Language/Russian/Grammar/Negation

Russian Grammar - Negation

Hi Russian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in Russian grammar. We will cover words like "не" (not) and "ни" (neither/nor), their usage and examples. By the end of this lesson, you will understand how to use negation in different contexts. Let's begin!

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Use of the verb быть in the past, Russian Grammar → Russian Pronouns → Noun-Adjective Agreement, Comparatives and Superlatives & Introduction to Pronouns.

Basic Negative Form

In Russian, the most basic way to express negation is by adding the word "не" (not) before the verb. This is similar to the English language construction "I do not eat" or "He does not sing". Below are examples that illustrate this basic form:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
Я не говорю	Ya ne govoryu	I do not speak
Он не пойдет	On ne poydet	He will not go
Она не видит	Ana ne vidit	She does not see

Negative Form with "Ни"

The word "ни" can be used to express "neither" or "nor" in Russian. It is often used to create negative sentences with multiple nouns or verbs. For example:

• Ни книги, ни журнала. (Ni knigi, ni zhurnala.) - "Neither a book nor a magazine."
• Ни плова, ни салата. (Ni plova, ni salata.) - "Neither pilaf nor salad."
• Я ни видел, ни слышал. (Ya ni videl, ni slyshal.) - "I neither saw nor heard."

In sentences with "ни", the nouns or verbs are listed before "ни" and are always in the genitive case.

Negative Form with Compound Verbs

In Russian, some verbs consist of two parts - a prefix and a base form. In this case, the "не" (not) is placed before the prefix. Here are some examples:

• не понимать (ne ponimat') - not to understand
• не прочитать (ne prochitat') - not to read
• не забыть (ne zabyt') - not to forget

When verbs consist of two parts, the negative particle "не" is added only to the prefix, not to the base.

Double Negation

In Russian, it is common to use a double negative, which can be confusing for beginners. But basically, this means that when we want to say "I don't know anything", it would be formed as "Я ничего не знаю" (Ya nichego ne znayu) in Russian. So, double negation is not considered incorrect in Russian language.

Summing Up

Negation in Russian can be expressed in various ways, depending on the context and the sentence structure. Always remember to use the word "не" (not) before a verb, and the word "ни" (neither/nor) before nouns or verbs in the genitive case. Also, keep in mind that it is okay to use double negation in Russian.

To improve your Russian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Dialogue

Here's a dialogue so that you can see how negation is used in context.

• Person 1: Когда ты будешь готовить ужин? (Kogda ty budesh' gotovit' uzhin?) - "When will you cook dinner?"
• Person 2: Я не буду готовить. (Ya ne budu gotovit') - "I won't cook."

Sources

• Russian Negation: Learn How to Form Negative Sentences
• Double Negation in Russian: When One Person's “No” Is Another's ...
• Negative Pronouns - Russian Grammar Lesson

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Other Lessons

• Questions
• Use of the verb быть in the past
• Nouns
• Give your Opinion
• Plurals
• The verb to be
• Sentense Structure
• Future Tense
• Perfective Imperfective
• Punctuation