How to Say "No" in Lithuanian

/nɛ/

The English word "no" is translated into Lithuanian as ne.

The simplest and most general way to say "no" in Lithuanian is ne. It is used as a particle to show disagreement or negation.

Meaning: used to show disagreement or negation (particle)

Related words

The particle ne is frequently used as a prefix to negate adjectives or nouns, such as in the word netiesa (untruth or not true).

/nɛ/

Lithuanian possesses a unique way of using ne in 'negative concord' where multiple negations in a sentence actually reinforce the 'no' instead of cancelling each other out.
In Lithuanian, the word ne is an ancient survivor of the Proto-Indo-European language, making it a linguistic fossil that is more similar to the original ancestor of English than many modern words.
To say 'no' more emphatically or to disagree strongly, Lithuanians use nei, which can function as 'not' or 'no' depending on the sentence structure and tone.

"Jūs rusė?" – "Ne, aš slovakė".
"Are you Russian?" "No, I'm Slovak."
This example shows how to use ne to answer a question.
Tatoeba #9936684 by glavsaltulo, translation #7948702 by AlanF_US
Nesvarbu, ką jis sakė, visa tai buvo netiesa.
No matter what he told you, it's not true.
This example demonstrates the use of ne within a larger phrase meaning "no matter".
Tatoeba #11989441 by Wobbelle, translation #11688658 by tomn
Jis turi daug pinigų, bet draugų beveik neturi.
He has a lot of money, but has almost no friends.
This example shows how ne functions as a prefix to express the near absence of something.
Tatoeba #11854268 by Wobbelle, translation #1418064 by CK
Ar norite kavos? / Ačiū, bet ne.
Would you like some coffee? / Thank you, but no.
Ar nori prisijungti prie mūsų vakarėlio? / Neee.
Do you want to join our party? / Nah.
Ar tau patinka šis filmas? / Na, nelabai.
Do you like this movie? / Well, not really.
82 more sentences on Tatoeba

Rūta is asking Andrius if he is hungry.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏