Splitting Negative Pronouns
In Russian, negative pronouns like никто (no one) and ничто (nothing) start with the prefix ни-.
When you need to use a preposition with these words—such as talking about going "with" no one or relying "on" no one—something unique happens: the preposition breaks the word apart and jumps right into the middle. The single word splits into a three-word phrase.
| Base Pronoun | Preposition | Case | Split Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| никто | с (with) | Instrumental | ни с кем (with no one) |
| никто | на (on) | Accusative | ни на кого (on no one) |
| никто | к (to/towards) | Dative | ни к кому (to no one) |
| никто | у (by/from) | Genitive | ни у кого (from no one) |
Notice that the root of the pronoun changes its case (to кем, кого, кому) to match whatever case the preposition requires.
Finally, remember the Russian double negative rule: when you use a negative pronoun, you must still put не before the verb!
| On the wild island I talk to no one, but I have no panic. | На диком острове я ни с кем не разговариваю, но у меня нет паники. |
| to rely | полагаться |
| You need to survive, so you rely on no one. | Тебе нужно выжить, поэтому ты ни на кого не полагаешься. |
| I approached no one with a weapon, I had hope. | Я ни к кому не подошёл с оружием, у меня была надежда. |
| We were hiding under the branches, but we took water from no one. | Мы прятались под ветками, но ни у кого не брали воду. |
Splitting "Ничто" (Nothing)
The exact same splitting rule applies to ничто (nothing). When a preposition splits the word, the ending of the pronoun changes to match the required case, resulting in forms like чём, чем, or чего.
| Base Pronoun | Preposition | Case | Split Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ничто | о (about) | Prepositional | ни о чём (about nothing) |
| ничто | за (behind) | Instrumental | ни за чем (behind nothing) |
| ничто | из (out of) | Genitive | ни из чего (out of nothing) |
| The rescuer thinks about nothing, because he has a strong thirst. | Спасатель ни о чём не думает, потому что у него сильная жажда. |
| I hide behind nothing, there is only sand and branches here. | Я ни за чем не прячусь, здесь только песок и ветки. |
| On the sand, we cannot build a camp out of anything, so we are panicking. | На песке мы ни из чего не можем строить лагерь, поэтому у нас паника. |