Negation

Standard negation

Quenya has two main ways to form a negative clause:

  1. negation adverb ú
  2. zero quantifiers, such as úquen nobody, úlume never, etc.

Quenya differs significantly from English in how these two methods interact with each other.

Rule 1

If a zero quantifier follows the verb, then the verb must be preceded by úa

  • ú túle úquen hai 'nobody arrived on time'
  • ú melden úquen ambe lá·se 'I loved nobody more than him'
  • ú cennenye·s úlume 'I have never seen him'

Rule 2

If a zero quantifier precedes the verb, then the verb is not preceded by úb

  • úquen túle hai 'nobody arrived on time'
  • úquen melden ambe lá·se 'nobody did I love more than him'
  • úlume cennenye·s 'I have never seen him'

This principle applies equally where the verb is both preceded and followed by a zero quantifier:

  • úquen túle úlume hai 'nobody has ever arrived on time'.

Prohibitive