Breakdown of Кого он ни встретит, он вечно хмурится.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
кто
who / whoever
встретить
to meet (pf)
ни
no matter (concessive particle)
вечно
constantly
хмуриться
to frown
Questions & Answers about Кого он ни встретит, он вечно хмурится.
Why is the particle ни used here instead of не?
When a question word like кого is paired with the particle ни, it creates a universal concessive clause, meaning 'no matter who' or 'whomever'. Unlike не, this ни does not make the verb negative. He actually does meet people!
Why is встретит in the future perfective tense when the English translation is in the present tense?
In Russian, the future perfective is often used for repeated or habitual actions in the present, especially in 'no matter what/who' clauses. It emphasizes that each individual meeting is completed, which then triggers the continuous action in the main clause (хмурится, which is in the present imperfective).
Why does the sentence start with кого instead of кто?
Кого is the accusative form of кто. It is the direct object of the verb встретит (he meets whom). The subject of the first clause is the first он.
Does вечно mean the exact same thing as всегда here?
They both mean 'always' or 'constantly' in this context, but вечно (literally 'eternally') carries a stronger emotional tone. It is frequently used to express slight irritation or exaggeration about someone's annoying habit, much like saying 'he is forever frowning' in English.
Learn Кого он ни встретит, он вечно хмурится 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