Sentence types · CEFR A1 · Starting
Negatives — English sentence types
The "not" attaches to the helper, and the main verb goes plain.
The shape
do / does / did + not + plain verb
Say no without breaking the verb.
In Hindi
"not" सहायक क्रिया से जुड़ता है, और मुख्य क्रिया सादी हो जाती है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
He does not goes there. | He does not go there. "Does" already carries the -s. |
Negatives examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
I do not drink tea.
मैं चाय नहीं पी{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't drink tea.
I do not drink coffee.
मैं कॉफी नहीं पी{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't drink coffee.
I do not live here.
मैं यहाँ नहीं {रहता|रहती}।
also correct: I don't live here.
I do not know him.
मैं उसे नहीं जान{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't know her. · I don't know him.
I do not want this.
मैं यह नहीं चाह{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't want this.
I do not go there.
मैं वहाँ नहीं जा{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't go there.
I do not eat meat.
मैं मांस नहीं खा{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't eat meat.
I do not sleep late.
मैं देर से नहीं सो{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't sleep late.
I do not work on Sundays.
मैं रविवार को काम नहीं कर{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't work on Sunday.
I do not go out at night.
मैं रात को बाहर नहीं जा{ता|ती}।
also correct: I don't go out at night.
Learn these first
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- no, not, none, neverB1Say no without using two negatives at once
- not all, not alwaysB2Say "some, but not all" without saying "none"
Questions people ask
- What is the negatives used for?
- The "not" attaches to the helper, and the main verb goes plain. In practice: say no without breaking the verb.
- How do you form the negatives?
- do / does / did + not + plain verb.
- What is the most common mistake with the negatives?
- Saying “He does not goes there.” instead of “He does not go there.”. "Does" already carries the -s.
Where negatives fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Negatives is a CEFR A1 structure — the starting band — and it belongs to sentence types. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
Practise the negatives →