Negation — Russian Grammar

Russian negates a sentence by putting (ne) directly before the word it negates. It has no helper verb like English do: I don't know is simply "I not know".

Negating the Verb

Я не зна́ю.
Ya ne znáyu.Ja ne znáju.
I don't know.
Я не бо́лен.
Ya ne bólen.Ja ne bólen.
I'm not ill.
Они́ э́того не ви́дят.
Oní étogo ne vídyat.Oní étogo ne vídjat.
They don't see this.
Мне э́то не нра́вится.
Mne éto ne nrávitsya.Mne éto ne nrávitsja.
I don't like this.

Negating Another Word

(Ne) can stand before any word, and it negates that word alone.

Не э́тот, а тот.
Ne étot, a tot.
Not this one, but that one.
Не сего́дня.
Ne segódnya.Ne segódnja.
Not today.

Negative Commands

(Ne) with an imperative tells someone not to do something. The verb is usually imperfective.

Не будь лени́вой.
Ne bud' lenívoy.Ne budʹ lenívoj.
Don't be lazy.
Не сиди́те про́сто так.
Ne sidíte prósto tak.
Don't just sit there.

Double Negation

Words like nothing, nobody, never begin with ни- in Russian, and they always come with (ne) before the verb. Two negatives do not cancel each other out; they reinforce each other.

(nichegóničegó) - nothing
(niktó) - nobody
(nikogdá) - never
(nigdé) - nowhere

Я ничего́ не зна́ю.
Ya nichegó ne znáyu.Ja ničegó ne znáju.
I don't know anything.
Никто́ не пришёл.
Niktó ne prishól.Niktó ne prišól.
Nobody came.
Я никогда́ не пью ко́фе.
Ya nikogdá ne p'yu kófe.Ja nikogdá ne pʹju kófe.
I never drink coffee.

Not Yet, No Longer

(yeshchó neješčó ne) - not yet
(uzhé neužé ne) - no longer

Мне ещё не ну́жно уходи́ть.
Mne yeshchó ne núzhno ukhodít'.Mne ješčó ne núžno uxodítʹ.
I don't need to leave yet.

Negation and the Genitive

A negated verb often takes its object in the genitive, and (net) (there is no) always does.

Я совсе́м не пью пи́ва.
Ya sovsém ne p'yu píva.Ja sovsém ne pʹju píva.
I don't drink beer at all.
У меня́ нет де́нег.
U menyá net déneg.U menjá net déneg.
I have no money.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Russian course

55 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 19. A few of them, with the words “Negation” is about in bold:

Я чувствую себя отлично! Я не болен. Я здоров.
Ya chúvstvuyu sebyá otlíchno! Ya ne bólen. Ya zdoróv.Ja čúvstvuju sebjá otlíčno! Ja ne bólen. Ja zdoróv.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64
Я тебя не видела девять лет!
Ya tebyá ne vídela dévyat' let!Ja tebjá ne vídela dévjatʹ let!
I haven't seen you for nine years!
Lesson 175
Я не опаздываю. Я пришла рано. Пробки были как обычно.
Ya ne opázdyvayu. Ya prishlá ráno. Próbki býli kak obýchno.Ja ne opázdyvaju. Ja prišlá ráno. Próbki býli kak obýčno.
I am not late. I am early. Traffic was normal.
Lesson 279

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