In this lesson, we’re going to learn how to say "no" in simple sentences in Russian.

We will focus on the phrase “We do not know,” which in Russian is "Мы не знаем" (pronounced: My ne znayem).

Learning how to say "no" is really important for chatting in Russian. Once you understand this phrase, you will have better conversations!

How to Say "No"

In Russian, to make a sentence negative, you usually place the word "не" (ne) before the verb. The simple pattern looks like this:

• Subject + не + Verb

Breaking Down Our Example

Let’s look at "Мы не знаем":

• Мы (My) = We (This is who we are talking about)
• не (ne) = not (This is our way to say "no")
• знаем (znayem) = know (This shows the action we mean)

Putting these together, we clearly say “We do not know.”

More Examples

Here are some other easy sentences that include "no":

1. Я не понимаю.
   (Ya ne ponimayu.)
   Translation: I do not understand.

2. Он не говорит.
   (On ne govorit.)
   Translation: He does not speak.

3. Она не читает.
   (Ona ne chitayet.)
   Translation: She does not read.

4. Они не приходят.
   (Oni ne prikhodyat.)
   Translation: They do not come.

Time to Practice

Now, let’s try changing some positive sentences into negative ones. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Я понимаю. (I understand.)
   → Я не понимаю. (I do not understand.)

2. Мы говорим. (We speak.)
   → Мы не говорим. (We do not speak.)

Wrap-Up

By using "не" correctly, you can easily say "no" in Russian. Just remember to place "не" right before the verb to make it negative. This will help you communicate more clearly.

Keep practicing with different verbs to feel more confident when you talk!