Hungarian does not normally negate present third-person existential or locative van/vannak by placing nem before them. It uses the suppletive negative forms nincs/nincsen “is not, there is no” and plural nincsenek “are not, there are no.” Additive “not either/neither” uses sincs/sincsen and plural sincsenek. These forms also build ordinary negative possession because Hungarian possession is an existential structure; the predicate overview supplies the affirmative system.
The core paradigm
The shorter and longer singular forms have the same core meaning. Nincs is more frequent overall; nincsen can be selected for rhythm, emphasis, or style without becoming a different tense. The corresponding additive pair is sincs/sincsen.
| Meaning | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| negative existence/location | nincs / nincsen | nincsenek |
| additive negative existence/location | sincs / sincsen | sincsenek |
| affirmative comparison | van | vannak |
The plural is nincsenek, not nincsek, and sincsenek, not sincsek. The longer element visible in nincsen belongs obligatorily to these plural forms. Historically and transparently for learning, sincs packages additive sem/se together with negative existence.
Van még egy szabad asztal.
There is still one free table.
Nincs már szabad asztal.
There is no free table left.
Szabad szobák sincsenek ezen a hétvégén.
There aren't any free rooms this weekend either.
The nominative entity controls singular or plural. Egy asztal selects nincs; plural szabad szobák selects sincsenek. Word order can move the entity for topic or contrast, but number agreement remains.
Negative location
Present third-person locative van/vannak becomes nincs/nincsenek.
A recepciós most nincs a pultnál.
The receptionist isn't at the desk right now.
A gyerekek nincsenek a játszótéren.
The children aren't at the playground.
The located person or thing is nominative. Singular recepciós controls nincs; plural gyerekek controls nincsenek. First and second persons cannot use these third-person forms: use nem vagyok, nem vagy, nem vagyunk, and nem vagytok.
| Person | Negative location |
|---|---|
| én | nem vagyok bent |
| te | nem vagy bent |
| ő | nincs / nincsen bent |
| mi | nem vagyunk bent |
| ti | nem vagytok bent |
| ők | nincsenek bent |
Negative existence and availability
Existential clauses report that no relevant entity exists or is available. The absent noun is nominative even when idiomatic English uses “any.”
Nincs lift ebben a régi épületben.
There is no lift in this old building.
Nincsenek éjszakai buszok a faluba.
There are no night buses to the village.
The plural form agrees with buszok. After numerals Hungarian nouns remain singular, so Nincs két egyforma darab means “There aren't two identical pieces,” with singular nincs because két egyforma darab is morphologically singular-headed.
Negative possession
Hungarian expresses “have” with dative possessor + a possessively marked nominative noun + van/vannak. Negating the existential predicate gives nincs/nincsenek.
Nekem nincs jogosítványom.
I don't have a driving licence.
A műhelynek nincsenek megfelelő szerszámai.
The workshop doesn't have suitable tools.
Segment the first as nek-em nincs jogosítvány-om: DAT-1SG NEG.EXIST driving.licence-POSS.1SG. The possessed item, not the possessor, controls number. The dative can be omitted when the possessive suffix already identifies the owner: Nincs jogosítványom is neutral.
Additive sincs and sincsenek
Use sincs when adding another absent item, person, location, or possession to an already negative context. English often uses “not either,” “neither,” or “nor.”
Kávé nincs itthon, és tea sincs.
There is no coffee at home, and there isn't any tea either.
A raktárban nincs létra, védőkesztyűk sincsenek.
There is no ladder in the storeroom, and there aren't any protective gloves either.
Autóm sincs, ezért vonattal járok dolgozni.
I don't even have a car, so I commute by train.
The additive item usually precedes sincs/sincsenek: tea sincs, kesztyűk sincsenek, autóm sincs. Depending on context, sincs can mean neutral “not either” or scalar “not even.” Stress and the alternatives already under discussion decide between those readings.
Nincs versus nem with predicates
Use nincs when affirmative Hungarian would use overt existential or locative van. Present third-person noun and adjective predicates have a zero copula and take ordinary nem.
Miklós nem ügyvéd, hanem könyvelő.
Miklós isn't a lawyer; he's an accountant.
Miklós nincs az irodában.
Miklós isn't in the office.
Adjectives normally take nem: A leves nem hideg “The soup isn't cold.” Adverbial state predicates can use nincs: A beteg nincs jól “The patient isn't well,” and result-state expressions use forms such as nincs bezárva “is not locked.” Learners must distinguish adjective classification from an adverbial or participial state rather than translate every English “isn't” identically.
Tense and mood alternatives
Nincs and sincs are restricted to present indicative third-person use. Past and future use negative particles with forms of van/lesz; an imperative–subjunctive environment uses ne legyen.
| Time/mood | Plain negative | Additive negative |
|---|---|---|
| present | nincs itt | sincs itt |
| past | nem volt itt | ő sem volt itt |
| future | nem lesz itt | ő sem lesz itt |
| imperative/subjunctive | ne legyen itt | ő se legyen itt |
Tegnap nem volt internet, és térerő sem volt.
Yesterday there was no internet, and there was no mobile signal either.
Remélem, holnap nem lesz ekkora köd.
I hope there won't be such thick fog tomorrow.
Do not use nincs volt, sincs lesz, or present nincs with a past time adverb. The tense-bearing forms volt and lesz require separate nem/sem. Present morphology can nevertheless receive scheduled future reference: Holnap nincs tanítás “There is no school tomorrow” is natural. Explicit nem lesz presents the absence as future prediction or state.
Placement reveals scope and focus
Compare broad absence with constituent correction:
A kulcs nincs az asztalon.
The key isn't on the table.
Nem a kulcs van az asztalon, hanem a szemüveg.
It isn't the key that is on the table, but the glasses.
The first negates the key’s location and uses nincs. The second affirms that something is on the table but rejects a kulcs as its identity. Constituent-negating nem a kulcs occupies focus, so affirmative locative van remains. Negative placement thus diagnoses both semantic scope and information focus.
Segmentation exercise
Identify the agreement controller, possession marking, additive element, and tense.
- Nincsenek tiszta poharak. — plural nominative pohar-ak controls nincsenek.
- Nincs idő-nk. — possessed noun idő-nk carries first-person plural; singular “time” controls nincs.
- Jegy-em sincs. — jegy-em is “my ticket”; sincs adds this absence to a negative set or gives “not even.”
- A kollégá-im sem volt-ak ott. — plural kollégáim controls past plural voltak; past additive negation is separate sem voltak.
Common Mistakes
❌ A portás nem van a bejáratnál.
Incorrect for neutral present location—use the suppletive negative existential.
✅ A portás nincs a bejáratnál.
The caretaker isn't at the entrance.
❌ Nincsek szabad időpontok.
Incorrect plural—nincs does not take a regular -k ending.
✅ Nincsenek szabad időpontok.
There are no available appointments.
❌ Tavaly nincs elég megtakarításunk.
Incorrect tense—past absence requires nem volt.
✅ Tavaly nem volt elég megtakarításunk.
Last year we didn't have enough savings.
❌ Dénes nincs mérnök.
Incorrect—present third-person noun predicates use zero copula plus nem.
✅ Dénes nem mérnök.
Dénes isn't an engineer.
❌ Ne nincs hangos zene!
Incorrect—a prohibited state requires ne legyen, not present indicative nincs.
✅ Ne legyen hangos zene!
There mustn't be loud music!
Key Takeaways
- Use nincs/nincsen for present third-person singular negative existence or location and nincsenek for plural.
- Use sincs/sincsen and sincsenek to add “not either/neither/not even.”
- Build negative possession with nincs/nincsenek and a possessively marked nominative noun.
- Return to nem volt, nem lesz, and ne legyen outside present indicative.
- Let placement distinguish broad existential/locative negation from focused nem X ... van correction.
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Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
- nincs, nincsen, sincs, and sincsen: Meanings and UsageA1 — Use Hungarian negative existential forms naturally for absence, unavailability, location, possession, and additive ‘not either.’
- nincs, nincsen, sincs, and sincsen: Contrasts and Learner TrapsA2 — Choose among nincs, sincs, nem, ne, and tense-marked alternatives by predicate type, scope, focus, and discourse context.
- nem versus ne: Forms and Core PatternA1 — Form Hungarian statement, constituent, imperative, and subjunctive negation with nem, ne, prefix separation, and negative concord.
- Nominal, Adjectival, Existential, and Locative Predicates: Forms and Core PatternA1 — Form Hungarian identity, property, location, existence, and possession clauses with zero copulas, van, and their tense and negative forms.
- Possessive Existentials with van and nincs: Forms and Core PatternA1 — Form Hungarian equivalents of have with a dative possessor, a possessively marked noun, and existential van, nincs, volt, lesz, or lenne.