How do you say "don't" or "not" in Serbian?

Put the word "ne" directly before the verb. There's no equivalent of English "do/does" — "ne" alone does the job. For example, "Ne razumem." means "I don't understand" and "Ne pijem kafu." means "I don't drink coffee."

Is "nemam" written as one word or two?

One word. "Imati" (to have) is special: its negative fuses "ne" onto the verb, so it's always "nemam" — never "ne mam." You'll see it in phrases like "Nemam vremena." (I don't have time).

Is it "neću" or "ne ću"?

It's "neću," written as a single word. The verb "hteti" (to want / will) is another fused exception, so "ne" joins on. Writing "ne ću" with a space is a common mistake and is considered incorrect.

Where does "ne" go in a Serbian sentence?

Right before the verb, because it negates the action. Say "ne pijem kafu," not "pijem ne kafu" — "ne" attaches to the verb, never to the object that follows.

Can I say "ne nemam"?

No. "Nemam" already contains the "ne" inside it, so adding another one is a double negative nobody uses. The same goes for "neću" — the fused forms are complete on their own.

Questions & Negation

Negating Serbian Verbs with "Ne" (and nemam, neću)

Level A1 Questions & Negation

Key idea

Good news: making a Serbian verb negative is about as simple as it gets. You just put the little word "ne" right in front of the verb — no "do" or "does" like in English, no helper word at all. So "I don't understand" is simply "Ne razumem.", and "I don't drink coffee" is "Ne pijem kafu." Notice that "ne" sticks to the verb, never the object. The one twist beginners trip over: two very common verbs fuse "ne" into a single written word. "To have" gives you "Nemam vremena." (I don't have time), and "to want" gives you neću. Write them joined — not "ne mam" — and never double the negative with "ne nemam." Master those two and you can negate almost anything.

Examples

Ne razumem. I don't understand.
Nemam vremena. I don't have time.
Ne pijem kafu. I don't drink coffee.

The full lesson

Everything in the video, in text.

ne

one little word turns any verb negative

Want to say you DON'T do something in Serbian? There's one tiny word that does it — and two sneaky verbs that fuse it on so tightly you'll get marked wrong if you write them apart.
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Put 'ne' directly before the verb.

Here's the core rule, and it's wonderfully simple. To make any normal verb negative, you just put the particle 'ne' directly in front of it. No helper verbs, no 'do not' — just 'ne' plus the verb.
ne radim
ne + radim (I work)

Take 'radim' — I work. Drop 'ne' in front and you get: ne radim I don't work. That's the whole trick.
ne razumem
ne + razumem (I understand)

Same move with 'razumem' — I understand. Add 'ne' and you've got the single most useful phrase for any beginner: ne razumem I don't understand.
ne pijem kafu
ne stays glued to the verb 'pijem'

And one more, because you'll need it at every café. 'Pijem' is 'I drink'. ne pijem kafu I don't drink coffee.
'ne' attaches to the verb, never the object.

Notice where 'ne' goes: in front of the VERB, not the object. It's 'ne pijem kafu', not 'pijem ne kafu'. 'Ne' negates the action — what you're not doing — so it stays glued to the verb.
Two verbs fuse 'ne' into one word
normal verbs
ne + verb (two words)
ne radim, ne pijem
fused exceptions
imati → nemam
hteti → neću
Now the twist that trips everyone up. Two very common verbs don't take 'ne' as a separate word — they fuse with it into one word. The big one is 'imati', to have. 'I have' is 'imam', but 'I don't have' is NOT 'ne imam'.
nemam vremena
imati → nemam (one fused word)

The negative of 'imati' is one fused word: 'nemam'. So 'I don't have time' is: nemam vremena One word — 'nemam', not 'ne mam'.
neću kafu
hteti → neću (one fused word)

The second fusing verb is 'hteti', to want or will. 'I won't' — or 'I don't want to' — is also one word: 'neću'. neću kafu I don't want coffee.
nemati (not to have)

ja nemam
ti nemaš
on / ona nema

'Nemam' even has its own full set of endings, just like a normal verb. Nemam, nemaš, nema — I, you, he or she doesn't have. Learn it as one clean word and you're done.
✗ ne mam splitting it like a normal verb

✓ nemam one fused word — 'I don't have'

imati fuses: it's always 'nemam', never 'ne mam'.

Here's the classic mistake. Because every other verb splits 'ne' off, learners write 'ne mam' as two words. That's wrong — with 'imati' it has to be the single fused word 'nemam'.
✗ ne nemam doubling the negative

✓ nemam the 'ne' is already inside

nemam and neću already hold the 'ne' — don't add a second.

And don't double up. 'Nemam' already contains the 'ne', so you never add another one. 'Ne nemam' would be a double negative that nobody says. The fused word is complete on its own.
Remember
- Normal verb → ne + verb (two words)
- imati → nemam · hteti → neću (fused)
- Never 'ne mam', never 'ne nemam'
Let's lock it in. For almost everything, 'ne' plus the verb, two words. For 'imati' and 'hteti', it fuses: 'nemam' and 'neću', one word each, no doubling.

ja	nemam
ti	nemaš
on / ona	nema

Examples

ne

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