Emphatic Negation with "nici"
To make a negative statement stronger, Romanian uses the adverb nici right before the negative particle nu. When paired together directly before a verb, nici nu translates to "not even."
This structure is perfect for describing someone who is so apathetic or disinterested that they fail to do the bare minimum.
Reflexive Pronoun Placement
When you use nici nu with a reflexive verb—like those describing physical effort or movement—the word order is strict. The reflexive pronoun stays closely attached to the verb, placed immediately after nu.
Describing Negligence and Apathy
You can emphasize someone's lack of effort by pairing nici nu with vocabulary describing carelessness, such as the adjective nepăsător (uncaring) or the noun delăsarea (negligence).
Not Even Bothering
Romanian has several highly expressive verbs that mean "to bother," "to take the trouble," or "to deign." When combined with nici nu, they perfectly capture extreme laziness.
Because these verbs naturally lead into a second action (e.g., "not bothering to help"), they must be followed by the subjunctive particle să before the second verb.
Just like the verbs of movement we saw earlier, note how the reflexive pronouns for se osteni and se sinchisi are sandwiched safely between the emphatic nu and the verb itself.
