Thread: So much Negativity!

У меня вопрос! so is that the right way to say have? Well I've been having a really annoying time with the placements of the negatives in a sentence, would it be like Я не некогда иду так? and what would some other examples be with like, nothing, none, yada, yada, yada? let me pop in a question is the correct way to from the subjuctive Я хотел бы? or would it be the other way around? Спасибо большой!!!!!

Я ничего никогда не делаю

большое спасибо

Never: никогда
Nothing: ничего
There is no love: нет любви (нет + gen)
Do you have voka? No: у вас есть водка? Нету (there is none)
I am going nowhere with this: с этим я никуда не иду
This is written nowhere: это нигде не написано


у меня ЕСТЬ вопрос.
у меня нет вопросов.

I'm still confused as to when есть needs to be used. I'd think that in this context у меня вопрос would be fine.

hmm, yes, maybe you are right. I am also confused with the есть part... maybe it only works with physical things?

Google gives several more hits for "у меня вопрос"

есть is used when questioning or affirming the existence of something.

У меня машина. I have the/my car (whoever you are talking to knows that you own the car, but not necessarily that you have it with you)

У меня есть машина. I have a car - confirming that you do infact own a car.

This is what I was taught.

Est' is typically translated by "have", it is grammatically a bit different: "У меня есть машина" literally means "by me exists car", so the _car_ is the subject who does the action (existing ) in this case.
"есть" could be dropped, it would feel a bit unnatural here (it would sound like something from a kids' book), but if this phrase were a subordinate clause in a longer sentence, especially in a conversation, it would be OK.

Originally Posted by iwrotedrowning

есть is used when questioning or affirming the existence of something.

У меня машина. I have the/my car (whoever you are talking to knows that you own the car, but not necessarily that you have it with you)

У меня есть машина. I have a car - confirming that you do infact own a car.

This is what I was taught.

This appears correct. In "У меня машина" the stress is on машина (not a bicycle, not a vacuum cleaner, not a "Smart")

In У меня есть машина the stress is on есть. The car does exist, I am not a loser in my 35.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Never: никогда
Nothing: ничего
There is no love: нет любви (нет + gen)
Do you have voka? No: у вас есть водка? Нету (there is none)
I am going nowhere with this: с этим я никуда не иду
This is written nowhere: это нигде не написано

"I am going nowhere with this", and "this is written nowhere" are incorrect in English, or at least sound unnatural, particially "this is written nowhere".

I am not going anywhere with this.
This is not written anywhere.

This is how they should be said.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

hmm, yes, maybe you are right. I am also confused with the есть part... maybe it only works with physical things?

"У меня есть вопрос" is correct.
Some more examples: "У меня есть идея!" "У меня есть к вам дело" "Мне есть, что сказать"

Originally Posted by TATY

"I am going nowhere with this", and "this is written nowhere" are incorrect in English, or at least sound unnatural, particially "this is written nowhere".

I am not going anywhere with this.
This is not written anywhere.

This is how they should be said.

Ah.. I meant I am getting nowhere with this, probably...

Do you have voka? No: у вас есть водка? Нету (there is none)

Don't add у, it makes you sound like an uneducated plumber. Many Russians will say this, but it's bad grammar.

Originally Posted by Rostova

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

hmm, yes, maybe you are right. I am also confused with the есть part... maybe it only works with physical things?

"У меня есть вопрос" is correct.
Some more examples: "У меня есть идея!" "У меня есть к вам дело" "Мне есть, что сказать"

Yeah, it's correct but in spoken language 'есть' is often omitted (у меня вопрос, у меня идея, у меня к вам дело) because it's not nesessery and it's easy to say.

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Do you have voka? No: у вас есть водка? Нету (there is none)

Don't add у, it makes you sound like an uneducated plumber. Many Russians will say this, but it's bad grammar.

IMO, it sounds better with "у". Especially because it means a somewhat different thing. It's time the academics take their heads out of their asses and finally accept it.

Originally Posted by net surfer

Yeah, it's correct but in spoken language 'есть' is often omitted (у меня вопрос, у меня идея, у меня к вам дело) because it's not nesessery and it's easy to say.

Yes, but with 'есть' it can be even more easy: "есть идея!", "подь сюды - дело есть"

Originally Posted by Rostova

Originally Posted by net surfer

Yeah, it's correct but in spoken language 'есть' is often omitted (у меня вопрос, у меня идея, у меня к вам дело) because it's not nesessery and it's easy to say.

Yes, but with 'есть' it can be even more easy: "есть идея!", "подь сюды - дело есть"

But those are all words or ideas that can come up in diffrent situations. Of course you might not always say у меня..., but you're also certainly not going to say it with 'есть' every time either. Besides, 'есть идея' can be made to a question, or also an answer rather than just statement.

у тебя идея ? у тебя идея есть???
~ Есть

or just Идея есть?

I think net surfers explanation is very good, and theres not much more you can add. Its best not to confuse the new people, and especially so no more people ASK THIS SAME QUESTION AGAIN.

i think its pretty much been covered. In speech u can usually omit есть unless you're stressing a point. Untill you get more comfortable with talking this is ur best and safest bet.

Case closed.

Originally Posted by Rostova

Originally Posted by net surfer

Yeah, it's correct but in spoken language 'есть' is often omitted (у меня вопрос, у меня идея, у меня к вам дело) because it's not nesessery and it's easy to say.

Yes, but with 'есть' it can be even more easy: "есть идея!", "подь сюды - дело есть"

Well. At first I wrote in my post about omitting other words in sentances like you said. And it's a common thing to omit words in spoken language etc etc. But then I decided not to overload people with information they probably don't need yet (just as dogboy said). So I removed that part of the post.