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Using not, auxiliary verbs and do-support to form negative sentences.
Practice: build the sentences →Negative sentences state that a proposition is not true, does not happen, or does not exist.
English commonly expresses negation with not or with negative words such as no, nobody, nothing, and never.
She is not ready.
Она не готова.
"Not" makes the sentence negative.
They do not live here.
Они здесь не живут.
"Do not" negates the present simple verb "live".
I have no money.
У меня нет денег.
"No" is a negative word used before a noun.
Nobody called me.
Никто мне не позвонил.
"Nobody" expresses negation without "not".
We never eat meat.
Мы никогда не едим мясо.
"Never" gives the sentence a negative meaning.
The negative particle not normally follows a finite form of be.
For example, She is not ready, They were not invited, and I am not tired.
She is not ready.
Она не готова.
"Not" follows the form of "be".
They were not invited.
Они не были приглашены.
"Not" follows "were".
I am not tired.
Я не устал.
"Not" follows "am".
He is not at home.
Его нет дома.
"Not" follows "is".
It was not a mistake.
Это не было ошибкой.
"Not" follows "was".
Not normally follows the first auxiliary in a verb phrase.
For example, She has not finished, They are not waiting, and He will not come.
She has not finished.
Она не закончила.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "has".
They are not waiting.
Они не ждут.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "are".
He will not come.
Он не придёт.
"Not" follows the modal "will".
I have not seen it.
Я этого не видел.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "have".
We should not leave.
Нам не следует уходить.
"Not" follows the modal "should".
When there is no auxiliary in the present or past simple, do, does, or did is used with not.
For example, I do not know, She does not work here, and They did not leave.
I do not know.
Я не знаю.
"Do not" is used with the base verb "know".
She does not work here.
Она здесь не работает.
"Does not" is used with the base verb "work".
They did not leave.
Они не ушли.
"Did not" is used with the base verb "leave".
He does not like coffee.
Он не любит кофе.
"Does not" is used with the base verb "like".
We did not see the film.
Мы не видели фильм.
"Did not" is used with the base verb "see".
After do, does, or did in a negative simple clause, the lexical verb normally appears in its base form.
For example, She does not work here and They did not go, not She does not works or They did not went.
She does not work here.
Она здесь не работает.
The verb "work" is in the base form after "does not".
They did not go.
Они не пошли.
The verb "go" is in the base form after "did not".
He does not like it.
Ему это не нравится.
The verb "like" is in the base form after "does not".
I do not understand.
Я не понимаю.
The verb "understand" is in the base form after "do not".
We did not eat.
Мы не ели.
The verb "eat" is in the base form after "did not".
Modal verbs form negatives by taking not directly after the modal.
For example, cannot, should not, must not, might not, and would not.
You cannot park here.
Здесь нельзя парковаться.
"Cannot" is the negative form of "can".
She should not worry.
Ей не следует волноваться.
"Not" follows the modal "should".
They must not be late.
Они не должны опаздывать.
"Not" follows the modal "must".
He might not come.
Он, возможно, не придёт.
"Not" follows the modal "might".
I would not do that.
Я бы этого не сделал.
"Not" follows the modal "would".
Cannot is normally written as one word in standard English when it means not be able to.
For example, I cannot swim and She cannot attend the meeting.
I cannot swim.
Я не умею плавать.
"Cannot" is written as one word.
She cannot attend the meeting.
Она не может присутствовать на встрече.
"Cannot" means "not be able to".
We cannot agree.
Мы не можем согласиться.
"Cannot" is the standard negative form.
He cannot drive yet.
Он ещё не умеет водить.
"Cannot" expresses lack of ability.
They cannot hear you.
Они тебя не слышат.
"Cannot" negates ability or possibility.
Must not expresses prohibition, while do not have to expresses absence of necessity.
For example, You must not touch this means it is prohibited, while You do not have to come means coming is optional.
You must not touch this.
Вам нельзя это трогать.
"Must not" expresses prohibition.
You do not have to come.
Вам не обязательно приходить.
"Do not have to" expresses absence of necessity.
She must not tell anyone.
Она не должна никому рассказывать.
"Must not" means it is prohibited.
She does not have to finish today.
Ей не обязательно заканчивать сегодня.
"Does not have to" means it is optional.
We must not be late.
Мы не должны опаздывать.
"Must not" gives a strong prohibition.
Need not and do not need to can both express lack of necessity, with differences in register and construction.
For example, You need not wait is more formal than You do not need to wait.
You need not wait.
Вам не нужно ждать.
"Need not" is more formal.
You do not need to wait.
Вам не нужно ждать.
"Do not need to" is the more usual construction.
She need not worry.
Ей не нужно волноваться.
"Need not" expresses lack of necessity.
She does not need to worry.
Ей не нужно волноваться.
"Does not need to" is common in everyday English.
We need not decide now.
Нам не нужно решать сейчас.
"Need not" is formal and concise.
Negative auxiliaries commonly form contractions in ordinary spoken and informal written English.
Examples include isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't, don't, doesn't, didn't, haven't, hasn't, won't, and wouldn't.
I don't know.
Я не знаю.
"Don't" is the contracted form of "do not".
She isn't ready.
Она не готова.
"Isn't" is the contracted form of "is not".
They weren't invited.
Они не были приглашены.
"Weren't" is the contracted form of "were not".
He hasn't finished.
Он не закончил.
"Hasn't" is the contracted form of "has not".
We won't agree.
Мы не согласимся.
"Won't" is the contracted form of "will not".
Full negative forms can sound more formal, emphatic, or deliberate than contracted forms.
For example, I do not agree can sound more emphatic than I don't agree.
I do not agree.
Я не согласен.
The full form "do not" can sound emphatic or formal.
I don't agree.
Я не согласен.
The contracted form "don't" is neutral and informal.
She is not coming.
Она не придёт.
The full form "is not" is more deliberate.
She isn't coming.
Она не придёт.
The contracted form "isn't" is common in speech.
They have not finished.
Они не закончили.
The full form "have not" can be more emphatic.
Passive constructions form negatives by placing not after the first auxiliary.
For example, The report was not finished and The package has not been delivered.
The report was not finished.
Отчёт не был закончен.
"Not" follows the passive auxiliary "was".
The package has not been delivered.
Посылка не была доставлена.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "has".
The letters were not sent.
Письма не были отправлены.
"Not" follows the passive auxiliary "were".
The house is not being renovated.
Дом не ремонтируется.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "is".
The results will not be announced.
Результаты не будут объявлены.
"Not" follows the modal "will".
Perfect constructions form negatives by placing not after have, has, or had.
For example, She has not arrived and They had not finished before the deadline.
She has not arrived.
Она не приехала.
"Not" follows the perfect auxiliary "has".
They had not finished before the deadline.
Они не закончили до крайнего срока.
"Not" follows the perfect auxiliary "had".
I have not seen him.
Я его не видел.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "have".
He has not called.
Он не позвонил.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "has".
We had not met before.
Мы не встречались раньше.
"Not" follows the auxiliary "had".
Progressive constructions form negatives by placing not after the appropriate form of be.
For example, She is not working and They were not waiting.
She is not working.
Она не работает.
"Not" follows the progressive auxiliary "is".
They were not waiting.
Они не ждали.
"Not" follows the progressive auxiliary "were".
I am not sleeping.
Я не сплю.
"Not" follows the progressive auxiliary "am".
He was not listening.
Он не слушал.
"Not" follows the progressive auxiliary "was".
We are not leaving.
Мы не уезжаем.
"Not" follows the progressive auxiliary "are".
Future constructions with will form negatives with will not or won't.
For example, I will not come and They won't agree.
I will not come.
Я не приду.
"Will not" is the full negative future form.
They won't agree.
Они не согласятся.
"Won't" is the contracted form of "will not".
She will not be late.
Она не опоздает.
"Will not" negates the future.
We won't forget.
Мы не забудем.
"Won't" is common in speech.
He will not tell anyone.
Он никому не расскажет.
"Will not" gives a firm negative future.
Be going to forms negatives by placing not after the appropriate form of be.
For example, I am not going to leave and She is not going to apply.
I am not going to leave.
Я не собираюсь уходить.
"Not" follows the form of "be" in "be going to".
She is not going to apply.
Она не собирается подавать заявку.
"Not" follows "is" in the "be going to" structure.
They are not going to help.
Они не собираются помогать.
"Not" follows "are".
We are not going to wait.
Мы не собираемся ждать.
"Not" negates the planned future.
He is not going to change.
Он не собирается меняться.
"Not" follows "is" before "going to".
Negative imperatives commonly use do not or don't followed by the base form of the verb.
For example, Don't touch that and Do not open the door.
Don't touch that.
Не трогай это.
"Don't" is the contracted negative imperative.
Do not open the door.
Не открывай дверь.
"Do not" is the full negative imperative.
Don't be late.
Не опаздывай.
"Don't" is followed by the base form "be".
Do not forget your keys.
Не забудь свои ключи.
"Do not" gives a firm negative command.
Don't worry.
Не волнуйся.
"Don't" is common in everyday commands.
Negative infinitives are normally formed with not before to + base verb.
For example, I decided not to go and She tried not to laugh.
I decided not to go.
Я решил не идти.
"Not" comes before the to-infinitive "to go".
She tried not to laugh.
Она старалась не смеяться.
"Not" negates the infinitive "to laugh".
He promised not to tell.
Он обещал не рассказывать.
"Not" comes before "to tell".
We agreed not to argue.
Мы договорились не спорить.
"Not" negates the infinitive "to argue".
They chose not to attend.
Они решили не присутствовать.
"Not" comes before "to attend".
A gerund can be negated by placing not before the -ing form.
For example, He left without not saying anything is incorrect; He avoided not speaking is grammatically possible but marked, while not speaking is the straightforward negative form.
He apologized for not calling.
Он извинился за то, что не позвонил.
"Not" comes before the gerund "calling".
She was upset about not being invited.
Она была расстроена тем, что её не пригласили.
"Not" negates the gerund phrase "being invited".
Not knowing the answer, I stayed silent.
Не зная ответа, я молчал.
"Not" negates the gerund "knowing".
Not having finished, they stayed late.
Не закончив, они остались допоздна.
"Not" comes before the perfect gerund "having finished".
I regret not telling you.
Я сожалею, что не сказал тебе.
"Not" negates the gerund "telling".
Not can negate adjective and adverb phrases when used with an appropriate verb or auxiliary.
For example, She is not happy and He did not speak clearly.
She is not happy.
Она не счастлива.
"Not" negates the adjective "happy".
He did not speak clearly.
Он говорил нечётко.
"Not" negates the adverb "clearly".
It is not very cold.
Не очень холодно.
"Not" negates the adjective phrase "very cold".
They are not ready.
Они не готовы.
"Not" follows "are" and negates "ready".
She did not answer politely.
Она ответила невежливо.
"Not" negates the adverb "politely".
Not can be used with noun phrases in specific constructions to reject or contrast an identification or classification.
For example, He is not a doctor and This is not the problem.
He is not a doctor.
Он не врач.
"Not" rejects the noun phrase "a doctor".
This is not the problem.
Это не проблема.
"Not" rejects the identification "the problem".
She is not my sister.
Она не моя сестра.
"Not" negates the noun phrase "my sister".
That is not the answer.
Это не ответ.
"Not" rejects the classification "the answer".
It is not a good idea.
Это не хорошая идея.
"Not" negates the noun phrase "a good idea".
Not ... but can contrast two alternatives by rejecting one description or option and identifying another.
For example, It was not John but Mary who called.
It was not John but Mary who called.
Звонила не Мэри, а Джон.
"Not ... but" contrasts "John" with "Mary".
The problem is not lack of time but lack of money.
Проблема не в нехватке времени, а в нехватке денег.
"Not ... but" contrasts two causes.
She is not angry but disappointed.
Она не зла, а разочарована.
"Not ... but" contrasts two descriptions.
He did not go home but stayed at work.
Он не пошёл домой, а остался на работе.
"Not ... but" contrasts two actions.
It is not a bug but a feature.
Это не ошибка, а особенность.
"Not ... but" rejects one label and gives another.
Not yet states that an expected event has not happened up to the present time but may happen later.
For example, She has not arrived yet.
She has not arrived yet.
Она ещё не приехала.
"Not yet" means the event has not happened up to now.
I have not finished yet.
Я ещё не закончил.
"Yet" suggests the action may still happen.
They have not decided yet.
Они ещё не решили.
"Not yet" leaves the decision open.
He has not called yet.
Он ещё не позвонил.
"Not yet" means the call is still expected.
We have not eaten yet.
Мы ещё не ели.
"Not yet" states that the action has not occurred so far.
Not anymore and no longer indicate that a situation which was previously true is no longer true.
For example, I do not live there anymore and She no longer works here.
I do not live there anymore.
Я там больше не живу.
"Not anymore" shows the situation has changed.
She no longer works here.
Она здесь больше не работает.
"No longer" means the previous situation is finished.
They do not sell that anymore.
Они это больше не продают.
"Anymore" indicates the end of a past situation.
He no longer needs help.
Он больше не нуждается в помощи.
"No longer" replaces a previous need.
We are not friends anymore.
Мы больше не друзья.
"Not anymore" states that the friendship has ended.
Not can negate one part of a pair or alternative without necessarily making every component negative.
For example, I do not want both means I do not want the two together, while I do not want either means I want neither.
I do not want both.
Я не хочу оба.
"Not both" means not the two together.
I do not want either.
Я не хочу ни один.
"Not either" means neither.
She does not like both options.
Ей не нравятся оба варианта.
"Not both" allows that one option may be acceptable.
She does not like either option.
Ей не нравится ни один вариант.
"Not either" rejects both options.
They do not need both.
Им не нужны оба.
"Not both" contrasts with "not either".
The position of not can affect which part of a sentence is being negated or contrasted.
For example, I did not only complain can have a different interpretation from I only did not complain.
I did not only complain.
Я не только жаловался.
"Not" can negate part of the statement rather than all of it.
I only did not complain.
Я только не жаловался.
"Only" changes the scope of "not".
She did not say that to upset you.
Она сказала это не для того, чтобы тебя расстроить.
"Not" negates the purpose phrase.
She said that not to upset you.
Она сказала это, чтобы тебя не расстраивать.
"Not" negates the infinitive "to upset".
He did not leave because he was afraid.
Он не ушёл, потому что боялся.
The scope of "not" can affect the reason clause.
Not all and not every express partial rather than total negation.
For example, Not all students passed means some students passed and some did not.
Not all students passed.
Не все студенты сдали экзамен.
"Not all" gives partial negation.
Not every student passed.
Не каждый студент сдал экзамен.
"Not every" also gives partial negation.
Not all books are useful.
Не все книги полезны.
"Not all" means some are useful and some are not.
Not every answer is correct.
Не каждый ответ правильный.
"Not every" means some answers are correct and some are not.
Not all birds can fly.
Не все птицы умеют летать.
"Not all" does not mean "none".
Negative statements can be followed by expressions such as neither do I and nor did he to express agreement.
For example, I do not like it. Neither do I.
I do not like it. Neither do I.
Мне это не нравится. Мне тоже.
"Neither do I" expresses negative agreement.
She cannot swim. Nor can I.
Она не умеет плавать. Я тоже.
"Nor can I" agrees with the negative statement.
He did not go. Neither did she.
Он не пошёл. Она тоже.
"Neither did she" shows negative agreement.
They are not ready. Neither are we.
Они не готовы. Мы тоже.
"Neither are we" agrees with the negative statement.
I have not seen it. Nor have I.
Я этого не видел. Я тоже.
"Nor have I" is a formal negative agreement.
Negative constructions with have depend on whether have is an auxiliary or lexical verb.
For example, I have not finished uses auxiliary have, while I do not have a car commonly uses do-support for possession.
I have not finished.
Я не закончил.
"Have" is an auxiliary here, so "not" follows it.
I do not have a car.
У меня нет машины.
"Have" is a lexical verb of possession and takes "do".
She has not arrived.
Она не приехала.
"Has" is an auxiliary, so "not" follows it.
She does not have a car.
У неё нет машины.
Possessive "have" takes "does not".
We had not met before.
Мы не встречались раньше.
"Had" is a perfect auxiliary, so "not" follows it.
Negative used to is commonly formed with did not use to in contemporary English.
For example, I did not use to live here.
I did not use to live here.
Я раньше здесь не жил.
"Did not use to" is the common negative form.
She did not use to like coffee.
Раньше она не любила кофе.
"Did not use to" negates a past habit.
They did not use to be friends.
Раньше они не были друзьями.
"Did not use to" negates a past state.
He did not use to smoke.
Раньше он не курил.
"Did not use to" describes a past habit that was not true.
We did not use to travel much.
Раньше мы мало путешествовали.
"Did not use to" is standard in modern English.
An embedded clause can be negated independently from the main clause.
For example, I think he is not ready differs from I do not think he is ready in scope and meaning.
I think he is not ready.
Я думаю, что он не готов.
"Not" negates the embedded clause.
I do not think he is ready.
Я не думаю, что он готов.
"Not" negates the main clause "I do not think".
She said she did not know.
Она сказала, что не знает.
"Not" negates the embedded clause.
She did not say she knew.
Она не сказала, что знает.
"Not" negates the main verb "say".
I believe it is not true.
Я считаю, что это неправда.
"Not" negates the embedded proposition.
The position of not can affect whether the main verb or the infinitive proposition is negated.
For example, I decided not to go directly negates the infinitive action.
I decided not to go.
Я решил не идти.
"Not" directly negates the infinitive "to go".
I did not decide to go.
Я не решил идти.
"Not" negates the main verb "decide".
She tried not to laugh.
Она старалась не смеяться.
"Not" negates the infinitive "to laugh".
She did not try to laugh.
Она не пыталась смеяться.
"Not" negates the main verb "try".
He promised not to tell.
Он обещал не рассказывать.
"Not" negates the infinitive "to tell".
Full negative forms, auxiliary repetition, and special constructions can give negation additional emphasis.
For example, I did not say that can emphasize the denial compared with a neutral I didn't say that.
I did not say that.
Я этого не говорил.
The full form "did not" gives emphasis.
I didn't say that.
Я этого не говорил.
The contracted form "didn't" is more neutral.
I did not say that.
Я этого не говорил.
The full form can sound like a firm denial.
She has not finished.
Она не закончила.
The full form "has not" is emphatic.
They will not agree.
Они не согласятся.
The full form "will not" gives strong emphasis.
Some words and expressions are especially natural in negative, interrogative, or conditional environments.
For example, any, ever, and at all commonly occur in negative contexts such as I do not have any and I have not ever seen it.
I do not have any money.
У меня нет денег.
"Any" is natural in a negative context.
I have not ever seen it.
Я никогда этого не видел.
"Ever" is common in negative contexts.
She did not say anything at all.
Она вообще ничего не сказала.
"At all" strengthens the negative meaning.
He hardly ever calls.
Он почти никогда не звонит.
"Hardly ever" has a negative meaning.
We do not need any help.
Нам не нужна никакая помощь.
"Any" is used in the negative clause.
Form negation by selecting the appropriate auxiliary, placing not correctly, and avoiding unintended double negatives or incorrect verb forms.
Common mistakes include using do with be or modals, keeping the past form after did not, confusing must not with do not have to, and placing not where it changes the intended scope.
She is not ready.
Она не готова.
Use "not" directly after "be", not "does not be".
He does not work here.
Он здесь не работает.
Use the base form "work" after "does not".
They did not go.
Они не пошли.
Use the base form "go" after "did not".
You must not touch this.
Вам нельзя это трогать.
"Must not" expresses prohibition.
You do not have to come.
Вам не обязательно приходить.
"Do not have to" expresses absence of necessity.