Breakdown of Нам ни с кем не обсудить это проклятие, и нам его не предотвратить!
и
and
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
мы
we
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
никто
nobody
с
with (also со)
обсудить
to discuss (perfective)
проклятие
curse
предотвратить
to prevent
Questions & Answers about Нам ни с кем не обсудить это проклятие, и нам его не предотвратить!
Why is "we cannot discuss" translated as нам не обсудить instead of мы не можем обсудить?
This sentence uses an independent infinitive clause to express impossibility. Using the dative subject (нам) + не + perfective infinitive (обсудить) implies that circumstances make the action categorically impossible. It carries a more fatalistic, dramatic tone than мы не можем ("we are unable to"), meaning "there is simply no way for us to discuss it."
Why use the perfective infinitives обсудить and предотвратить here? What if we used imperfective verbs?
The aspect is crucial in these constructions! In a dative + не + infinitive structure, using a perfective verb expresses impossibility ("it cannot be discussed/prevented"). If you used imperfective verbs (обсуждать, предотвращать), the structure would instead express a strong recommendation or instruction against the action ("we shouldn't discuss it" or "we are not to prevent it").
Why is the preposition stuck in the middle of ни с кем instead of saying с никем?
In Russian, when a negative pronoun (like никто - "nobody") is used with a preposition (like с - "with"), the preposition always splits the negative prefix from the rest of the pronoun. So, ни + с + кем is the only grammatically correct way to say "with nobody".
Since ни с кем already means "with nobody," why is there an extra не before обсудить?
Russian strictly enforces multiple negation. Whenever you use a negative pronoun (like никто, никогда, or in this case, ни с кем), the main verb of that clause must also be negated with не.
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