Breakdown of Как упрямый котёнок ни старается, он не может открыть дверь.
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
дверь
door
как
how
мочь
to be able to
открыть
to open
стараться
to try hard
котёнок
kitten
ни
not (negative particle in ни с кем, ни о чём)
упрямый
stubborn
Questions & Answers about Как упрямый котёнок ни старается, он не может открыть дверь.
Why is there a ни here instead of не, and why doesn't it make the sentence negative?
In Russian, the construction как + [subject] + ни + [verb] translates to "no matter how [subject] [verbs]". The particle ни here acts as an intensifier for the concession ("no matter how much"), not as a negative marker. That is why the kitten actually is trying, even though ни is used.
Why is упрямый котёнок sandwiched between как and ни?
The most natural word order for this construction is to place the subject right between как and ни. While you might occasionally see the subject placed elsewhere, the как + [subject] + ни + [verb] pattern is the standard way to phrase "no matter how [subject] [verbs]".
Why is старается in the imperfective aspect here? Could we use the perfective?
Старается (imperfective) is used because the kitten's effort is an ongoing, repeated struggle. Concessive clauses with как ни frequently use imperfective verbs to emphasize this continuous attempt. You would only use a perfective verb here if you were talking about a single, specific future attempt.
Why use the perfective открыть instead of the imperfective открывать after не может?
After не может (cannot), the perfective открыть shows that the kitten is failing to achieve the result of getting the door open on this specific occasion. If you used the imperfective открывать, it would imply he is fundamentally unable to perform the action at all, or it would describe a general, habitual inability rather than this one stubborn attempt.
Learn Как упрямый котёнок ни старается, он не может открыть дверь 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