Breakdown of Эта пустота никого не пугает.
не
not
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
никто
nobody
пустота
emptiness
пугать
to frighten
Questions & Answers about Эта пустота никого не пугает.
Why is it никого instead of никто in this sentence?
Никто means nobody in the Nominative case, which is used for the main subject doing the action. Here, the subject is пустота (emptiness). The emptiness is the thing not scaring anyone, so anyone is the direct object receiving the action. For direct objects, we use the Accusative case, and the Accusative form of никто is никого.
Why are there two negative words, никого and не?
In Russian, double negatives are required and they do not cancel each other out. Whenever you use a negative pronoun like никого, you must also place the negative particle не right before the verb. While English says doesn't scare anyone or scares nobody, Russian literally says nobody doesn't scare.
Is the noun пустота related to the adjective for empty?
Yes, it comes from the adjective пустой which means empty. Adding the suffix -ота turns it into the noun пустота (emptiness), very similar to adding -ness in English. Because it ends in -а, it is a feminine noun, which is why it pairs with the feminine word for this, Эта.
Can I put никого at the very end of the sentence?
Yes, because Russian word order is flexible, you could say Эта пустота не пугает никого. However, it is extremely common and natural to place negative pronouns directly before the verb. Grouping the negative words together as никого не пугает is the standard way native speakers emphasize the negative meaning.
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