Saying "There is no..." with Нет
The word нет means "no," but it is also used to mean "there is no..." or to state that something is absent. The missing person or thing takes the Genitive case.
To form the Genitive singular:
- Masculine: Add -а (or -я if ending in a soft sign or й). Example: компьютер → компьютера.
- Feminine: Change -а to -ы (or -и after letters like г, к, х). Nouns ending in a soft sign take -и. Examples: бумага → бумаги, связь → связи.
- Neuter: Change -о to -а, and -е to -я.
| There is no computer on the table. | На столе нет компьютера. |
| There is no printer and no paper here. | Здесь нет принтера и бумаги. |
Contrasting Presence and Absence
When contrasting what is there with what isn't, the present item stays in the Nominative case, while the missing item takes the Genitive.
| There is a computer on the table, but no printer. | На столе есть компьютер, а принтера нет. |
| The telephone is here, but there is no connection. | Телефон здесь, а связи нет. |
People Can Be Absent Too
This applies to absent people, too. The missing person takes the Genitive case (секретарь → секретаря).
| Where is the secretary? The secretary is not here today. | Где секретарь? Секретаря сегодня нет. |
Not Having Something
"I have a passport" is У меня есть паспорт (literally: "By me there is a passport"). To say you don't have something, replace есть with нет and put the missing item in the Genitive.
| I see the screen, but I have no password. | Я вижу экран, а у меня нет пароля. |
| The student has no passport. | У студента нет паспорта. |
| The secretary does not have a document. | У секретаря нет документа. |
Connecting Sentences with "Что"
To connect ideas like "I know that..." or "He thinks that...", use the conjunction что (pronounced "што"). Always place a comma immediately before что.
| We know that the boss is not in the office. | Мы знаем, что начальника нет в офисе. |
| Why do you think that there is no contract? | Почему вы думаете, что договора нет? |