Questions & Answers about Ноль — это не число.
Why do we use a dash and это instead of a verb for "is"?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" is usually left out. When you are defining something or saying that one noun is another noun (like "Zero is a number"), you typically use a dash and the word это to link them together.
Could I just say Ноль не число without — это?
Yes, you can! Dropping — это is grammatically correct and sounds a bit more formal or categorical. However, using — это is much more common and natural in everyday speech when equating two concepts.
Why is the sentence using не instead of нет?
Нет means "no" (the opposite of yes) or "there is not" (used to show absence, which requires the genitive case). Не simply negates the specific word that comes directly after it. Here it is used to say "not a number" (не число).
What gender and case is the word число in this sentence?
It is a neuter noun, which you can tell by the -о ending. It is in the nominative case (the dictionary form) because it is the predicate—the noun describing what "zero" is.
I have sometimes seen "zero" spelled as нуль. What is the difference between ноль and нуль?