Think of this as a discriminant question. For a quadratic equation ax^2 + bx + c = 0, first identify a = 1, b = 2, and c = 4. Now calculate D = b^2 - 4ac = (2)^2 - 4(1)(4) = -12. Since D < 0, the equation has no real roots. A negative discriminant means the square root part of the quadratic formula is not real.