Serbo-Croatian edit

Alternative forms edit

  • (Standard Bosnian, Standard Croatian, Standard Serbian) ни́су
  • (regional, chiefly Serbia) не́су

Etymology edit

From Proto-Slavic *ne + *sǫtь, first-person plural present tense form of *byti. This formation was kept in Old Church Slavonic as не сѫтъ (ne sǫtŭ) (see бꙑти (byti)). However, in other South Slavic vernaculars, this form irregularly later created něsu (attested in 1334), probably influenced by něsam (see nijesam). Because of the yat reflex, něsu became rendered as нијесу in Ijekavian speeches.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /nijěːsu/, /nijěsu/
  • Hyphenation: ни‧је‧су

Verb edit

није́су, нијѐсу (Latin spelling nijésu, nijèsu)

  1. (historical, literary) negative third-person plural present of бити

References edit