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Using not all, not every, not always and similar structures.
Practice: build the sentences →Partial negation denies only part of a proposition rather than the entire proposition.
For example, Not all students passed means some students passed and some did not; it does not mean that no students passed.
Not all students passed.
Не все студенты сдали экзамен.
"Not all" denies the proposition for part of the group, not the whole group.
Not everyone agreed.
Не все согласились.
"Not everyone" means at least one person did not agree.
The train is not always late.
Поезд не всегда опаздывает.
"Not always" means the statement is not true on every occasion.
I am not completely satisfied.
Я не полностью удовлетворён.
"Not completely" expresses partial rather than total negation.
Expensive does not necessarily mean better.
Дорогое не обязательно означает лучшее.
"Not necessarily" weakens a universal inference.
Not all means that the proposition is false for at least some members of the relevant group.
For example, Not all students passed means that at least one student did not pass.
Not all students passed.
Не все студенты сдали экзамен.
"Not all" means at least one student did not pass.
Not all answers are correct.
Не все ответы правильные.
"Not all" 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".
Not all books are useful.
Не все книги полезны.
"Not all" gives partial negation of the group.
Not all the guests arrived on time.
Не все гости пришли вовремя.
"Not all" means some guests were late.
Not every has a similar meaning to not all when referring to a set of individual cases.
For example, Not every employee works remotely means that some employees do not work remotely.
Not every employee works remotely.
Не каждый сотрудник работает удалённо.
"Not every" means some employees do not work remotely.
Not every student passed the exam.
Не каждый студент сдал экзамен.
"Not every" gives partial negation.
Not every answer is correct.
Не каждый ответ правильный.
"Not every" means some answers are incorrect.
Not every book on the list is useful.
Не каждая книга в списке полезна.
"Not every" denies the proposition for at least one item.
Not every guest enjoyed the party.
Не каждый гость наслаждался вечеринкой.
"Not every" means some guests did not enjoy it.
Not everyone denies the proposition for at least one member of a group.
For example, Not everyone agreed means that at least one person did not agree.
Not everyone agreed.
Не все согласились.
"Not everyone" means at least one person did not agree.
Not everyone was happy with the result.
Не все были довольны результатом.
"Not everyone" gives partial negation for people.
Not everyone can afford a new car.
Не каждый может позволить себе новую машину.
"Not everyone" means some people cannot afford it.
Not everyone understood the explanation.
Не все поняли объяснение.
"Not everyone" denies the proposition for some people.
Not everyone likes coffee.
Не все любят кофе.
"Not everyone" means some people do not like coffee.
Not everything denies that every relevant thing satisfies the proposition.
For example, Not everything in the report is accurate means that at least one part is inaccurate.
Not everything in the report is accurate.
Не всё в отчёте точно.
"Not everything" means at least one part is inaccurate.
Not everything was lost.
Не всё было потеряно.
"Not everything" means something remained.
Not everything he says is true.
Не всё, что он говорит, правда.
"Not everything" denies the proposition for some things.
Not everything on the menu is expensive.
Не всё в меню дорогое.
"Not everything" means some items are affordable.
Not everything went according to plan.
Не всё прошло по плану.
"Not everything" gives partial negation of events.
Not both means that the two propositions do not both hold, but it does not necessarily specify which one is false.
For example, You cannot have both means that having the two together is excluded; either one or neither may be possible depending on context.
You cannot have both.
Вы не можете иметь оба.
"Not both" excludes having the two together.
I do not want both.
Я не хочу оба.
"Not both" means not the two together.
She does not like both options.
Ей не нравятся оба варианта.
"Not both" allows that one option may be acceptable.
They do not need both.
Им не нужны оба.
"Not both" excludes the combination.
We cannot choose both.
Мы не можем выбрать оба.
"Not both" does not specify which one to exclude.
Not either in a negative clause can mean neither of two alternatives when the negative scope is clear.
For example, I do not want either option means I want neither option.
I do not want either option.
Я не хочу ни один из вариантов.
"Not either" means neither option.
She does not like either answer.
Ей не нравится ни один из ответов.
"Not either" rejects both alternatives.
They do not need either book.
Им не нужна ни одна из книг.
"Not either" means neither book is needed.
I cannot take either route.
Я не могу выбрать ни один маршрут.
"Not either" excludes both alternatives.
We did not enjoy either film.
Нам не понравился ни один из фильмов.
"Not either" means neither film was enjoyable.
Not always means that something is not true on every occasion, while leaving open the possibility that it is true on some occasions.
For example, The system is not always reliable means that it is reliable sometimes and unreliable sometimes, or at least that reliability is not universal.
The system is not always reliable.
Система не всегда надёжна.
"Not always" means it is reliable sometimes and unreliable sometimes.
The train is not always late.
Поезд не всегда опаздывает.
"Not always" means it is sometimes on time.
She is not always right.
Она не всегда права.
"Not always" leaves open that she is sometimes right.
The method is not always effective.
Метод не всегда эффективен.
"Not always" means effectiveness is not universal.
Prices are not always higher in summer.
Цены не всегда выше летом.
"Not always" means the pattern is not universal.
Not usually means that something is not the normal or typical pattern but can still happen.
For example, I do not usually work weekends means weekend work sometimes occurs but is not typical.
I do not usually work weekends.
Я обычно не работаю по выходным.
"Not usually" means weekend work sometimes occurs but is not typical.
She does not usually arrive late.
Она обычно не приходит поздно.
"Not usually" means lateness is not the normal pattern.
We do not usually eat out.
Мы обычно не едим вне дома.
"Not usually" leaves open that eating out sometimes happens.
He does not usually complain.
Он обычно не жалуется.
"Not usually" means complaining is not typical.
The bus does not usually stop here.
Автобус обычно здесь не останавливается.
"Not usually" means the stop is not the normal pattern.
Not often indicates low frequency without meaning never.
For example, We do not often eat out means that eating out happens, but relatively infrequently.
We do not often eat out.
Мы нечасто едим вне дома.
"Not often" means eating out happens but infrequently.
I do not often travel abroad.
Я нечасто путешествую за границу.
"Not often" indicates low frequency, not zero.
She does not often call me.
Она нечасто мне звонит.
"Not often" means calls happen but are infrequent.
They do not often go to the cinema.
Они нечасто ходят в кино.
"Not often" means going to the cinema is not frequent.
He does not often make mistakes.
Он нечасто делает ошибки.
"Not often" leaves open that mistakes sometimes occur.
Not necessarily means that something is possible or sometimes true but is not guaranteed or logically required.
For example, Expensive does not necessarily mean better.
Expensive does not necessarily mean better.
Дорогое не обязательно означает лучшее.
"Not necessarily" means it is not logically required.
A high price does not necessarily mean high quality.
Высокая цена не обязательно означает высокое качество.
"Not necessarily" allows for cases where expensive products are good.
Success does not necessarily require talent.
Успех не обязательно требует таланта.
"Not necessarily" weakens a universal inference.
Silence does not necessarily mean agreement.
Молчание не обязательно означает согласие.
"Not necessarily" means the inference is not guaranteed.
A large company does not necessarily pay well.
Крупная компания не обязательно хорошо платит.
"Not necessarily" qualifies the assumption.
Not completely expresses partial rather than total negation of degree.
For example, I am not completely satisfied means there is some satisfaction but not full satisfaction.
I am not completely satisfied.
Я не полностью удовлетворён.
"Not completely" means there is some satisfaction but not full satisfaction.
The task is not completely finished.
Задача не полностью закончена.
"Not completely" means the task is partially finished.
She was not completely honest.
Она была не совсем честна.
"Not completely" expresses partial negation of degree.
The explanation is not completely clear.
Объяснение не совсем ясно.
"Not completely" means it is partially clear.
The results are not completely reliable.
Результаты не полностью надёжны.
"Not completely" gives partial negation of degree.
Not entirely is a formal or neutral way to express partial negation of a degree or whole.
For example, I am not entirely convinced means that some doubts remain.
I am not entirely convinced.
Я не вполне убеждён.
"Not entirely" means some doubts remain.
The report is not entirely accurate.
Отчёт не вполне точен.
"Not entirely" gives partial negation.
She was not entirely satisfied with the result.
Она была не вполне удовлетворена результатом.
"Not entirely" is a formal way to express partial negation.
The explanation is not entirely clear.
Объяснение не вполне ясно.
"Not entirely" leaves some room for clarity.
His story is not entirely true.
Его история не вполне правдива.
"Not entirely" means there is some truth but not full truth.
Not quite indicates that something is close to being true or complete but does not fully satisfy the description.
For example, The answer is not quite correct.
The answer is not quite correct.
Ответ не совсем правильный.
"Not quite" means it is close to correct but not fully.
The task is not quite finished.
Задача почти закончена.
"Not quite" means almost finished but not fully.
I am not quite ready.
Я ещё не совсем готов.
"Not quite" means nearly ready but not fully.
She is not quite sure.
Она не совсем уверена.
"Not quite" means close to being sure but not fully.
The explanation is not quite clear.
Объяснение не совсем ясное.
"Not quite" means nearly clear but not fully.
Not exactly weakens or partially rejects a statement rather than always denying it completely.
For example, Is that what happened? Not exactly.
Is that what happened? Not exactly.
Это то, что случилось? Не совсем.
"Not exactly" weakens or partially rejects the statement.
The answer is not exactly wrong.
Ответ не совсем неправильный.
"Not exactly" softens the rejection.
That is not exactly what I meant.
Это не совсем то, что я имел в виду.
"Not exactly" partially rejects the interpretation.
He is not exactly a beginner.
Он не совсем новичок.
"Not exactly" qualifies the description.
The film was not exactly boring.
Фильм не был совсем скучным.
"Not exactly" softens the negation.
Not all means that at least one member is excluded, while none means that every member is excluded.
For example, Not all students failed means some may have passed, while None of the students failed means all passed.
Not all students failed.
Не все студенты провалили экзамен.
"Not all" means some may have passed.
None of the students failed.
Ни один из студентов не провалил экзамен.
"None" means every student passed.
Not all the answers are correct.
Не все ответы правильные.
"Not all" means at least one answer is wrong.
None of the answers are correct.
Ни один из ответов не правильный.
"None" means all answers are wrong.
Not all the guests came.
Не все гости пришли.
"Not all" means some guests did not come.
Not every means the proposition fails for at least one member, while no means it fails for every member.
For example, Not every student passed is very different from No student passed.
Not every student passed.
Не каждый студент сдал экзамен.
"Not every" means at least one student did not pass.
No student passed.
Ни один студент не сдал экзамен.
"No" means every student failed.
Not every employee works remotely.
Не каждый сотрудник работает удалённо.
"Not every" means some employees do not work remotely.
No employee works remotely.
Ни один сотрудник не работает удалённо.
"No" means zero employees work remotely.
Not every guest enjoyed the party.
Не каждый гость наслаждался вечеринкой.
"Not every" gives partial negation.
Not everyone means at least one person is excluded, while nobody means zero people satisfy the proposition.
For example, Not everyone agreed means some disagreed, while Nobody agreed means zero people agreed.
Not everyone agreed.
Не все согласились.
"Not everyone" means some disagreed.
Nobody agreed.
Никто не согласился.
"Nobody" means zero people agreed.
Not everyone was happy.
Не все были счастливы.
"Not everyone" means at least one person was not happy.
Nobody was happy.
Никто не был счастлив.
"Nobody" means zero people were happy.
Not everyone understood.
Не все поняли.
"Not everyone" means some did not understand.
Not everything means at least one thing does not satisfy the proposition, while nothing means no relevant thing does.
For example, Not everything was lost means something remained, while Nothing was lost means everything remained.
Not everything was lost.
Не всё было потеряно.
"Not everything" means something remained.
Nothing was lost.
Ничего не было потеряно.
"Nothing" means everything remained.
Not everything in the report is accurate.
Не всё в отчёте точно.
"Not everything" means at least one part is inaccurate.
Nothing in the report is accurate.
Ничто в отчёте не является точным.
"Nothing" means zero parts are accurate.
Not everything he says is true.
Не всё, что он говорит, правда.
"Not everything" means some things are not true.
The position of not relative to a quantifier determines whether the whole quantified proposition or only another element is negated.
For example, Not every student passed differs from Every student did not pass.
Not every student passed.
Не каждый студент сдал экзамен.
"Not every" means some students did not pass.
Every student did not pass.
Каждый студент не сдал экзамен.
"Every ... not" means all students failed.
Not all answers are correct.
Не все ответы правильные.
"Not all" means some answers are wrong.
All answers are not correct.
Все ответы неправильные.
"All ... not" means every answer is wrong.
Not everyone agreed.
Не все согласились.
"Not everyone" means some disagreed.
Not every X is Y means at least one X is not Y, while every X is not Y means all X are not Y.
For example, Not every employee is remote does not mean Every employee is not remote.
Not every employee is remote.
Не каждый сотрудник работает удалённо.
"Not every X is Y" means at least one X is not Y.
Every employee is not remote.
Каждый сотрудник не работает удалённо.
"Every X is not Y" means all X are not Y.
Not every student passed.
Не каждый студент сдал экзамен.
"Not every" gives partial negation.
Every student did not pass.
Каждый студент не сдал экзамен.
"Every ... not" means all failed.
Not every answer is correct.
Не каждый ответ правильный.
"Not every" means some answers are wrong.
Not all X are Y means some X are not Y, while all X are not Y means no X are Y.
For example, Not all answers are correct differs fundamentally from All answers are incorrect.
Not all answers are correct.
Не все ответы правильные.
"Not all X are Y" means some X are not Y.
All answers are incorrect.
Все ответы неправильные.
"All X are not Y" means no X are Y.
Not all students passed.
Не все студенты сдали экзамен.
"Not all" means some students did not pass.
All students failed.
Все студенты провалили экзамен.
"All ... not" means no students passed.
Not all the guests came.
Не все гости пришли.
"Not all" means some guests did not come.
Not both excludes the combination of two propositions but can leave open either one or both alternatives individually depending on context.
For example, You cannot take both is different from You cannot take either.
You cannot take both.
Вы не можете взять оба.
"Not both" excludes the combination of two items.
You cannot take either.
Вы не можете взять ни один.
"Not either" excludes both items individually.
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.
Not always means not on every occasion, while never means on no occasion.
For example, The train is not always late means it is sometimes late, while The train is never late means it is never late.
The train is not always late.
Поезд не всегда опаздывает.
"Not always" means it is sometimes late and sometimes on time.
The train is never late.
Поезд никогда не опаздывает.
"Never" means zero frequency of lateness.
She is not always right.
Она не всегда права.
"Not always" means she is sometimes wrong.
She is never right.
Она никогда не права.
"Never" means she is always wrong.
The system is not always reliable.
Система не всегда надёжна.
"Not always" means reliability is not universal.
Not often means infrequently, while never means zero frequency.
For example, I do not often travel abroad means I sometimes do, while I never travel abroad means I do not.
I do not often travel abroad.
Я нечасто путешествую за границу.
"Not often" means I sometimes do, but infrequently.
I never travel abroad.
Я никогда не путешествую за границу.
"Never" means zero frequency.
We do not often eat out.
Мы нечасто едим вне дома.
"Not often" means eating out happens sometimes.
We never eat out.
Мы никогда не едим вне дома.
"Never" means zero frequency.
She does not often call.
Она нечасто звонит.
"Not often" indicates low frequency, not zero.
Not necessarily weakens a universal inference or implication rather than simply making the whole statement false.
For example, A high price does not necessarily mean high quality allows for cases where expensive products are high quality.
A high price does not necessarily mean high quality.
Высокая цена не обязательно означает высокое качество.
"Not necessarily" allows for cases where expensive products are good.
A high price does not mean high quality.
Высокая цена не означает высокое качество.
Simple "not" denies the implication directly.
Success does not necessarily require talent.
Успех не обязательно требует таланта.
"Not necessarily" weakens a universal inference.
Success does not require talent.
Успех не требует таланта.
Simple "not" makes a stronger denial.
Silence does not necessarily mean agreement.
Молчание не обязательно означает согласие.
"Not necessarily" qualifies the inference.
Not completely allows some degree of truth or completion, while not at all expresses total absence or zero degree.
For example, I am not completely satisfied differs from I am not satisfied at all.
I am not completely satisfied.
Я не полностью удовлетворён.
"Not completely" allows some degree of satisfaction.
I am not satisfied at all.
Я совсем не удовлетворён.
"Not at all" expresses total absence of satisfaction.
The task is not completely finished.
Задача не полностью закончена.
"Not completely" means partially finished.
The task is not finished at all.
Задача совсем не закончена.
"Not at all" means zero completion.
The results are not completely reliable.
Результаты не полностью надёжны.
"Not completely" gives partial negation.
Not quite indicates that something is close to being true, while a stronger negative expression rejects it more completely.
For example, The answer is not quite right suggests it is close to correct.
The answer is not quite right.
Ответ не совсем правильный.
"Not quite" suggests the answer is close to correct.
The answer is completely wrong.
Ответ совершенно неправильный.
"Completely wrong" rejects the answer entirely.
I am not quite ready.
Я ещё не совсем готов.
"Not quite" means nearly ready.
I am not ready at all.
Я совсем не готов.
"Not at all" expresses zero readiness.
The explanation is not quite clear.
Объяснение не совсем ясное.
"Not quite" means nearly clear.
Questions can use partial negation to ask whether a universal or frequent proposition actually holds.
For example, Didn't all the students pass? asks whether the claim that all students passed is false.
Didn't all the students pass?
Разве не все студенты сдали?
The question asks whether the claim that all passed is false.
Isn't everyone coming?
Разве не все приходят?
The question asks whether some people are not coming.
Doesn't he always arrive on time?
Разве он не всегда приходит вовремя?
The question asks whether the frequency claim holds.
Haven't all the tickets been sold?
Разве не все билеты проданы?
The question asks whether some tickets remain.
Didn't everyone agree?
Разве не все согласились?
The question asks whether someone disagreed.
Expressions such as not really, not exactly, not always, and not necessarily can soften or qualify a response rather than simply saying no.
For example, Is the method perfect? Not exactly.
Is the method perfect? Not exactly.
Метод идеален? Не совсем.
"Not exactly" softens the response.
Are you satisfied? Not really.
Вы удовлетворены? Не совсем.
"Not really" qualifies the negative response.
Is it always reliable? Not always.
Это всегда надёжно? Не всегда.
"Not always" means it is sometimes unreliable.
Does it always work? Not necessarily.
Это всегда работает? Не обязательно.
"Not necessarily" weakens the universal claim.
Is that completely true? Not quite.
Это полностью правда? Не совсем.
"Not quite" means it is close to true but not fully.
Partial negation often signals qualification, correction, or disagreement without a completely categorical denial.
For example, I do not entirely agree can sound less direct than I completely disagree.
I do not entirely agree.
Я не вполне согласен.
This sounds less direct than "I completely disagree".
The results are not entirely conclusive.
Результаты не вполне убедительны.
This qualifies the conclusion without rejecting it completely.
I am not completely convinced.
Я не полностью убеждён.
This signals reservation rather than total rejection.
That is not exactly what I meant.
Это не совсем то, что я имел в виду.
This corrects without being categorical.
The plan is not entirely without risk.
План не вполне лишён риска.
This uses double negation to soften the statement.
Formal and academic writing frequently uses partial negation to avoid overly absolute claims.
For example, The results do not necessarily demonstrate a causal relationship.
The results do not necessarily demonstrate a causal relationship.
Результаты не обязательно демонстрируют причинно-следственную связь.
Formal writing uses partial negation to avoid absolute claims.
Not all participants completed the survey.
Не все участники завершили опрос.
"Not all" gives a precise partial claim.
The evidence does not entirely support the conclusion.
Доказательства не вполне подтверждают вывод.
Partial negation is common in academic writing.
The findings are not always consistent across studies.
Результаты не всегда согласуются между исследованиями.
"Not always" avoids an overly absolute claim.
This does not necessarily imply a direct effect.
Это не обязательно подразумевает прямое воздействие.
Formal partial negation qualifies the inference.
Partial negation should be interpreted according to its scope rather than as a simple synonym for total negation.
For example, Not all A are B means Some A are not B, not No A are B.
Not all A are B.
Не все A являются B.
"Not all A are B" means some A are not B.
Some A are not B.
Некоторые A не являются B.
This is the logical equivalent of "not all A are B".
Not every student passed.
Не каждый студент сдал.
"Not every" means at least one student did not pass.
The system is not always reliable.
Система не всегда надёжна.
"Not always" means it is sometimes unreliable.
Expensive does not necessarily mean better.
Дорогое не обязательно означает лучшее.
"Not necessarily" weakens the implication.
When partial negation could be interpreted in more than one way, word order or a clearer reformulation should be used.
For example, The policy does not always produce the intended result is clearer than placing not in a position that obscures whether frequency or the whole proposition is being negated.
The policy does not always produce the intended result.
Политика не всегда даёт желаемый результат.
Clear placement of "not always" avoids ambiguity.
Not all the data were analysed.
Не все данные были проанализированы.
"Not all" clearly scopes over "the data".
The evidence does not necessarily support that conclusion.
Доказательства не обязательно подтверждают этот вывод.
"Not necessarily" clarifies the scope of negation.
Not everyone who applied was accepted.
Не все, кто подал заявку, были приняты.
"Not everyone" clearly scopes over the group.
The results are not entirely consistent.
Результаты не вполне согласованы.
"Not entirely" gives clear partial negation.
Distinguish partial negation from total negation and place not so that its scope is clear.
Common mistakes include treating not all as none, treating not always as never, confusing not both with neither, and interpreting not necessarily as a complete rejection.
Not all students passed.
Не все студенты сдали.
Correct: "not all" means some did not pass.
None of the students passed.
Ни один из студентов не сдал.
Correct: "none" means zero students passed.
The train is not always late.
Поезд не всегда опаздывает.
Correct: "not always" means it is sometimes on time.
The train is never late.
Поезд никогда не опаздывает.
Correct: "never" means zero frequency.
You cannot have both.
Вы не можете иметь оба.
Correct: "not both" excludes the combination, not necessarily each one.