Breakdown of Мы не хотим отказываться ни от десерта, ни от вина.
не
not
мы
we
вино
wine
хотеть
to want
от
from
десерт
dessert
ни
neither / nor
отказываться
to refuse (impf)
Questions & Answers about Мы не хотим отказываться ни от десерта, ни от вина.
Why is there a не before хотим when the English translation says 'We want... neither'?
In Russian, the double conjunction ни ..., ни ... (neither ... nor) requires a negative verb. You must include не before the verb, creating a double negative. Literally, you are saying 'We do not want to refuse neither... nor.'
Why is the preposition от repeated before both десерта and вина?
When using double conjunctions like ни ..., ни ... with a preposition, Russian grammar requires you to repeat the preposition after each part of the conjunction. You cannot group them; it must be ни от десерта, ни от вина.
Why are the words десерт and вино in the genitive case (десерта, вина)?
They are in the genitive case because of the preposition от. The verb отказываться (to refuse or to give up) always pairs with от + genitive to express what it is you are refusing.
Is the comma before the second ни mandatory?
Yes. When using double coordinating conjunctions like ни ..., ни ..., и ..., и ..., or или ..., или ..., Russian punctuation rules require a comma before the second part of the conjunction pair.
Learn Мы не хотим отказываться ни от десерта, ни от вина and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free