Particles

Particles are used to add various meaning to individual words or whole sentences.

Когда же вы будете готовы?

Aren't you ever going to be ready?

 

Говорите же!

Say something for goodness' sake!

 

Что же мне делать?

What on earth shall I do?

 

Пришли все, даже дети. 

Everyone came, even the children.

 

Он даже смутился.

He actually looked confused.

 

Только Винот знает его адрес.

Only Vinod knows his address.

 

Они только лишь смеются .

They do nothing but laugh. 

 

Это могло произойти только случайно.

It could not happen except by chance

 

Каких только книг он не читал!

What books has he not read!

 

In the above sentence же, даже and только add extra emphatic meaning. Particles do not have any independent meaning, therefore, they cannot fulfil the function of a part of the sentence and they do not answer any questions.

The particles are classified as follows:

Interrogative particles: ли (ль), разве, неужели.

 

ли (ль)

 

Возможно ли?

Is it possible?

 

Знает ли он это?

Does he know this?

 

Скоро ли приедет твой брат?         

Will your brother come soon?

 

The particle ли (ль) refers to one particular word in an interrogative sentence and invariably follows that word.

Разве  really

 

Разве они все вместятся в эту машину? 

Will they really all get in this car?

 

Разве ты не знал, что он русский?

Didn't you know that he is Russian?

 

Разве не ясно?

Isn't it clear?

 

Разве твой брат не приедет?           

Won't your brother come?

 

The particles разве has interrogative meaning and connotation of doubt, disbelief or surprise. The particles разве refers to the whole sentence and generally stands at the beginning of the sentence, but it may also stand in the middle:

 

Твой брат разве не приедет?           

Won't your brother come?

 

Неужели really?

Indeed, is it possible?

 

Неужели твой брат не приедет?    

Won't your brother come?

 

Besides its interrogative meaning, the particles неужели has a connotation of doubt, disbelief or surprise. The particles неужели referы to the whole sentence and generally stand at the beginning of the sentence, but they may also stand in the middle.

 

Exclamatory particles: что за what  (a ...),   как how, ну и oh, well.

 

Что за красавица!

What a beauty!

 

Что за книгу Винот прочитал!        

What a book Vinod has read!

 

Как весело поют птицы!     

How merrily the birds are singing!

 

Ну и устал я сегодня!           

I am tired today!

 

Exclamatory particles invariably stand at the beginning of the sentence.

 

Еmphatic particles: даже even; и oh, even; же (ж), ведь  but, after all, why, you know; ни not (a ...).

 

Это даже ребёнок понимает.          

Even a child can understand that.

 

Даже наш учитель не мог объяснить это правило.

Even our teacher could not explain the rules.

 

Это и ребёнок понимает.    

Even a child can understand that.

 

Нина прочитала эту книгу сегодня же.

Nina completed the book today itself.

 

Я же тебе говорил.

I told you so, didn't I?

 

Ведь я тебе говорил.

I told you so, didn't I?

 

The emphatic particles даже and и have the same meaning and invariably stand before the word they emphasise. The particles же and ведь are similar in meaning. The particle ведь refers to the whole sentence and does not have a fixed position in the sentence.

 

Ведь Максим ничего не знает об этом.  

Maxim doesn't know anything about it, you know.

 

Максим ведь ничего не знает  об этом. 

Maxim doesn't know anything about it, you know.        

 

Максим  ничего ведь не знает об этом. 

Maxim doesn't know anything about it, you know.             

 

Максим  ничего не знает ведь об этом. 

Maxim doesn't know anything about it, you know.

 

The particle же may also refer to the whole sentence. It is never placed at the beginning of the sentence. If the particle же refers to a particular word, it is invariably placed immediately after that word.

 

Максим же ничего не знает об этом.     

But Maxim doesn't know anything about it.

 

Джон же ей говорил.           

But John told her so.

 

Помоги же ей.           

Do help her.

 

He могла же она отказаться.

She could not very well refuse, could she?

 

Она вернётся сегодня же.    

She is coming back today as ever is.

 

The particle ни emphasises negation:

 

He могу ждать ни минуты.  

I can't wait a single minute.

 

Hина успела написать ни строчки.     

Shе had no time to write even a line.

 

Limiting particles: только only, just, лишь only,   just, лишь only, только just.

 

Они только лишь смеются.

They do nothing but laugh.

 

Я только (лишь) посмотрел статыо.           

I only managed to look through the article.

 

Limiting particles are always placed immediately before their head word and только лишь and лишь только are synonymous.

 

Demonstrative particles: вот here is (are), вон there is (are), это this is (these are), that is (these are). Demonstrative particles refer to the whole sentence and generally stand at the beginning of the sentence.

 

Вот наше общежитие.

Here is our hostel.

 

Вон идёт твоя  подруга.

There is your girl friend coming.

 

Вон оно что!

So that's it!; Oh, that's it!

 

Вон там

Оver there

 

Куда это он делся?

Wherever has he got to?

 

Что это ты не готов?

Why on earth aren't you ready?

 

Это вы спрашиваете?

Was it you who was asking?

 

 

The negative particle не.

The negative particle не invariably stands before the word negative.

 

Нина не придёт сегодня.     

Shе will not come today.

 

Она придёт не сегодня.       

It's not today that she will be coming.

 

He она придёт сегодня.        

It's not she who will be coming today.

 

Special group of particles. The following particles are used to form new words or new forms of words. The particles -mo, -либо, -нибудь, кое- are used to form indefinite pronouns and ad­verbs:

 

кто-то somebody                    

что-либо something                

кое-что something                  

почему-то for some reason    

ое-где somewhere, etc.

 

The particles не and ни are used to form negative pronouns and adverbs: никто nobody, ничто nothing, некого nobody, нечего nothing, нигде nowhere, негде nowhere, etc.

The particle бы (б)

 

The particle бы (б) is used to form the conditional mood:

сделал бы would do, would have done,

мог бы would be able, would have been able.

 

Read the following sentences paying attention to the use of particle.

 

 

Ученник ответил только на этот вопрос.

The pupil answered only that question.

 

Только ученник ответил на этот вопрос.

Only the pupil answered the question.

 

Мы только вчера играли в парке.

Only yesterday we played in the park.

 

Мы вчера играли только в парке.

Yesterday we played only in the park.

 

Мы  вчера только  играли  в парке.

Yesterday we only played in the park.

 

Только мы  вчера  играли  в парке.

Only we only played yesterday in the park.

 

Я сегодня не получил телеграмму.

I did not receive any telegram today.

 

Я  не сегодня  получил телеграмму

It is not today that I received the telegram.

 

Они будут здесь только жить.

They will only live here.

 

Они только здесь будут жить.

They will live only here.

 

Только мы будем здесь жить.

We only will be staying here.

 

Даже эта задача трудна для  неё.

Even that task is difficult for her.

 

Эта   задача   трудна   даже   для   неё.

This task is difficult even for her.

 

Даже она ещё не начинала работать.

Even she has not yet started working.

 

Она   даже   не   начинала   ещё   работать.

She has not even started working.

 

Я только прочитал поэму.

I only read the poem.

 

Я прочитал только поэму.

I read only the poem.

 

 

Мы не играли вчера в хоккей.

We did not play hokey yesterday.

 

Не мы играли вчера в хоккей..

I was not we who played hokey yesterday.

 

Мы  играли  вчера  не в хоккей..

We played no hokey yesterday.

 

The spelling of particles

 

The   particles -то, -нибудь,  -либо,  кде-,-таки,  -ка are joined to their head word by means of a hyphen: что-то some­thing, что-нибудь something, что-либо something, кое-что something, всё-таки still, расскажи-ка well, tell (me).

 

The particles бы (б), ли  (ль), же (ж)  and  their  head word are written as separate words.

 

Отдохнул бы ты.      

Why don't you take a rest?

 

Скоро ли он придёт?           

Will he be coming soon?

 

Он придёт сегодня же.        

Не will be coming today.

 

The particle ни and its head word   are sometimes written as one word and sometimes as separate words depending on the following conditions:

The particle не and its head word are written as one word If the word is not used without  не:  

небрежность  carelessness

недоумение bewilderment

несчастный  unhappy  

необъятный boundless

нельзя (it is) impossible

неожиданно  unexpectedly

ненавидеть to hate

недоумевать to be puzzled

 

The addition of the particle не forms a new word - a noun, adjective or adverb - which has a synonym without не:

несчастье misfortune

неправда untruth

непогода foul weather

неприятель foe

неверный incorrect

невесёлый cheerless

нетрудный not difficult

недалеко not far

несмело timidly

 

The addition of the particle не with negative pronouns forms a new word when they are not preceded by  prepositions:

нечего сказать there is nothing to say

некого послать there is nobody to send

 

The addition of the particle не with  negative adverbs forms a new word.

негде  спрятаться   there  is  nowhere to hide,

некуда идти there is nowhere to go,

некогда гулять there is no time to go for a walk

 

The addition of the particle не with complete form of participles having no adjuncts forms a new word

не­прочитанная книга unread book незаконченная работа unfinishedwork неисследованная местность unexplored country

The particle не and its head word are written as separate words when не is used with verbs, verbal adverbs, short form participles, numerals, prepositions and conjunctions.

with nouns, adjectives, adverbs and complete form participles in  antithesis:

 

Он нам не приятель, а враг. (п)      

Не is not our friend, he is our enemy.

 

Девушки спели не весёлую песню, а грустную.(п)           

The girls sang not a merry song but a sad one

 

Эта деревня не далеко, а совсем близко отсюда (п)         

This village is not far from here; it's quite near

 

The particle не and its head word are written as separate words when не used with adjectives and adverbs in the comparative degree:

Эта задача не труднее, чем предыдущая. (п)         

This problem is not more difficult than the preceding one.

 

Сегодня мы работали не хуже, чем вчера. (п)       

We did not work any worse today than yesterday.

           

The particle не and its head word are written as separate words when не is used with all pronouns, except the negative pronouns некого and нечего without prepositions:

Это не моя тетрдь.

This is not my notebook.

 

Не все сдали экзамен.

Not everyone has cleared the exam.

 

Ей не с кем посоветоваться.

She has nobody to turn to for advice.

 

Думать было не о чем.

There was nothing to think about.

 

The particle не and its head word are written as separate words when не is used with complete form participles with adjuncts:

Не прочитанная мною книга (п)

The book not read by me.

 

Не отдыхавшие с утра путешественники (п)

The travelers who had not rested since the morning.

 

Не прекращающийся в течение целой недели дождь (п)

The rain which has not stopped for a whole week.

 

The particle  ни and  its  head  word  are  written  as  one word when ни is used with the following negative pronouns:

никто nobody

ничто nothing

ни­какой no

ничей nobody's

 

The particle  ни  and  its  head  word  are  written  as  one word when they are not preceded by prepositions and with negative adverbs:

нигде nowhere

никуда nowhere

ниоткуда from nowhere

никогда never

нисколько not at all

ничуть not a little

 

These pronouns and adverbs are used in negative sentences:

Никто не приехал.

Nobody has come.

 

Ничего не случилось.

Nothing had happened.

 

Наш учитель никогда не опаздывает.

Our teacher is never late.

 

Её нигде не было.

She could not be found anywhere.

 

The particle ни and its head word are written as separate words when ни is used with the following negative pronouns preceded by a preposition:

никто nobody

ничто nothing

никакой nо

ничей nobody's

 

The particle ни and its head word are written as separate words when ни is used with the following negative pronouns preceded by a preposition:

Винот его ни о чём не спрашивал.    

Vinod did not ask him about anything.

 

Нина ни у кого не просила помощи.    

Nina did not ask anybody for help.

 

The particle ни and its head word are written as separate words if the particle ни is used in a negative sentence to emphasise the negation:

Нет ни одной минуты свободной. (п)    

There is not a single free minute.

Мы не продвинулись  вперёд ни на шаг.(п)

We have not moved a single step forward.

 

The particle ни and its head word are written as separate words if the particle ни is used as a  copulative  conjunction  in a negative sentence:

Его не было ни в общеитии, ни дома. (п)

Не was to be found neither in the hostel  nor at home.

 

Я не нашёл ни Максима, ни Нину

I could not find either Maxim or Nina

 

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