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Questions & Answers about Здесь нет воды.
Why does this sentence use воды instead of the zero-ending вод that we are learning about in this lesson?
Because this is the genitive singular form. In Russian, just like in English, we usually treat a substance like water as an uncountable singular noun. The genitive plural вод does exist, but we only use it when talking about multiple bodies of water (like oceans or rivers).
Why is the genitive case required here in the first place?
The word нет (when used to mean 'there is no' or 'is not present') is a negative word that always forces the following noun into the genitive case. This is a strict and very common rule in Russian.
Wait, so how would I say 'there are no waters' using the genitive plural?
If you were talking geographically about multiple bodies of water, you would use the genitive plural rule for feminine nouns ending in -а, which means dropping the vowel to leave a 'zero ending'. The sentence would be Здесь нет вод.
Are the genitive singular and nominative plural forms of вода exactly the same?
They are spelled the same, but pronounced differently! The genitive singular used in this sentence has the stress on the last syllable (водЫ). The nominative plural (meaning 'waters') has the stress on the first syllable (вОды).