Breakdown of Ни у кого нет зуба длиной в пятнадцать сантиметров.
у
at, by
нет
there is no / is not present
никто
nobody
пятнадцать
fifteen
зуб
tooth
длина
length
сантиметр
centimeter
в
of (in measurements)
Questions & Answers about Ни у кого нет зуба длиной в пятнадцать сантиметров.
How does the dimension phrase длиной в пятнадцать сантиметров work here?
This is the core structure for giving dimensions in Russian. You take the dimension noun in the Instrumental case (длиной = by length), add the preposition в, and put the actual measurement in the Accusative case (пятнадцать сантиметров).
Why does the preposition у split the word for 'no one' in ни у кого?
When a negative pronoun like никто (no one) is used with a preposition, the preposition physically splits the word right after the ни- prefix. So, instead of у никого, it becomes ни у кого. Notice that Russian also requires a double negative, which is why we still use нет.
Why is 'tooth' written as зуба instead of зуб?
It is in the Genitive case because it is the object of нет (is not / does not exist). The phrase literally works out to 'at no one is there of a tooth.'
In the phrase в пятнадцать сантиметров, what cases are being used?
The preposition в puts the numeral пятнадцать into the Accusative case (which for this number looks identical to the Nominative). However, the word сантиметров is in the Genitive plural. This is because it is governed by the number 15, and numbers ending in 5 through 20 always require the following noun to be Genitive plural.
Learn Ни у кого нет зуба длиной в пятнадцать сантиметров 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