Breakdown of Нельзя ничего предполагать без причины.
ничего
nothing
нельзя
one must not
без
without
причина
reason, cause
Questions & Answers about Нельзя ничего предполагать без причины.
Why do we use the imperfective verb предполагать here instead of the perfective предположить?
After the word нельзя, the choice of aspect changes the meaning. Нельзя followed by an imperfective verb means "one shouldn't" or "it is not advisable," expressing a general rule. If you used the perfective предположить, it would mean "it is physically or logically impossible to assume." Since this sentence states a general principle about how to behave, the imperfective is the right choice.
There is no negative particle не in this sentence. Why do we still use the negative pronoun ничего?
Russian grammar requires double negation when a negative element is present. Even though there is no explicit не, the word нельзя inherently carries a negative meaning ("it is not allowed" or "one cannot"). Because the main action is negated, any indefinite pronouns attached to it must also be negative, which is why we use ничего instead of что-то.
How does this sentence relate to the lesson's main topic of making inferences with судя по (judging by)?
This sentence represents the flip side of making an inference! The lesson teaches you how to draw conclusions using судя по plus the Dative case when you have evidence. This sentence acts as a philosophical reminder that without such evidence (без причины), you simply shouldn't assume (предполагать) anything at all.
Is без причины the standard way to translate the English phrase "for no reason"?