Language/Telugu/Grammar/Negation

Telugu Grammar - Negation

Hi Telugu learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will dive into Telugu grammar and learn the rules for negation. Negation is an important aspect of any language and is used to negate a statement. For instance, if someone asks you if you like spicy food, and you want to say that you don't like it, you would use negation. So, let's begin!

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Telugu Grammar – Intermediate Telugu – Complex Sentence Structure, Basic Sentence Structure, Subject, Object, and Verb & Question Formation.

Negating Verbs

In Telugu, negation is expressed by placing the word "లేదు" (lēdu) after the verb. For instance, "నేను ఊహిస్తూనే ఉంటాను" (nēnu ūhistūnē uṇṭānu) means "I am thinking" and "నేను ఊహిస్తూనే లేదు" (nēnu ūhistūnē lēdu) means "I am not thinking".

Let's look at some examples in the table below:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
నేను పని చేస్తున్నాను	nēnu pani cēstunnānu	I am working
నేను పని చేస్తున్నాను లేదు	nēnu pani cēstunnānu lēdu	I am not working
నాకు చిన్నపిల్లలు ఉన్నాయి	nāku chinnapillalu unnāyi	I have children
నాకు చిన్నపిల్లలు లేవు	nāku chinnapillalu lēvu	I don't have children

In the examples above, you can see that "లేదు" (lēdu) is added after the verb to negate it. This is a simple rule, and once you understand it, you can use it to negate any verb in Telugu.

Negating Adjectives

In Telugu, negating adjectives is similar to negating verbs. The word "లేదు" (lēdu) is added after the adjective to negate it. For instance, "ఆరోగ్యం నలుగురుగా ఉంది" (ārōgyaṁ nalugurugā uṇdi) means "health is good" and "ఆరోగ్యం నలుగురుగా లేదు" (ārōgyaṁ nalugurugā lēdu) means "health is not good".

Let's look at more examples in the table below:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
ఈ పుస్తకం బాగుంది	ī pustakaṁ bāgundi	This book is good
ఈ పుస్తకం బాగుంది లేదు	ī pustakaṁ bāgundi lēdu	This book is not good
ఈ ఆహారం రుచిగా ఉంది	ī āhāraṁ rucigā uṇdi	This food is tasty
ఈ ఆహారం రుచిగా లేదు	ī āhāraṁ rucigā lēdu	This food is not tasty

In the examples above, you can see that "లేదు" (lēdu) is added after the adjective to negate it.

Double Negation

In Telugu, double negation is not commonly used. Using two negatives in a sentence would create a positive meaning. For example, "నేను వెళ్ళకుండా ఉండలేదు" (nēnu veḷḷakuṇḍā uṇḍalēdu) means "I am not staying without going" which would convey a negative meaning. But if you add another negation to this sentence like "నేను వెళ్ళకుండా ఉండలేకపోతే" (nēnu veḷḷakuṇḍā uṇḍalēkapōtē), it would mean "I am staying without going".

Dialogue

Here's a dialogue between two friends Jay and Ravi:

• Jay: నీకు ఇస్తే ప్యాసం పూర్తి అవుతుందా? (nīku istē pyāsaṁ pūrti avutundā?) (Do you feel thirsty if you give something to drink?)
• Ravi: లేదు, నేను ప్యాసం కారణం కోసం ప్రతి నిమిషం కుడనున్నాను. (lēdu, nēnu pyāsaṁ kāraṇaṁ kōsaṁ prati nimiṣaṁ kuḍanunnānu.) (No, I drink water every minute because of thirst.)

Practice Exercise

Try to negate the following sentences:

1. అది నా పేరు కాదు (adi nā pēru kādu) 2. అది ఆరోగ్యంగా ఉంటాయి (adi ārōgyaṁgā uṇṭāyi) 3. నేను రోజు ఊడుకున్నాను (nēnu rōju ūḍukunnānu) 4. నేను మగవారితో ఎక్కువ సమయం కళ్ళడానికి వెళ్లున్నాను (nēnu magavāritō ekkuva samayaṁ kaḷḷaḍānikī veḷḷunnānu)

The answers are:

1. అది నా పేరు కాదు లేదు (adi nā pēru kādu lēdu) 2. అది ఆరోగ్యంగా ఉంటాయి లేదు (adi ārōgyaṁgā uṇṭāyi lēdu) 3. నేను రోజు ఊడుకున్నాను లేదు (nēnu rōju ūḍukunnānu lēdu) 4. నేను మగవారితో ఎక్కువ సమయం కళ్ళడానికి వెళ్లున్నాను లేదు (nēnu magavāritō ekkuva samayaṁ kaḷḷaḍānikī veḷḷunnānu lēdu)

Tips

- Practice, practice, practice! The more you practice, the more comfortable you'll become with negation in Telugu. - To improve your Telugu Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Telugu Grammar | LEARN101.ORG

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Other Lessons

• Nouns and Pronouns
• Subject, Object, and Verb
• Prepositions
• Present Tense
• Complex Sentence Structure
• Negative and Interrogative Sentences
• Future Tense
• Telugu Alphabet
• Gender
• Pronouns

Videos

Negative and Negative Interrogative Sentences in Telugu | Spoken ...

Table of Contents - Telugu Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Telugu Script

• Telugu Alphabet
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Basic Vocabulary

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