Breakdown of Здесь нет ничего, кроме темноты.
здесь
here
нет
there is no / is not present
ничто
nothing (nominative)
кроме
except
темнота
darkness (f)
Questions & Answers about Здесь нет ничего, кроме темноты.
Why does the sentence use нет ничего instead of just ничего?
Russian requires a double negative here. To say "there is nothing," you literally say "there is not nothing" (нет ничего). Because the word нет (there is no) always forces the following noun or pronoun into the Genitive case, we use ничего, which is the Genitive form of ничто (nothing).
Why is ничего pronounced with a "v" sound when it is spelled with a г?
Why does темнота (darkness) change to темноты at the end of the sentence?
The preposition кроме (except) always requires the Genitive case. Since темнота is a feminine noun ending in -а, its Genitive form ends in -ы, becoming темноты. This reinforces a broader theme of your current lesson: the Genitive case often deals with absence, exclusion, or things not physically grasped yet, whether triggered by a preposition like кроме or by verbs of fear and desire.
Why is здесь placed at the very beginning of the sentence?
In Russian sentences about existence or absence, the location or time is typically placed at the very beginning to set the scene. That is why we start with Здесь (Here) before stating what is missing.
Learn Здесь нет ничего, кроме темноты 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