Language/Russian/Grammar/Negation

Russian Grammar - Negation

Hi Russian learners!😊
Learning Russian Grammar can be a challenge, but with the right approach and practice, you can master it in no time. In this lesson, we will focus on negation in Russian.

What is Negation?

Negation is a grammatical construction that expresses the opposite of an affirmative statement. In other words, it is used to express a denial or refusal. In Russian, there are several ways to express negation.

Negative Particles

The most common way to express negation in Russian is by using negative particles. These particles are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence and they change the meaning of the sentence from affirmative to negative. The most common negative particles are не (ne), ни (ni), никто (nikto) and ничто (nichto).

Не (Ne)

Не (ne) is the most commonly used negative particle in Russian. It is used to negate verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns.

Examples:

Russian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Я не знаю	Ya ne znayu	I don't know
Он не пришёл	On ne prishol	He didn't come
Это не правда	Eto ne pravda	That's not true
Она не красивая	Ona ne krasivaya	She is not beautiful
Он не умный	On ne umnyy	He is not smart

Ни (Ni)

Ни (ni) is used to negate verbs in the past tense. It is also used to negate nouns in the plural form.

Examples:

Russian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Они ни пришли	Oni ni prishli	They didn't come
Они ни знали	Oni ni znali	They didn't know
Они ни были	Oni ni byli	They weren't
Они ни дома	Oni ni doma	They weren't home
Они ни правы	Oni ni pravy	They aren't right

Никто (Nikto) and Ничто (Nichto)

Никто (nikto) and ничто (nichto) are used to negate nouns in the singular form.

Examples:

Russian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Никто не знает	Nikto ne znaet	Nobody knows
Никто не пришёл	Nikto ne prishol	Nobody came
Ничто не правда	Nichto ne pravda	Nothing is true
Никто не красивый	Nikto ne krasivyy	Nobody is beautiful
Ничто не умное	Nichto ne umnoee	Nothing is smart

Other Ways to Express Negation

In addition to negative particles, there are other ways to express negation in Russian. These include the use of prefixes, suffixes, and adverbs.

Prefixes

Prefixes are added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. The most common prefixes used to express negation in Russian are не- (ne-) and ни- (ni-).

Examples:

Russian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Неверный	Nevernyy	Unfaithful
Неправильный	Nepravil'nyy	Wrong
Никогда	Nikogda	Never
Ничего	Nichego	Nothing
Никакой	Nikakoy	No kind

Suffixes

Suffixes are added to the end of a word to change its meaning. The most common suffix used to express negation in Russian is -же (-zhe).

Examples:

Russian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Не делайте этого	Ne delayte etogo	Don't do this
Не говорите это	Ne govorite eto	Don't say this
Не думайте это	Ne dumayte eto	Don't think this
Не делайте этого-же	Ne delayte etogo-zhe	Don't do this either
Не говорите это-же	Ne govorite eto-zhe	Don't say this either

Adverbs

Adverbs are used to modify or qualify other words or phrases. The most common adverbs used to express negation in Russian are никогда (nikogda) and никак (nikak).

Examples:

Russian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Я никогда не думал	Ya nikogda ne dumal	I never thought
Он никогда не приходил	On nikogda ne prikhodil	He never came
Она никогда не была	Ona nikogda ne byla	She was never
Он никак не понимает	On nikak ne ponimaet	He doesn't understand at all
Она никак не может	Ona nikak ne mozhet	She can't at all

Conclusion

Negation is an important part of Russian grammar. By understanding how to use negative particles, prefixes, suffixes, and adverbs, you can express yourself more accurately in Russian. To improve your Russian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

---

If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎