The Polish word nie acts as "no", "not", and negative prefixes like "un-" or "dis-". Because it is so versatile, Polish relies on strict spacing rules depending on the part of speech being negated.
Verbs and Nouns
The foundational rule is that nie is always written separately from verbs.
However, when nie negates a noun to mean its opposite, it is written together as a single word.
| mess | nieporządek |
| I do not tolerate this mess in the room. | Nie toleruję tego nieporządku w pokoju. |
| I do not understand why you feel anxiety. | Nie rozumiem, dlaczego czujesz niepokój. |
Adjectives
Just like nouns, nie is written together with adjectives. Notice in the examples below how the adjective becomes one word, while the verb remains strictly separated from its nie.
| unaware | nieświadomy |
| Our client was unaware that we do not tolerate such behavior. | Nasz klient był nieświadomy, że nie tolerujemy takiego zachowania. |
| This shy boy does not talk to anyone. | Ten nieśmiały chłopiec nie rozmawia z nikim. |
Adverbs
Adverbs derived from adjectives follow the same rule: nie is written together with them. Again, contrast this with the verbs in the same sentences, which always keep their distance from the negation.
| carelessly | niedbale |
| He worked carelessly and did not check the documents. | Pracował niedbale i nie sprawdził dokumentów. |
| Do not write carelessly if you do not want to make a mistake. | Nie pisz niedbale, jeśli nie chcesz zrobić błędu. |
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