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:
Я люблю яблоки. -> Я не люблю яблоки.
I like apples. -> I don’t like apples.
Он пошел в кино. -> Он не пошел в кино.
He went to the movies. -> He didn’t go to the movies.
The word нет plays the role of no when a short negative answer is given:
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:
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:
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