Nothing in Russian: does it mean nothing or pretty?

Hi everyone, this time I’m going to tell you about a word «ничего». In many cases it means nothing in Russian. But how can you understand the phrase «Эта девчонка – ничего»? Will you translate it like ‘this girl is nothing’? To avoid a terrible mistake like this (and possibly a slap) handling the word nothing in Russian, read the rest of the article.

So, as I have already said, «ничего» can mean nothing in Russian. ‘What will you buy for Anna’s birthday?’ – ‘Ничего. Because she didn’t buy anything for my birthday.’ Ok, no more examples, that’s pretty simple.

When do we use «ничего» to mean ‘not bad’ or ‘pretty good’? This time «ничего» doesn’t mean nothing in Russian. Here are some examples for you to make it clear.

1. ‘How was your trip?’ – ‘Not bad («ничего»), we liked it.’

2. ‘How are you doing?’ – ‘Not dying («ничего»), thanks.’

3. ‘I don’t like her type.’ – ‘But to my taste she is pretty («ничего»).’

‘Nothing’ in Russian can mean ‘pretty’. How confusing is that one? 🙂

Note that when we say «ничего» in regards to things, events and so on, we mean ‘not bad’. But when we say «ничего» in regards to a person, it means only their appearance, not character/manners/intellect. It means we find a person pretty or charming.

So if a Russian tells you something like «А ты ничего» you won’t be confused anymore. Subscribe to our website and you will learn lots of other new things!

Free Russian audio lessons online: words, pronunciation, texts. Nothing in Russian: does it mean nothing or pretty?