To make a past tense sentence negative, place nu directly before the auxiliary verb (am, ai, a, am, ați, au). The auxiliary verb and the past participle remain exactly the same as they do in positive sentences.
Structure: nu + auxiliary verb + past participle
| I did not sign the contract yesterday. | Nu am semnat contractul ieri. |
| He did not accept the invitation to the party. | El nu a acceptat invitația la petrecere. |
| We did not participate in the competition last night. | Noi nu am participat la concurs aseară. |
| You did not send the invitation. | Voi nu ați trimis invitația. |
| They didn't refuse the task. | Ei nu au refuzat sarcina. |
Giving Reasons and Explanations
The negative past tense is useful for explaining why things didn't happen, discussing missed events, or talking about uncompleted tasks.
| You did not bring the file, so I did not sign anything. | Tu nu ai adus dosarul, deci nu am semnat nimic. |
| We didn't have tickets, so we didn't see the show. | Nu am avut bilete, deci nu am văzut spectacolul. |
| If you want, I can explain why I did not accept the task. | Dacă vrei, pot explica de ce nu am acceptat sarcina. |
Not Yet
You will also frequently see the negative past tense paired with adverbs like încă (yet/still). These usually go before nu.
| We haven't received the file yet. | Încă nu am primit dosarul. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io