How to Use Negation with Multiple Verbs in Romanian

Understanding Negation in Romanian with Multiple Verbs

In Romanian, negation is typically formed by placing the word "nu" before the verb. When dealing with sentences that contain multiple verbs, the placement of nu can vary depending on the sentence structure and the verbs involved.

Basic Negation with a Single Verb

Before exploring multiple verbs, let's review how negation works with a single verb. For example, the sentence "Eu merg" means "I go." To negate it, you say "Eu nu merg", which means "I do not go." Here, "nu" is placed directly before the verb "merg".

Negation with Multiple Verbs: Infinitive Constructions

When a sentence contains a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive, the negation "nu" is placed before the conjugated verb only. The infinitive verb remains unchanged. For example:

• Eu nu vreau să merg. (I do not want to go.)
• Ea nu poate să vină. (She cannot come.)

Notice that "nu" precedes the conjugated verbs "vreau" and "poate", but not the infinitives "merg" and "vină".

Negation with Compound Tenses

In compound tenses, such as the perfect tense, negation is placed before the auxiliary verb. For example:

• Eu nu am văzut. (I have not seen.)
• Noi nu am mâncat. (We have not eaten.)

Here, "nu" precedes the auxiliary verb "am", and the past participle remains unchanged.

Negation with Modal Verbs and Infinitives

When modal verbs are used with infinitives, the negation "nu" is placed before the modal verb. For example:

• El nu trebuie să plece. (He must not leave.)
• Noi nu putem să stăm. (We cannot stay.)

Again, the infinitive verb following the modal verb is not negated directly.

Negation in Sentences with Multiple Conjugated Verbs

If a sentence contains multiple conjugated verbs, each verb can be negated separately by placing "nu" before each verb. For example:

• Eu nu vreau și nu pot să merg. (I do not want and cannot go.)
• Ea nu spune și nu crede adevărul. (She does not say and does not believe the truth.)

This emphasizes the negation of each action independently.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A common mistake is to place "nu" before the infinitive verb instead of the conjugated verb. For example, "Eu vreau să nu merg" is incorrect if you mean "I do not want to go." The correct form is "Eu nu vreau să merg."

Summary of Negation Placement with Multiple Verbs

• Place nu before the conjugated verb.
• Do not place nu before the infinitive verb.
• In compound tenses, place nu before the auxiliary verb.
• When negating multiple conjugated verbs, place nu before each verb you want to negate.