Indian culture is not as practical as Western culture. People in India tend to be more emotional and sensitive regarding the tone and body language of others. What makes the situation even more complex is that they are overly social at times and don’t mind making requests that foreign folks may find a bit intrusive.

No! Don’t say no to me!

These factors make it essential to learn how to properly form and use phrases that are negative in Hindi! You obviously don’t want to mess up the initial relationship-building time with any of your Indian friends or colleagues due to this cultural difference. Given that, a little homework regarding your communication skills can go a long way.

Table of Contents

1. Why is it Important to Study Negation in Hindi?
2. Negating a Statement with नहीं (Nahiin)
3. Giving a Negative Response to a Question
4. Other Negating Words and Phrases
5. Double Negatives
6. Master the Hindi Language with HindiPod101.com

1. Why is it Important to Study Negation in Hindi?

Saying no in Hindi requires a special type of assertiveness that will get your point across without offending the other person. It’s a delicate soft skill, actually. Agreeing with someone (or agreeing to do something) is not always for the best. Disagreements are just a natural element of conversations and relationships. 

This could happen at a workplace, with friends, or even with relatives. Remember: People pay more attention to how you say things rather than what you say. And when we’re talking about Hindi—or any foreign language, for that matter—this is something you should definitely take seriously! 

One careless move could hamper your relationship with the other person. It’s a strange dilemma, to be sure:

How can you decline an offer and still stay on good terms with that person? 

This is why practicing how to politely decline a request matters.

So, let’s jump to our lesson for today and learn about negation in the Hindi language.

I don’t want this!!

2. Negating a Statement with नहीं (Nahiin)

In this section, we’ll discuss how to negate a sentence in Hindi with negative words and show you how it’s done. Relax, because this is not rocket science. It’s a rather simple process. All you have to remember is the correct placement of the words in the sentence. 

First of all, the most common Hindi word for negation is: 

• नहीं (Nahiin) – “No” / “Not”

This word usually comes right before the main verb, though it can also be placed before the helping verb if there is no main verb. For example, in the table below, sentence number 3 (“This is not my room.”) has no main verb. So, नहीं (Nahiin) comes right before the helping verb है (hai), which means “is.”

For more examples, check out the following table.

Positive Sentence	Negative Sentence
किरण दूध पीती है।  (kiran DuuDH piiTii hai.) “Kiran drinks milk.”	किरण दूध नहीं पीती है।  (kiran DuuDH Nahiin piiTii hai.) “Kiran does not drink milk.”
बच्चे खेल रहे हैं।  (bacce kheL rahe hain.) “The kids are playing.”	बच्चे नहीं खेल रहे हैं।  (bacce Nahiin kheL rahe hain.) “The kids are not playing.”
यह मेरा कमरा है।  (yah meraa kamaraa hai.) “This is my room.”	यह मेरा कमरा नहीं है।  (yah meraa kamaraa Nahiin hai.) “This is not my room.”
मानस को बिल्लियां पसंद हैं।  (maaNaS ko biLLiyaan paSanD hain.) “Manas likes cats.”	मानस को बिल्लियां पसंद नहीं हैं। (maaNaS ko biLLiyaan paSanD Nahiin hain.) “Manas does not like cats.”

That wasn’t so difficult after all, was it? You see, in order to make a Hindi sentence negative, all you have to do is copy the whole sentence and insert the phrase नहीं (Nahiin) before the main verb.

That’s not going to happen, dude!

3. Giving a Negative Response to a Question

How should you respond if someone asks a question or requests something that makes you uncomfortable? 

The situation could be tricky because, let’s be honest, who finds it easy to say “no” to something? Nobody! 

But we could definitely make things more tender and decline an offer without breaking someone’s heart. Keep reading to learn how to say “no” with some respect and gentleness.

How to Say No to a Request

Interrogative Sentence	Negative Sentence
क्या यह किताब आपकी है?  (kyaa yah kiTaab aapakii hai.) “Is this your book?”	जी नहीं।  (jii Nahiin.) “No.”
क्या आप चाय लेंगे/लेंगी?  (kyaa aap caay Lenge/Lengii?) “Would you like to have tea?”	जी नहीं, धन्यवाद!  (jii Nahiin, DHaNyavaaD!) “No, thank you!”
क्या किरण दूध पीती है?  (kyaa kiran DuuDH piiTii hai?) “Does Kiran drink milk?”	जी नहीं, किरण दूध नहीं पीती है।  (jii Nahiin, kiran DuuDH Nahiin piiTii hai.) “No, Kiran does not drink milk.”
क्या बच्चे खेल रहे हैं?  (kyaa bacce kheL rahe hain?) “Are the kids playing?”	जी नहीं, बच्चे नहीं खेल रहे हैं।  (jii Nahiin, bacce Nahiin kheL rahe hain.) “No, the kids are not playing.”
क्या मानस को बिल्लियां पसंद हैं?  (kyaa maaNaS ko biLLiyaan paSanD hain?) “Does Manas like cats?”	जी नहीं, मानस को बिल्लियां पसंद नहीं हैं।  (jii Nahiin, maaNaS ko biLLiyaan paSanD Nahiin hain.) “No, Manas does not like cats.”

4. Other Negating Words and Phrases

There are a handful of words and phrases for negation in English and Hindi, but Hindi has a slightly longer list! Some of these phrases display an element of surprise or exclamation along with the denial, while others represent a neutral or firm tone. It’s really more about the context of the conversation and the types of questions being asked.

Here are the negation phrases and other negative words in Hindi you should memorize! 

Other Negating Words	Hindi Sentence	English Sentence
ना  (Naa) “Nah”	लोकेश ने काम पूरा कर लिया?  (Lokes Ne kaam puuraa kar Liyaa?) ना।  (Naa.)	“Did Lokesh finish the task?” “Nah.”
नहीं तो!  (Nahiin To) “No”	मिठाई तुमने खाई थी?  (mithaaii TumaNe khaaii THii?) नहीं तो!  (Nahiin To!)	“Did you eat the sweets?” “No.”
बिल्कुल नहीं  (biLkuL Nahiin) “Not at all!”	क्या आपको क्रिकेट पसंद है?  (kyaa aapako kriket paSanD hai?) बिल्कुल नहीं!  (biLkuL Nahiin!)	“Do you like cricket?” “Not at all!”
अभी नहीं  (abhii Nahiin) “Not now”	क्या हम अभी बात कर सकते हैं?  (kyaa ham abhii baaT kar SakaTe hain?) अभी नहीं।  (abhii Nahiin.)	“Can we talk right now?” “Not now.”
अभी तो नहीं  (abhii To Nahiin) “Not yet”	बच्चे स्कूल से घर आ गए?  (bacce SkuuL Se ghar aa gaye?) अभी तो नहीं।  (abhii To Nahiin.)	“Are the kids back from the school?” “Not yet.”
कोई नहीं  (koii Nahiin) “No one”	इस कुर्सी पर कौन बैठा था?  (iS kurSii par kauN baithaa THaa?) कोई नहीं।  (koii Nahiin.)	“Who was sitting on this chair?” “No one.”
कभी नहीं  (kabhii Nahiin) “Never”	क्या आपने कभी मांसाहारी भोजन खाया है?  (kyaa aapaNe kabhii maanSaahaarii bhojaN khaayaa hai?) कभी नहीं!  (kabhii Nahiin!)	“Have you ever tried a non-vegetarian food?” “Never!”
कुछ नहीं  (kuch Nahiin) “Nothing”	क्या हुआ?  (kyaa huaa) कुछ नहीं।  (kuch Nahiin.)	“What happened?” “Nothing.”
सवाल ही नहीं  (SavaaL hii Nahiin) “Not a chance”	हमारे साथ नदी में तैरोगे?  (hamaare SaaTH NaDii men Tairoge?) [to a male] Or: हमारे साथ नदी में तैरोगी?  (hamaare SaaTH NaDii men Tairogii?) [to a female] सवाल ही नहीं!  (SavaaL hii Nahiin!)	“Would you swim with us in the river?” “Not a chance!”
मत करो  (maT karo) “Don’t”	शोर मत करो!  (sor maT karo!)	“Don’t shout!”
और नहीं  (aur Nahiin) “No”	और चावल चाहिए?  (aur caavaL caahiye?) और नहीं।  (aur Nahiin.)	“More rice?” “No.”
अब नहीं  (ab Nahiin) “Not anymore”	क्या सुनीता और तुम दोस्त हो?  (kyaa SuNiiTaa aur Tum DoST ho?) पहले थे पर अब नहीं।  (pahaLe THe par ab Nahiin.)	“Are you and Sunita friends?” “We used to be, but not anymore.”

This list might seem overwhelming now, but consistent hard work is the key. So, as much as possible, try to practice all these phrases and examples with your native Hindi-speaking friends. Trust us, you’ll come out with flying colors and a more solid understanding of Hindi negation!

I’m not ready for this!

5. Double Negatives

To wrap up our article, let’s discuss the concept of “double negatives,” another type of negation in Hindi. Compared to English, the double negatives in Hindi are not overt. However, we’ll cover a few example sentences to give you a better idea of what we’re talking about.

1. 

आपको टेनिस खेलना पसंद है? 
(kyaa aapako teNiS kheLaNaa paSanD hai?)
“Do you like to play tennis?”

नहीं, लेकिन नापसंद भी नहीं है।
(Nahiin, LekiN NaapaSaND bhii Nahiin hai.)
“No, but I don’t dislike it either.”

2. 

चलो, बाहर चलें।
(caLo, baahar caLen.)
“Come on, let’s go outside.”

नहीं, मुझे नहीं जाना है।
(Nahiin, mujhe Nahiin jaaNaa hai.)
“No, I don’t want to.”

3. 

यह पेंटिंग देख लूँ?
(yah penting Dekh Luun?)
“Can I see this painting?”

नहीं, उसे मत छुओ! वह अभी गीली है।
(Nahiin, uSe maT chuo! vah abhii giiLii hai.)
“No, don’t touch that! It’s still wet.”

6. Master the Hindi Language with HindiPod101.com

That’s it for our comprehensive lesson on negation in Hindi. We hope you found the phrases we included useful and interesting.

Which of these words do you think you’ll use most often (or if you’re living in India, which ones do you hear the most frequently)? Share these words with us in the comments below. We’d also like to encourage our intermediate learners to try making sentences with them!

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