negative words: senki, semmi, sehol, soha

Hungarian negative pronouns and adverbs begin with se-:

The double negation rule

A negative word never negates the sentence on its own. The verb must also be negated, and the choice of sem or nem depends on where the negative word stands:

1. Negative word before the verb: use sem (or, very commonly, nem) directly before the verb. Senki sem jött. / Senki nem jött.
2. Negative word after the verb: use nem before the verb. Nem jött senki.

• Senki sem jött. Nobody came.
• Nem jött senki. Nobody came. (same meaning, "nobody" less emphatic)
• Semmit sem látok. I can't see anything.
• Nem látok semmit. I can't see anything.
• Soha nem voltam Debrecenben. I've never been to Debrecen.
• Senki nem mondott semmit. Nobody said anything. (triple negative, perfectly normal)

*Senki jött and *Látok semmit are ungrammatical. English speakers, trained to avoid "I didn't see nothing", tend to drop the second negative; in Hungarian it is obligatory. Note that negative words take the indefinite conjugation when they are objects: Nem látok semmit, not *látom (see definite and indefinite conjugation).

Nincs and sincs: the negative of van

The verb van ("is, exists, is located") has a special negative in the third person present: nincs (singular) and nincsenek (plural). Nincs is best understood as a fusion of nem + van, and *nem van does not exist as a sentence negation.

Only the third-person present is affected. Past and future are regular: nem volt itthon, nem lesz itthon. Also note that nincs is used for existence and possession as well as location:

• Nincs kenyér. There's no bread.
• Nincs időm. I don't have time.
• A gyerekek nincsenek otthon. The children aren't at home.
• Nincs mit. You're welcome. (literally "There's nothing [to thank for]")

Sincs (plural sincsenek) is the same fusion with sem: "is not ... either", or the partner of a negative word before the verb.

• A kulcs itt sincs. The key isn't here either.
• Semmi sincs a hűtőben. There's nothing in the fridge.
• Nincs semmi a hűtőben. There's nothing in the fridge.
• Sehol sincs. It's nowhere to be found.

When "nem van" is correct

There is one situation where nem and van do appear together: when nem negates another element, not the verb. A kulcs nem itt van, hanem a táskában. ("The key isn't here, it's in the bag.") Here nem belongs to itt. As a whole-sentence negation, though, it is always nincs. More in van and nincs.

With nouns and adjectives, where van is omitted anyway, the negative is simply nem: Péter nem tanár. ("Péter isn't a teacher."), A leves nem meleg. ("The soup isn't hot.")

Decision procedure: which negative?

1. Is the verb an imperative or subjunctive (a command, a "don't", or a clause after "want/ask/say that")? Use ne.
2. Is the verb van in the 3rd person present, negated as a whole? Use nincs / nincsenek (or sincs for "either").
3. Do you mean "not ... either" or "neither"? Use sem.
4. Is there a negative word (senki, semmi, soha...)? Negate the verb too: sem or nem before the verb.
5. Otherwise, use nem before the verb, and move any prefix behind it.

Sources and further reading

• Katalin É. Kiss, The Syntax of Hungarian (Cambridge University Press, 2002), chapter on negation
• István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998)
• Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009)

Frequently asked questions