Breakdown of У нас нет выбора и нет плана.
и
and
нас
us
у
at, by
план
plan
нет
there is no / is not present
выбор
choice
Questions & Answers about У нас нет выбора и нет плана.
Why does this sentence start with у нас instead of the word for "we"?
In Russian, you don't typically use a verb for "to have." Instead, you use the preposition у (meaning "by" or "at") followed by the owner in the Genitive case. Нас is the Genitive form of мы (we). So, у нас нет literally translates to "at us there is no..."
How does нас relate to the pronouns его and её from this lesson?
They are all personal pronouns in the Genitive case! Just like его is the Genitive form of он (he) and её is the Genitive of она (she), нас is the Genitive form of мы (we). If you wanted to say "He has no plan," you would use the exact same structure with his pronoun: У него нет плана.
Why do the words for choice (выбор) and plan (план) end in -а here?
They are taking the Genitive case because of the word нет (there is not). In Russian, the word нет requires the thing that is missing or absent to be in the Genitive case. Since both выбор and план are masculine nouns that end in a consonant, they get an -а added to the end.
Do I have to repeat the word нет twice?
It is not strictly required by grammar—you could say У нас нет выбора и плана and be perfectly understood. However, repeating нет sounds much more natural and adds emphasis, just like repeating "no" in the English phrase "no choice and no plan."
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