я не русский
ya ne russkiy
The English phrase "I am not russian" is translated into Russian as я не русский (ya ne russkiy).
This phrase is used to state that one's nationality or ethnicity is not Russian.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of я (I), не (not) and русский (Russian).
Which one should you use?
The phrase я не русский refers to one's ethnicity or cultural identity. If you want to specifically state that you do not hold Russian citizenship, you should use я не россиянин.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes based on the gender of the speaker. The default form я не русский uses the masculine adjective, which is used by male speakers or when the gender is unspecified. If the speaker is female, the adjective must change to the feminine form я не русская.
How do you pronounce it?
ya ne russkiy
Did you know?
- Because Russian often omits the verb 'to be' in the present tense, the phrase я не русский literally translates to 'I not Russian' without any active verb.
- The word я shares a common ancestor with the Latin word 'ego'. This makes it a distant linguistic relative of the English 'I'.
Examples in context
- Я не буду присваивать это предложение, потому что я не русский.I will not adopt this sentence because I am not Russian.This sentence is useful for showing how to use я не русский in a way that explains why one might not adopt a specific sentence.Tatoeba #6066696 by sergiomelo, translation #6066697 by sergiomelo
- Я не русский, но очень рад быть здесь.I am not Russian, but I am happy to be here.
- Я не русская, я из США.I am not Russian, I am from the USA.
- Я не русский, я украинец.Ya ne russkiy, ya ukrainets.I am not Russian, I am Ukrainian.
- Простите, я не русский и не понимаю.Prostite, ya ne russkiy i ne ponimayu.Sorry, I am not Russian and I don't understand.
Example conversation
Andrey and Maria are talking about their backgrounds.
- Андрей AndreyТы давно живешь в Москве, Андрей?Ty davno zhivesh v Moskve, Andrey?Have you lived in Moscow for a long time, Andrey?
- Мария MariaДа, но я не русский.Da, no ya ne russkiy.Yes, but I am not Russian.
- Андрей AndreyОй, а откуда ты тогда?Oy, a otkuda ty togda?Oh, where are you from then?
- Мария MariaЯ из Сербии.Ya iz Serbii.I am from Serbia.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries не, русский, я, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
