Thread: Negative Terms

I feel as though my Russian is regressing...

Can someone help me sort out the "negative" words in Russian grammar? There's нет, не, и ни. I think не is used only to negate verbs -- and verbs are only negated by не. E.G. Он не прочитал книгу. And I always thought нет was the equivalent for nouns -- У нас нет собаки. But then how does ни figure into all of this?

ни is used in many different ways. It is used as the engilsh equivalent of 'nor'.

Я не видел ни книгу ни студента - I didn't see the book nor the student

It is also used as part of the following words when used as a double negative - anywhere, anything, anyone, never*

Я не иду никуда - I am not going anywhere
Я не пою романсы никогда - I never sing romances
я ничего не вижу - I don't see anything
Я никого не убил! - I didn't kill anyone!

One important rule: If you use не and to have an additional negative, always use ни. You can never use ни alone.

Error: Я никогда читал эту книгу
Error: Я ничего делал вчера

You will have to use the не-

Делать нечего - There is nothing one can do
Я иду некуда - I am going nowhere

I have a feeling I am confusing...

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

You will have to use the не-

Делать нечго - There is nothing one can do
Я иду некуда - I am going nowhere

я иду нИкуда
but идти нЕкуда = nowhere to go

нечго should be нечЕго. I think it was just a typo

I don't seen anything

:P
How about taking 'n' out?

ни....ни -- neither....nor

An example using нет...
У меня нет книг. - I don't have any books.

Ни is also used when we have questions words with -ever suffixed on the end (whatever, whenever etc.)
Что бы он ни делал, он всегда пахнет плохо. - Whatever he does, he always smells bad.

Originally Posted by ReDSanchous

нечго should be нечЕго. I think it was just a typo

I don't seen anything

:P
How about taking 'n' out?

I had forgotten to make my daily sacrifice to the Goddess of Typos.

Originally Posted by net surfer

я иду нИкуда

Так не говорят. Говорят: "Я никуда не иду".

Never use no double negatives.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Originally Posted by ReDSanchous

нечго should be нечЕго. I think it was just a typo

I don't seen anything

:P
How about taking 'n' out?

I had forgotten to make my daily sacrifice to the Goddess of Typos.

Oh, if only I had have known!

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Originally Posted by ReDSanchous

нечго should be нечЕго. I think it was just a typo

I don't seen anything

:P
How about taking 'n' out?

I had forgotten to make my daily sacrifice to the Goddess of Typos.

Run out of mice?

Originally Posted by Barmaley

I feel as though my Russian is regressing...
Can someone help me sort out the "negative" words in Russian grammar? There's нет, не, и ни. I think не is used only to negate verbs -- and verbs are only negated by не. E.G. Он не прочитал книгу. And I always thought нет was the equivalent for nouns -- У нас нет собаки. But then how does ни figure into all of this?

This could help you: http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/negative.html
If you have more questions, please, do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you all for you reponses; they were all helpful, especially the the website that Lampada provided.

I have a few follow-up questions:

1. Are ничто and ничего virtually interchangeable?
2. Is the difference between ни (e.g. никто -- nobody) and не (e.g. некто -- noone) roughly the same concept as the difference between -то (somebody) and -нибудь (anybody)? If so, where does -либо fit in?
3. On one of the examples, the supposed correct answer was:
Она сегодня не надевала никакой кофты. I said it was никакие. Why am I wrong -- кофты is plural right?

Thanks again.

I'll attempt to answer the above

1) I believe ничто and ничего are interchangeable, although the latter is much more common
2) No idea.
3) Кофта isn't plural in this case, but rather genative singular. Надевать requires genetive.

IMHO

I have nobody to talk to.
Мне некто говорить.

Nobody is talking to me.
Никто не говорит мне.

Note: In the second sentence there is a double negative.

Edit: I think my very first sentence is not correct.
Anyway, here are some more examples taken from my textbook.

Мне негде жить.
I have nowhere to live.

Мне некогда читать.
I have no time to read.

Мне некуда идти.
I have no place to go.

I have nobody to talk to.
Мне некто говорить.

Почему "некто", а не "некому?"
Можно сказать "мне некому говорить?"


Кстати, как сказать "There's noone for me to talk with." Может быть, что-то похожее на это?

мне некто с кем говорить.


Извините меня за то, что я переключил обсуждение на другую тему.

Originally Posted by basurero

I have nobody to talk to.
Мне некто говорить.

Почему "некто", а не "некому?"
Можно сказать "мне некому говорить?"


Кстати, как сказать "There's noone for me to talk with." Может быть, что-то похожее на это?

мне некто с кем говорить.


Извините меня за то, что я переключил обсуждение на другую тему.

"Мне некто говорить" is wrong. "Мне некому говорить" is better, but the best variant imho is "Мне не с кем говорить"

Некто is poetic for "someone". Никто is noone.

There's noone for me to talk with." -- Мне не с кем поговорить.

Originally Posted by pranki

Originally Posted by basurero

I have nobody to talk to.
Мне некто говорить.

Почему "некто", а не "некому?"
Можно сказать "мне некому говорить?"

"Мне некто говорить" is wrong. "Мне некому говорить" is better, but the best variant imho is "Мне не с кем говорить"

Мне некому [это] говорить - I have nobody to tell this to.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Originally Posted by pranki

Originally Posted by basurero

I have nobody to talk to.
Мне некто говорить.

Почему "некто", а не "некому?"
Можно сказать "мне некому говорить?"

"Мне некто говорить" is wrong. "Мне некому говорить" is better, but the best variant imho is "Мне не с кем говорить"

Мне некому [это] говорить - I have nobody to tell this to.

Мне некому это сказать. Or Мне не с кем об этом поговорить.

Originally Posted by Vesh

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Мне некому [это] говорить - I have nobody to tell this to.

Мне некому это сказать. Or Мне не с кем об этом поговорить.

What about:
- Не говори об этом никому.
- Не буду, да мне и некому об этом говорить.