Learn Russian: Это не конец, это только начало. - This is not the end, this is only the beginning.

In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' is simply left out. Because of this, the word это on its own acts as 'this is' or 'it is' when pointing something out.

Why do we use не instead of нет to say 'not the end'?

You use не to negate the specific word that comes right after it—in this case, конец. You would use нет when saying the standalone word 'no', or when saying that something doesn't exist (like 'I have no time').

How do конец and начало fit into our lesson on time expressions?

While words like потом (later) or завтра (tomorrow) are adverbs, конец (end) and начало (beginning) are nouns. Even though they are nouns, they are essential for dividing up timelines and describing the sequence of events.

Is начало related to the sequencing word сначала (at first)?

Yes, they share the same root! начало is the noun meaning 'the beginning'. сначала literally means 'from the beginning' and is used to mean 'at first' or 'initially'. You will often use сначала along with lesson words like потом (then/later) to tell a story in order.