Breakdown of Он никуда не едет.
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
ехать
to go (by vehicle)
никуда
nowhere, not anywhere (with не)
Questions & Answers about Он никуда не едет.
Why are there two negative words (никуда and не) in this sentence?
In Russian, double negation is a strict rule. Whenever you use a negative word like никуда (nowhere / not anywhere), ничего (nothing), or никогда (never), you must also put не (not) right in front of the verb. Literally, this sentence translates to "He nowhere not goes."
Could I use нигде instead of никуда here?
No, because he is performing an action of motion. Никуда means "nowhere" as a destination (answering "to where?"). Нигде means "nowhere" as a fixed location (answering "where at?"). Since we are talking about where he is going, we must use the destination word никуда.
Why use едет instead of идёт for "going"?
Russian has different verbs for going on foot versus going by transport. Едет (from the verb ехать) specifically means going by a vehicle like a car, bus, or train. If he were walking, you would use идёт. This sentence implies he isn't driving or taking a ride anywhere.
Can I put никуда at the end of the sentence, like in English?
You can say Он не едет никуда, but it sounds a bit less natural than the sentence shown here. In Russian, it is standard to group the negative words together before the verb. Putting никуда at the very end places a heavy, sometimes defensive emphasis on it.