10. Negation
In Russian, negation is usually made with the help of не or нет:
“Не” placed before the main verb turns the sentence into a negative:
EXAMPLES:
Я люблю яблоки (I like apples) -> Я не люблю яблоки (I don’t like apples)
Он пошел в кино (He went to the movies) -> Он не пошел в кино (He didn’t go to the movies)
The word нет plays the role of no when a short negative answer is given:
EXAMPLES:
Хочешь супа? – Нет. (Do you want some soup? – No.)
Сегодня холодно? – Нет. (Is it cold today? – No.)
Нет is also used to form a sentence stating the absence in the present tense:
EXAMPLES:
У меня нет денег. – I have no money.
В комнате нет окон. – There are no windows in the room.
Unlike in English, the double negative is widely used in Russian: не/нет plus a negative pronoun:
EXAMPLES:
Никто не ответил. – No one answered (literally: No one didn’t answer)
Я никогда его не видел. – I never met him. (literally: I never didn’t meet him)
Она ничего не знает. – She doesn’t know anything. (literally: She doesn’t know nothing)
Most frequent Russian negative pronouns are:
никто – nobody, no one
ничто – nothing
нигде – nowhere
никогда – never
никакой – none