Duo Russian Grammar

78) Nothing Left

This skill is about saying something like "I have nothing to fear" or "There is nothing to think about". Russian has special impersonal constructions to do just that; they make use of negative predicate pronouns.

They are all formed by adding a stressed «не» to a corresponding question word, which should be either "who"/"what" or an adverbial question word (e.g., "where").

Use Dative to specify a person for whom this applies:

  • Мне не́чего чита́ть. = I have nothing to read.
  • Тут не́кого иска́ть. = There is no one to look for here.
  • Нам не́чего теря́ть. = We have nothing to lose.
  • Ей не́где спать. = She has nowhere to sleep.
  • Ва́не не с кем игра́ть. = Vanya has no one to play with.
  • Я ду́мал, э́той пробле́ме не́откуда взя́ться. = I had thought such a problem has nowhere to arise from.

Note how the prepositions split pronouns formed from «кто» and «что». Only a few "simple" prepositions can do this, however:

  • Мне не с кем обща́ться. = I have no one to communicate with.
  • Не о чем беспоко́иться. = Nothing to worry about.
  • Не в чем вы́йти. = Nothing to wear to go out (about clothing).
  • Не на чем спать. = Nothing to sleep on.

It is also useful to stress that such pronouns are only formed from oblique forms of «кто» and «что», since they never act as a sentence subject. Words «не́кто» and «не́что» are not in this list; they actually behave as analogues of "кто-то" and "что-то" in their base forms, just of a higher style.

P.S. «как» does not produce such a pronoun. Neither do «почему́» and «како́й»