Negative verbs
Doesn't, didn't, isn't doing, and కాదు against లేదు.
Telugu makes a verb negative in a different way for each tense.
Doesn't, won't
For the future and habits, the negative has no tense part: the personal ending goes straight onto the verb's stem in -అ. వచ్చు vaccu uses the stem రా-, and ఇచ్చు iccu uses ఇవ్వ-.
| చేయు cēyu do | తిను tinu eat | వచ్చు vaccu come | |
|---|---|---|---|
| నేను nēnu | చేయను cēyanu | తినను tinanu | రాను rānu |
| నువ్వు nuvvu | చేయవు cēyavu | తినవు tinavu | రావు rāvu |
| అతను atanu | చేయడు cēyaḍu | తినడు tinaḍu | రాడు rāḍu |
| ఆమె āme, అది adi | చేయదు cēyadu | తినదు tinadu | రాదు rādu |
| మేము mēmu, మనం manaṁ | చేయము cēyamu | తినము tinamu | రాము rāmu |
| మీరు mīru, వాళ్ళు vāḷḷu | చేయరు cēyaru | తినరు tinaru | రారు rāru |
| అవి avi | చేయవు cēyavu | తినవు tinavu | రావు rāvu |
- nēnu māṁsaṁ tinanu.I don't eat meat.
- atanu rēpu rāḍu.He won't come tomorrow.
Didn't
For the past, add లేదు lēdu to the stem in -అ. The form is the same for every person: చేయలేదు cēyalēdu, తినలేదు tinalēdu, రాలేదు rālēdu. With ఇంకా iṁkā "still, yet", it means "not yet".
- nēnu iṁkā tinalēdu.I haven't eaten yet.
- vāḷḷu ēmī ceppalēdu.They didn't say anything.
Isn't doing
For the ongoing tense, add లేదు lēdu to the verbal noun in -డం (Verbal nouns), again for every person: చేయడం లేదు cēyaḍaṁ lēdu "isn't doing".
- nēnu ippuḍu pani cēyaḍaṁ lēdu.I'm not working right now.
కాదు and లేదు
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| కాదు kādu | is not (what something is) | ఇది నా పుస్తకం కాదు idi nā pustakaṁ kādu this isn't my book |
| లేదు lēdu | is not there, does not exist | ఇక్కడ పుస్తకం లేదు ikkaḍa pustakaṁ lēdu there's no book here |
| -లేదు -lēdu on a verb | did not | నేను చేయలేదు nēnu cēyalēdu I didn't do it |
Nobody, nothing, never
A question word with its last vowel made long, followed by a negative verb, means "nobody", "nothing" and so on: ఎవరూ evarū "nobody", ఏమీ ēmī "nothing", ఎప్పుడూ eppuḍū "never", ఎక్కడా ekkaḍā "nowhere". With a positive verb, ఎప్పుడూ means "always". "Someone" and "anyone" are in Just, too, some and any.
- evarū rālēdu.Nobody came.
- nāku ēmī teliyadu.I don't know anything.
- nēnu eppuḍū akkaḍiki veḷḷalēdu.I have never been there.
The negatives of "must" and "can" are in Must, can, may.
Cards from this guide
8 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Verbs cards.
How do you say 'I don't eat' or 'I won't eat' with తిను (eat)?
తినను (tinanu).
What's the negative 'won't come' of వచ్చు (come) for 'he'?
రాడు (rāḍu).
How do you say 'didn't do' with చేయు (do)?
చేయలేదు (cēyalēdu), whatever the subject.
How do you say 'not yet', as in 'I haven't eaten yet'?
ఇంకా (iṁkā) with the past negative: నేను ఇంకా తినలేదు.
How do you say 'isn't doing' (right now) with చేయు (do)?
చేయడం లేదు (cēyaḍaṁ lēdu).
కాదు or లేదు: which says 'there's no book here'?
లేదు (lēdu).
How do you say 'nobody', as in 'nobody came'?
ఎవరూ (evarū) with a negative verb.
What does ఎప్పుడూ (eppuḍū) mean with a positive verb?
Always.