not (verbal negation)
Placed immediately before the verb (and before any clitic pronouns).
Nu înțeleg.
I don't understand.
Nu mă deranjează.
It doesn't bother me.
#2 · Particle
nu
In Romanian, nu means “not (verbal negation)”. It’s the #2 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
The second most frequent word in Romanian, and the only one you need for negation: nu handles both English "no" and "not". It sits directly in front of the verb, and unlike English there is no "do"-support — Nu știu is simply "I don't know".
neutralno (answer)
A standalone reply, the opposite of da.
— Vii? — Nu.
— Are you coming? — No.
Nu, mulțumesc.
No, thank you.
…right? / isn't it? (tag question)
Tacked onto the end of a statement to ask for agreement.
E frumos, nu?
It's nice, isn't it?
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 91% of everyday use — learn these first.
nu91%
Show 1 more form
n-9%
Grammar Behavior
nu + verb
The default position — immediately before the verb it negates.
Nu știu.
I don't know.
n- + vowel-initial verb form
In speech and informal writing nu contracts before a, a-, am, are, e…
N-are rost.
There's no point.
nu + nimic / nimeni / niciodată
Negative words do not replace nu — they stack with it (obligatory double negation).
Nu merg niciodată acolo.
I never go there.
nu numai … ci și …
The standard "not only … but also …" frame.
Nu numai el, ci și ea.
Not only he, but she too.
vs. ba
ba contradicts a negative statement ("yes, actually"), where nu simply denies.
— Nu vii? — Ba da, vin.
— Aren't you coming? — Yes I am, I'm coming.
vs. nici
nici means "not even / neither" and adds to a negation; nu is the negation itself.
Nu am nici bani, nici timp.
I have neither money nor time.
Examples
Nu vorbesc românește foarte bine.
I don't speak Romanian very well.
nu - Negation goes straight before the verb — no auxiliary "do" the way English needs one.
N-am timp acum.
I don't have time right now.
n- - Before a vowel, nu contracts to n- and joins the verb: nu am → n-am, nu are → n-are.
Nu mi-a spus nimic.
He/she didn't tell me anything.
nu - Order is fixed: nu + clitic pronoun + verb. And the double negative (nu … nimic) is required, not a mistake.
Nu te supăra!
Don't be upset!
nu - Negative commands use nu + the plain 2nd-person present/infinitive form, not the positive imperative.
Romanian requires double negation: Nu văd pe nimeni ("I don't see anyone", literally "I don't see nobody"). Dropping nu because you already used nimeni/niciodată is the classic learner error.
Corpus examples
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I can't believe it.
.
I can't believe it.
, .
No, it's fine.
.
I don't know what you're talking about.
?
Why not?