234 Unit 16: y Здравоохранéние
Э�та кварти�ра о�чень ма�ленькая. А та.... Э�тот студе�нт о�чень моло-
до�й. А тот.... Э�та у�лица о�чень широкая. А та. .�.. Э�то зда�ние о�чень
высо�кое. А то.... Этот поэт о� �чень плохо�й. А тот.... Э�та кни�га о�чень
дорога�я. А та.... Э�тот врач ста�вит диа�гноз очень то� �чно. А тот....Negatives
The following is a typical Russian sentence in the negative:
Я никогда� не курил�
‘I have never smoked’ (lit. ‘I have never not smoked’).
Double negatives are the norm in Russian. They are not ungrammatical
nor do they cancel one another out as they tend to do in English. In fact,
Russian does not stop at double negatives:
Я никогдa� ниче�м нe боле�ю
‘I am never ill with anything’ (lit. ‘I am never not ill with nothing’).
In a negative sentence in Russian, not only is the verb always negative but
all elements such as ‘anywhere’, ‘anyone’, ‘anything’, ‘either . . . or’, ‘ever’,
‘any’ will be translated as нигдe/�никудa ‘nowhere� ’, никтo� ‘no оnе’, ничтo�
‘nothing’, ни . . . ни ‘neither . . . nor’, никогдa� ‘never’, никакo�й ‘not any, no’.
When the words никтo� ‘no one’, никакo�й ‘not any, no’, ничтo�
‘nothing’ are used with a preposition, the preposition comes between
ни and the rest of the word: Я ни o чём нe мoгy� говори�ть ‘I cannot
talk about anything’. Hиктo� and ничтo� are declined like кто and что;
никакo�й, like the adjective какo�й.
Я никогo� нe ви�дел
‘I did not see anyone’.
Онa� ничe�м нe интересу�ется
‘She is not interested in anything’.
Я никаки�х ру�сских не зна�ю
‘I don’t know any Russians’.Упражне�ние 5
Answer these questions in the negative.
For example:
Кого� вы ви�дите? Я никого� не ви�жу.