Language/Romanian/Grammar/Negation

Romanian Grammar - Negation

Hi Romanian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in the Romanian language, a very important aspect of the syntax of the language. Negation is the process of expressing the opposite of a statement or sentence. It is an essential concept in communication that helps to convey a message effectively.

Negation can be expressed in both verbal and non-verbal ways, but in this lesson, we will focus on verbal negation. We will also explore some cultural aspects of the language and provide examples to help you understand the topic better.

Let's begin!

Negation in Romanian

In Romanian language, negation is generally expressed through the use of the word "nu" (which means "not" in English). It is placed before the verb in a sentence to create a negation.

Negative Form of Present Tense Verbs

The negative form of the present tense is formed by adding the word "nu" before the verb. Let's take the verb "a fi" (to be) as an example.

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
Eu nu sunt	[ew noo soon-t]	I am not
Tu nu ești	[too noo jesht]	You are not
El/Ea nu este	[el/ea noo es-te]	He/She is not
Noi nu suntem	[noi noo soon-tem]	We are not
Voi nu sunteți	[voi noo soon-tehts]	You all are not
Ei/Ele nu sunt	[ay/ay-le noo soon-t]	They are not

Negative Form of Past Tense Verbs

To create the negative form of the past tense, you need to add the word "nu" before the verb "a fi" in the past tense. Here is an example using the verb "a merge" (to go).

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
Eu nu am mers	[ew noo ahm mehrs]	I did not go
Tu nu ai mers	[too noo ah-ee mehrs]	You did not go
El/Ea nu a mers	[el/ea noo ah mehrs]	He/She did not go
Noi nu am mers	[noi noo ahm mehrs]	We did not go
Voi nu ați mers	[voi noo ahts mehrs]	You all did not go
Ei/Ele nu au mers	[ay/ay-le noo ow mehrs]	They did not go

Negative Form of Imperative and Infinitive Verbs

The negative imperative form of a verb is created by adding "nu" before the imperative form of the verb, and the negative infinitive is created by adding "a nu" before the infinitive form of the verb.

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
Nu vorbi!	[noo vor-bee]	Don't speak!
Nu mergeți!	[noo mehr-jehts]	Don't go!
A nu trăda	[ah noo truh-dah]	Not to betray

Cultural Aspects

Romanian language has many French and Italian loanwords, making it a unique blend of Romance languages. Romanians use an affirmative nonverbal communication pattern, which means that instead of saying "no," they will often shake their heads or make a clicking sound with their mouths.

In Romania, it is polite to use the formal versions of nouns and pronouns when addressing someone you just met, and it is considered disrespectful to use someone's first name in a formal setting without their permission.

Dialogue

Here is an example dialogue to illustrate the use of negation:

• Person 1: Vrei să mănânci cu mine? (Do you want to eat with me?)
• Person 2: Nu, mulțumesc, nu sunt foarte flămând. (No, thank you, I am not very hungry.)

Practice Exercise

Create negative sentences for the following in Romanian:

1. Eu sunt obosit. (I am tired.) 2. El a văzut filmul. (He saw the movie.) 3. Pentru mine, cafeaua este necesară dimineața. (For me, coffee is necessary in the morning.)

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned about negation in Romanian language and how to express it in present tense, past tense, imperative, and the infinitive forms. We also discussed some cultural aspects of the language and practiced by creating some negative sentences. Remember to keep practicing and never hesitate to find native speakers and ask them any questions you may have!

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Romanian Language
• Romanian Verbs
• Romanian Phonology