ne
/ne/Latin
In Bosnian, 'no' is expressed by the particle ne.
The particle ne is used to show disagreement or negation. It functions similarly to the English word 'not'.
Meaning: used to show disagreement or negation (particle)
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle ne is used to negate verbs and adjectives, functioning like the English word 'not'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ne/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use ne to mean 'no' in response to a question. Instead, the response in Bosnian should match the auxiliary verb used in the question. For example, use Nije for 'Is it…?' or Nisam for 'Am I…?'
Did you know?
- There is a linguistic phenomenon in the region where a 'no' expressed as ne can actually be interpreted as 'yes' if the speaker is answering a negatively phrased question.
- To express a strong or stubborn 'no', Bosnians may use the word nikako, which literally means 'in no way'.
- The word ne is a distant relative of the English 'not' and 'no', as they both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- U engleskom jeziku ne postoji prevod za "Zeitgeist".English has no word for "Zeitgeist".This example shows how ne is used in a sentence to indicate that something does not exist.Tatoeba #7774272 by bokalabocca, translation #727835 by Alifono
- Nema šanse!No way!This example shows the colloquial way to say 'no way!' using a phrase containing ne.Tatoeba #10198916 by bokalabocca, translation #2175 by CM
- Jesi li demokrat? Ne!Are you a democrat? No!This example shows how to use ne as a direct response to a question.
- Osjećam se neugodno. Ne, hvala.I feel uncomfortable. No, thank you.
- Izvinjavam se, ali ne mogu se pridružiti večeri.I'm sorry, but I can't join the dinner.
- Neću da idem u kino.I don't want to go to the cinema.
- Nema šanse da ti posudim novac.There's no chance that I lend you money.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jasmina and Adnan are deciding what to eat.
- JasminaHoćeš li picu za ručak, Adname?Do you want pizza for lunch, Adnan?
- AdnanNe, ne želim picu danas.No, I don't want pizza today.
- JasminaZnači, ne ideš u pizzeriju?So, you aren't going to the pizzeria?
- AdnanTako je, ne idem.That's right, I'm not going.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “no” translations and entries ne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
