Negation (не, нет, ни)
не is the second most common word in Russian. Put it right before the word you deny, usually the verb: Я не знаю. нет means "no" as an answer and "there is no" with the genitive: Нет времени. And Russian negates twice: Я ничего не знаю (literally "I nothing don't know").
Measured in spoken Russian
не alone is 2.9 of every 100 words people say, the second most common word.
не before the word you deny
не goes directly before the word it denies. Moving it moves the meaning.
Я не хочу.
I don't want to.
Не я это сделал.
It wasn't me who did it.
не before я
Это не важно.
It doesn't matter.
нет: "no" and "there is no"
As an answer, нет = no. In a sentence, нет + genitive = "there is no / I don't have". The past is не было, the future не будет.
Нет, спасибо.
No, thank you.
У меня нет времени.
I don't have time.
Его не было дома.
He wasn't home.
The double negative
With никто (nobody), ничего (nothing), никогда (never) and нигде (nowhere), Russian also keeps не before the verb. Two negatives make a stronger negative, not a positive.
Я ничего не видел.
I didn't see anything.
Никто не знает.
Nobody knows.
Я никогда там не был.
I've never been there.
Examples
Не знаю.
I don't know.
Не волнуйся.
Don't worry.
Здесь никого нет.
There's nobody here.
Ничего страшного.
It's nothing, no problem.
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| никто | nobody |
| ничего | nothing |
| никогда | never |
| нигде | nowhere |
| никуда | (to) nowhere |
| ни один | not a single one |
Common mistakes
- ✗ Я знаю ничего. → ✓ Я ничего не знаю. (keep не before the verb)
- ✗ У меня нет время. → ✓ У меня нет времени. (нет takes the genitive)
- ✗ Я не знаю никто. → ✓ Я никого не знаю. (никто changes case too)
Lookup tips
- ничего also means "OK, not bad": Как дела? Ничего.
- не is written apart from verbs (не знаю) but joined to some words (нельзя, ненавидеть, неплохо).
Frequently asked questions
Is the double negative wrong in Russian?
No, it is required. Я ничего не знаю is the only correct way to say "I don't know anything".
What is the difference between не and нет?
не denies a word inside a sentence (не знаю). нет is "no" as an answer, or "there is no" with a noun in the genitive (нет денег).